2022 ICIS Senior & Mid-Career Awards

The ICIS-Pfizer Award for Excellence in Interferon and Cytokine Research (formerly the Seymour & Vivian Milstein Award)

The ICIS-Pfizer Award for Excellence in Cytokine & Interferon Research (formerly the Seymour and Vivian MILSTEIN Award), represents the pinnacle of scientific achievement in cytokine & interferon research. This Award is bestowed upon a leading biomedical research scientist, who may not be an ICIS member, who has made outstanding contributions to cytokine & interferon research, either in a basic or applied field. Many laureates have made seminal advancements that have enabled the successful treatment of disease or have the potential to lead to significant health benefits.  The award consists of $10,000 (may be split if there are more than one award winner) and an invitation to make an oral presentation during the Opening Ceremony at Cytokines 2022 Hybrid Meeting in Hawaii, immediately following presentation of the Awards (including the usual invited speaker travel reimbursements and complimentary registration) and a crystal block. This award is generously sponsored by Pfizer.

For more information about past Milstein Award winners, please click here.

ICIS-BIOLEGEND William E. Paul Award for Excellence in Cytokine Research

Sponsored by a generous grant from BioLegend

ICIS-BioLegend William E. Paul Award Winners from 2016 – 2020

William E. Paul, MD, (1936–2015)

William E Paul MD 19362015

William E. Paul, MD, (1936–2015)

The ICIS-BioLegend William E. Paul Award for Excellence in Cytokine Research is dedicated to William E. Paul, M.D., who died on September 18, 2015 at age 79. Dr. Paul’s extraordinary contributions to the field of cytokine research are best summarized by this paper published in the Journal of Immunology on December 15, 2015.

This award was established in 2016 and is given to an investigator that has made significant contributions to cytokine and interferon research throughout their career through the generosity of BioLegend.

The award consists of $2,500 and a crystal block with the 3 D structure of IL-4, the cytokine most associated with Dr. Paul’s research, as well as up to $2,500 in travel expense reimbursement and complimentary registration to attend and present at the Annual Meeting.

The ICIS-BioLegend William E. Paul Award represents the pinnacle of scientific achievement in cytokine research. The William E. Paul Award is bestowed upon a leading biomedical research scientist who has made outstanding contributions to cytokine research, either in a basic or applied field as demonstrated by publications, oral presentations and consistent scientific advancements in cytokine biology throughout their career, through the generosity of BioLegend. The awardee is selected by the ICIS Awards Committee based on nominations received from the international scientific community. The selection is based on strength and consistency throughout their career of cytokine research publications in peer reviewed journals, contributions to cytokine biology through the publication of reviews and book chapters, long term evidence of presenting their work on cytokine biology to the international community in oral presentations and leadership in the field as demonstrated by organization of cytokine biology meetings and chairing of sessions focused on cytokine biology at national/international meetings.

For more information on past BioLegend Award winners, please click here.

ICIS-LUMINEX John R. Kettman Award for Excellence in Interferon & Cytokine Research

This award generously supported by Luminex Corporation, recognizes a mid-career investigator who has made outstanding contributions to the field of interferon or cytokine biology.  The awardee will receive a $5,000 cash prize to include meeting registration and travel support to the ICIS annual meeting for presentation of his or her research in an award lecture. The award is named after Dr. John R (Jack) Kettman, an immunologist who was instrumental in the development of Luminex’s technologies and the Luminex Corporation.

A nominee must be an ICIS member in good standing* who is within 15 years from their terminal degree (Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent). A nominee must be an independent research scientist (PI); postdoctoral fellows are not eligible. Eligibility of the nominee will be checked at time of nomination and before presentation of award.

Letters of nomination should be sent to the ICIS President via the Submission Form. The nomination package should include a full CV of the nominee and a letter of nomination detailing the accomplishments of the nominee and reasons for the nomination. A candidate may be nominated by more than one ICIS member.

It should be noted that the awardees will be judged based on the following criteria which should be included in the nomination letter:

outstanding publications and ground-breaking discoveries in the field
collective contributions to the field of cytokine biology

* Member dues paid through the end of 2022.

# This award is intended for a mid-career researcher with a maximum of 15 years post-degree. It is, however, recognized that there may have been family-related, personal, or other circumstances resulting in extended time out of the laboratory. Exceptions to the 15-year limit will be considered based on a description of any special circumstances. Please email  with inquiries.

2021 ICIS-Luminex Award Winner

2020 Inaugural ICIS-LUMINEX Award Winner

ICIS Mentorship Award

The newly established ICIS Mentorship Award recognizes ICIS members who have made significant and sustained contributions to the career development of trainees and to the profession through outstanding mentoring. This award is based on the training experiences and success of the nominee’s mentees, not the mentor’s personal career achievements. For the purpose of this award, mentoring is defined as the process of guiding, supporting, and promoting the training and career development of others. A minimum of three mentees will write a supporting letter on how this person has impacted their development, career and lives, to be submitted together by one of the mentees (an ICIS member). The key roles of a mentor include, but are not limited to, providing:

Intellectual growth and development
Career development
Professional guidance
Advocacy
Positive role modeling

Eligibility Criteria:

To be eligible, the person needs a minimum of three mentees who are willing to write a supporting letter (one page, single spaced) on how this person has impacted their development, career and lives.
Both the nominee and the corresponding nominator must be ICIS members (not a member, apply today)
Nominees may include academic, government or industry members
Nominees should have a sustained record of mentoring over time
Self-nominations and posthumous nominations will not be accepted.
Candidates that were nominated in the preceding year but did not win the award are automatically reconsidered as eligible in the ensuing year.
The nomination must be made by a Regular, Industry or Student/Postdoc Member of the Society and include a minimum of two additional letters of nomination. The winner of this award will be announced at the annual meeting.

The Awardee will receive an ICIS Crystal and travel costs to attend the Society’s Annual Meeting up to $1500, and complimentary meeting registration for the year of the award. Mentees are invited to present the Award to their Mentor at the Annual Awards Ceremony.

2021 Inaugural ICIS Mentorship Award Winner

ICIS Honorary Lifetime Membership Award

Nominations are solicited for Honorary Life Memberships in the ICIS. Each year an individual will be awarded Life Membership as a tribute to his/her contributions to the field. Nominees should be individuals who have made substantive contributions to the cytokine/chemokine/interferon field over much of their careers, either in basic, clinical or applied research. Honorary members are esteemed members of the Society and provide us with an historical perspective and valued research tradition. Honorary Life Members are accorded all rights and privileges of active members, are exempted from Society dues and are listed in the dedicated Honorary Life Members section of the Society web site. The winner(s) is elected by vote of the ICIS Council and will be an invited speaker(s) at the next ICIS meeting.

Past Honorary Lifetime Membership Awardees

ICIS Distinguished Service Award

The ICIS will on occasion bestow this honor on an ICIS member who has made an extraordinary contribution to the Society. The individual will have devoted significant time and energy over a period of years to elevating the goals of the Society in furthering research on interferon, cytokines and chemokines. Nominations should be communicated to the Awards Committee of the ICIS.

Past ICIS Distinguished Service Awardees