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Announcing the Winners of the NIH Replication Prize: Shaping the Future of Rigorous Science

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is thrilled to announce the winners of the NIH Replication Prize. This prize competition was launched to recognize and reward progress in making important areas of biomedical research more replicable, and to encourage a culture change where replication activities are normalized as a standard part of the scientific process.

After a rigorous review by a multidisciplinary panel of judges, NIH has selected winners for Track 1: Replication Ideas and winners for Track 2: Replication Exemplars. These outstanding individuals and teams have demonstrated exceptional commitment to scientific rigor, transparency, and the advancement of biomedical knowledge.

Track 1: Replication Ideas Winners

Track 1 winners successfully identified high-impact areas of research that are in critical need of replication studies. Their submissions spanned up to five scientific categories: Basic, Translational, Pre-clinical, Clinical, and Social and Behavioral research. Each of the winners will receive a prize of up to $5,000 for their compelling research questions and strong rationales.

Individual Winners

  • Kuan-lin Huang — Associate Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Mount Sinai
  • Alysson Muotri — Professor of Pediatrics and Cellular & Molecular Medicine, UC San Diego
  • Scott A. Handley — Professor of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine
  • Vicki Meadows — Creative and research professional, Atlanta area
  • Max Zacher — Recent PhD graduate, University of Rochester
  • Yi Jiang — Frady Whipple Professor of Mathematics, Georgia State University
  • Sarah F. Ackley — Assistant Professor, Brown University School of Public Health
  • Sterling Wright — Postdoctoral Scholar, Arizona State University
  • Rodrigo M. Carrillo-Larco — Assistant Professor, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University
  • T.J. Sego — Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Florida
  • Sean Mann — Senior Policy Analyst, RAND
  • John Worthley — Lead, Joliet, Nebraska Replication Hub
  • Riccardo Barrile — Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Cincinnati

Team Winners

  • Predictive/UNC Team — Alexander Tropsha · Eugene Muratov · Ricardo Scheufen Tieghi
  • LabGeeks — Nalan Yurtsever · Imran Unal
  • MitoWay Therapeutics — Bin Jiang
  • Functional Biomarkers in Food Allergy — Sindy K.Y. Tang · Stephen J. Galli · R. Sharon Chinthrajah
  • UF HE LAB — Mei He · Zachary Greenberg · Brian Diaz · Samantha Ali
  • Replicability by Default (RbD) — Michael White · Mosalam Ebrahimi · Berkan Hoke
  • Drs. Thompson and Henrich — Dr. Amanda J. Thompson · Dr. Christopher C. Henrich

Track 2: Replication Exemplars Winners

Track 2 winners are pioneering researchers who have creatively and successfully integrated replication into their standard research practice. Their strategies have shown measured success in improving research rigor and building trust in scientific outcomes. Each of the winners will receive a prize of up to $50,000.

Individual Winners

  • John Worthley — Researcher, cardiovascular pharmacology and altitude physiology
  • Magdalena Kasendra — R&D Director, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (CuSTOM)
  • Krissandra Johnson-Nealey — Site Operations Lead, Central Texas Clinical Research
  • Michele Di Mascio — Independent biomedical consultant (formerly NIH/NIAID)
  • Jagadeesh Ramasamy — Director of Bioscience Research, University of Illinois
  • Christina Kackos Brunelle — Senior Consultant, Deloitte

Team Winners

  • Team PGRM — Lisa Bastarache · Sarah Delozier · Anita Pandit · Jing He · Adam Lewis · Aubrey C. Annis · Jonathon LeFaive · Joshua C. Denny · Robert J. Carroll · Russ B. Altman · Jacob J. Hughey · Matthew Zawistowski · Josh F. Peterson
  • Antibody Team — Valérie Allamand · Jeffery Bajramovic · Hannah Cable · Pierre Cosson · Doris Lou Demy · Stefan Dübel · Mark Fowler · Katherine Groff · Michael Hust · Ravindran Kumaran · Jens Kurreck · Raphael Munoz Ruiz · Samera Rafiq · Ouarda Saib · Esther Wenzel · Kilian Zilkens
  • The RESI Team — Megan Jones · Kaidi Kang · Xinyu Zhang · Simon Vandekar
  • LATCH — Nayoon Gim · In Gim · Cecilia S. Lee, MD · Aaron Y. Lee, MD
  • ConductScience — Shuhan He, MD · Louise Corscadden, PhD · Boyu Peng, MS · Santosh Adhikari, MS · Yaning (Abby) Zheng, MS · Annelise Silva · Andres Diaz · Lauren Beaudin
  • ATCC Federal Solutions — Rebecca Bradford · Heather Couch · Sujatha Rashid · Ashley Castens · Manasi Tamhankar · Helen Navin · Michael Parker · Danielle Williams · Deb Hendrickson · Ann Wasko
  • Predictive/UNC Team — Alexander Tropsha · Eugene Muratov · Ricardo Scheufen Tieghi
  • C20D3-Vitamin A Replicate — Ilyas Washington · Leonide Saad
  • SOAR (Spatial Omics Analysis Replication) — Dr. Ka Yee Yeung-Rhee · Dr. Ling-Hong Hung · Mr. Bryce Fukuda · Dr. Cecilia Yeung · Ms. Kimberly Smythe · Dr. Jocelyn Wright

Join Us for the Virtual Awards Ceremony

NIH invites the scientific community and the public to join us in celebrating these remarkable achievements at the NIH Replication Prize Virtual Awards Ceremony. The event will feature a keynote address by a distinguished figure in research integrity, the official announcement of all winners, and a showcase of the innovative replication strategies developed by our Track 2 winners.

Event Details:

  • Date: May 13, 2026
  • Time: 1:00 PM – 2:45 PM EST
  • Location: Virtual Event

NIH Replication Prize – Award Ceremony

Congratulations to all the winners for their vital contributions to the future of rigorous and replicable science!

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