second young investigator awards
Human identification and forensics

Second Young Investigator Awards

Calling all young forensic scientists – Applications closed

Nurturing the next generation of forensic scientists

In response to all the positive feedback we received from the forensic community for our 2019 Young Investigator Award, QIAGEN is kicking off the Second Young Investigator Award in February 2022.

Are you working on a research project that aims to make a lasting impact in human identification and forensics using next-generation sequencing (NGS)? If yes, apply for this award and win up to $60,000 worth of QIAGEN—Verogen products.

QIAGEN—Verogen partnership combine innovation and integration to allow the limitless capabilities of NGS-based methods to take your research to the next level. Let us be a part of your forensic journey. Learn about the submission guidelines and apply for this award.

The Second QIAGEN Young Investigator Award is back in February 2022 to help the next generation of forensic scientists fulfill their forensic journey in human identity and forensics. The Young Investigator Awards provide a scholarship opportunity to current graduate students (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) and those who received their degrees in the last five years. The award recognizes and promotes outstanding forensic scientists conducting novel forensic research using next-generation sequencing (NGS) to achieve their career goals. We are generously donating a combined instrument and reagents prize package worth up to US$ 60,000. As part of the QIAGEN—Verogen collaboration earlier this year, our partner Verogen also generously supports the Young Investigator Award. Our awardees will get to choose one prize package as per their needs from the following:

  • Get a QIAGEN instrument for use in your NGS workflow (QIAquant, QIAxcel or QIAexpert) plus reagents, with a combined value of up to US$ 60,000:
    • Option 1: Verogen library prep kits and sequencing reagents up to US$ 30,000 and access to a MiSeq FGx sequencer with analysis software plus training
    • Option 2: QIAseq sequencing reagents including the option to customize your own library prep panel through our GeneGlobe platform up to US$ 30,000 Or
  • Reagents only prize: You get to choose sequencing reagents from QIAGEN or QIAGEN—Verogen products, including the option to customize your own QIAseq library prep panel through our GeneGlobe platform, up to US$ 40,000

We are accepting applications from February 15 through June 10, 2022. The winner and two runners-up will be announced at the International Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG) 2022 Congress, Washington DC on September 1, and will receive flights to Washington DC and accommodation for up to two nights.

Learn more about this fantastic opportunity to have your work supported and recognized on an international scale by the wider Investigator Community.

Margreet van den Berge from the Netherlands Forensic Institute, The Hague won the 2019 Young Investigator Award for her work on mRNA profiling for forensic identification of body fluids and organ types, including of aged and degraded specimens. 
The runners-up were Zachary Goecker from the University of California, Davis and Sofia Antao Sousa from the Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology at the University of Porto, Porto. Read more about their projects and how they were recognized during the 2019 ISFG Congress in Prague.
Margreet van den Berge, winner of the 2019 Young Investigator Award
Dr. Margreet van den Berge research scientist
To have my research recognized on this scale is extremely validating, and I am both proud and humbled to be recognized as QIAGEN’s Young Investigator Award winner.
Dr. Margreet van den Berge of the Netherlands Forensic Institute, The Hague
Void where prohibited by law. No purchase is necessary. Purchase will not improve your chances of winning.
All applicants must be currently enrolled graduate students (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) or those who received their M.Sc. or Ph.D. in the last 5 years, and must be primarily responsible for the research described. Employees and immediate family members of QIAGEN cannot participate in the contest. This is an international contest. Submissions to the Awards are admitted from any researcher regardless of age, gender, country of origin, background or religion. The research described in the submission must fall within the HID & forensics using NGS and multiplexing technologies. Incomplete submissions or those that do not meet the requirements will be rejected. This program is void where prohibited by law. Individuals or entities classified as healthcare professionals or healthcare organizations under any applicable laws or industry codes of ethics may not participate in this program. Each applicant or entrant is responsible for confirming that their participation is permitted by their respective University or organization rules.
 
To enter the contest, complete the application found below. Only one entry per representative will be considered. Incomplete submissions will not be accepted. We will accept submissions received exclusively through the online form and no later than June 10, 2022. The winners will be selected according to the judging process outlined below and notified by telephone call or email from QIAGEN.
Our distinguished panel of experts in the field of HID and forensics will review and select the winners. Members of the judging committee are unbiased and have no conflicts of interest with any participants. A list of judges can be found here. Entries will be graded based on: Scientific merit of the proposed project (30 pts), originality/innovation (20 pts), the likelihood of successfully conducting the proposed research (15 pts), the application of NGS technology (15 pts), and potential for impact within the forensic community (20 pts).
We are generously donating a combined instrument and reagents prize package worth up to US$ 60,000. The awardee can select one prize package from the following:
  • Get a QIAGEN instrument for use in your NGS workflow (QIAquant, QIAxcel or QIAexpert) plus reagents, with a combined value of up to US$ 60,000:
    • Option 1: Verogen library prep kits and sequencing reagents up to US$ 30,000 and access to a MiSeq FGx sequencer with analysis software plus training
    • Option 2: QIAseq sequencing reagents including the option to customize your own library prep panel through our GeneGlobe platform up to US$ 30,000 Or
  • Reagents only prize: You get to choose sequencing reagents from QIAGEN or QIAGEN—Verogen products, including the option to customize your own QIAseq library prep panel through our GeneGlobe platform, up to US$ 40,000

The prize award is based on our product list prices with no additional or existing discount.

Applications will be accepted from February 15 through June 10, 2022. The winner and two runners-up will be announced at >the International Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG) 2022 Congress, Washington DC, September 01, and will receive flights to Washington DC and accommodation for up to two nights

All taxes, including, without limitation, federal, state, and local taxes on or in connection with the prize, are the sole responsibility of the winning entry. The sponsor reserves the right to substitute any prize of equal or greater value in its sole discretion. No cash prize alternative will be awarded and the prize is not transferable. The sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and modify the contest at its sole discretion. By participating in the award, entrants agree to release and hold harmless the sponsor from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the contest, including any errors in the administration of the promotion, printing errors, and technical errors, and the winner and his or her entry agree to release and hold harmless the sponsor as well from receipt or use of any prize awarded and further agrees to the disclosure of the name of the winning entry. QIAGEN is only permitted to facilitate, pay or reimburse for reasonable and actual travel and accommodation, as outlined by the MedTech Code of Ethics. Under the code, QIAGEN can only make these payments to the employer of the awardee. The Official Rules are governed by, and must be construed in accordance with, the laws of Germany. Entrants agree that all disputes arising from or in connection with this contest and the prize awarded must be heard in a state or federal court of Germany. This contest is void where prohibited by law. Sponsor: The contest is sponsored by QIAGEN GmbH, Qiagen Str. 1, 40724 Hilden, Germany.

Any personal data will be processed by QIAGEN and Verogen in accordance with the applicable data protection laws, as detailed in QIAGEN Privacy Policy. Personal data of the participats shall be processed:
  1. to award and settle the prize and announce the names of the winners pursuant to Art.6.1.b. of the GDPR
  2. to participate in the contest – pursuant to Art. 6.1.f of the GDPR

For all winner(s), QIAGEN publishes the following information: a) name, b) name of institution, c) their activities in relation to the award of the prize, d) prize amount. Participants hereby irrevocably grant to QIAGEN and Verogen:

  1. the unrestricted right and permission to copyright, make, reproduce, publish, republish, broadcast and otherwise use photos and recordings of the participant or in which the participant may be included intact or in part, composite in character or form, in conjunction with the participant's own, or reproduction hereof, made through any and all media now or hereafter known for illustration, art, promotion, advertising, trade, corporate communications, social media or any other purpose whatsoever;
  2. the right and permission to the use of any written information (including without limitation, quotations, product or information) material in connection with the above;

provided that such photos and recording are use for the purpose of the QIAGEN Young Investigator Award and promotional activities.

Participant waives any right to examine or approve the completed product or products or the copy or printed matter that may be used in conjunction with the or the use to which it may be applied.

Have questions about the application process?

Previous Judges

Based on a MiSeq or MiSeq FGx instrument