The Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology is an annual international research prize of US$ 25,000. It is awarded to one young scientist for his or her outstanding contributions to neurobiology research based on methods of molecular and cell biology. Researchers who are 35 years of age or younger are invited to apply by 15 June 2010. The prize winner is selected by a committee of independent experts in the field, chaired by Science’s Senior Editor, Dr Peter Stern.

The 2009 prize was won by Dr. Richard Benton, Assistant Professor of the Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Dr Benton’s work has shown that insects have invented unusual receptors to detect smells. By targeting these molecules with specific chemical inhibitors, it may be possible to control the odorevoked behaviors of insects that transmit human diseases such as malaria.