In memory of Elisa Izaurralde, former director of the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, Germany, the RNA Society awards since 2020 the Elisa Izaurralde Award for Innovation in Research, Teaching and Service which honors early career researchers that not only are successful in their research but also in teaching and serving the community.

The RNA Society announced that Stefanie Jonas, assistant professor at D-BIOL’s IMBB at ETH Zurich, is the winner of the 2024 award endowed with 20’000 USD. The society writes that Prof. Jonas receives the award for her research into RNA processing, her history of strong mentoring and her involvement in the RNA community in Switzerland. Prof. Jonas serves as the Equal Opportunity Delegate of the NCCR RNA & Disease and is one of the organizers of the Swiss RNA Workshop.

The Society continues in its statement that they are honored to recognize Prof. Jonas as a leader in the RNA research community and are confident that Elisa Izaurralde would have been excited to see one of her mentees be bestowed this special award by the RNA Society.