IDF is pleased to announce the establishment of a new award and prize for ‘early-career’ scientists and/or technologists to recognize their work in the dairy science and technology field – The IDF Professor Pavel Jelen Early Career Scientist Prize. The award has been named in honor of Professor Pavel (Paul) Jelen, a Czech born scientist who has spent his career based in Canada and the US, developing academic work on Dairy Food Science and Technology, and encouraging, mentoring, and educating students and early-career scientists and technologists, and who recognizes the importance of communication.
Purpose of the award
The award and prize will provide an opportunity for awardees to showcase their work at the annual IDF World Dairy Summit (WDS), and thus provide opportunities for further education and mentoring, and to enhance employment opportunities and options. It will also allow awardees to observe the business and operational workings of IDF.
IDF encouraged qualifying early-career scientists/technologists (students or those < 3 years since graduation for the highest earned degree attained) to submit for this Award and Prize. Submissions had to address scientific and/or technological aspects in which IDF has an interest and a remit, including one or more of the following:
- Dairy science and technology, including processing and dairy ingredients
- Sustainability
- Standards of identity and labeling
- Dairy food additives, contaminants, residues, and processing aids, including analytical methods
- Dairy microbiology and dairy food safety, including hygiene, microbiological analytical methods, and global harmonization of methods
- Dairy product composition, including analytical methods for components
- Nutrition and health
2024 Entries
IDF is pleased to announce the opening of the third edition of the “IDF Professor Pavel Jelen Early Career Scientist Prize” for “early career” scientists, including graduate and postgraduate students who are less than 3 years since graduation from their highest degree attained. The prize is aimed towards the recognition of scientists and/or technologists in the dairy science and technology field.
Submissions must include a written abstract (< 1,000 words) and a short (< 4 min) video, both in the English language. The abstract must cover the research project and include title, author/s and affiliation/s, background and context, objective/s, materials and methods, results, interpretation and importance of results, conclusions, and the relevance of the work to global dairy trends, using these sub-headings. The video submission must include ≈3 min on the research project and ≈1 min on the applicant, including their career to date, and what direction they wish to go in the future; and the relevance of IDF in this future.
All qualifying applicants will be invited to present posters at the IDF WDS. The first, second and third placegetters will also be invited to provide a short (≈10 min) oral overview of their work at the IDF WDS thus providing a great forum to showcase their work in front of a global dairy audience. In addition, the winner will be invited to present the work at the 22nd IUFoST World Congress 2024 of Food Science and Technology in Rimini, Italy. The winner will receive an honorarium of €400 as well as travel expenses of up to €1,800 to support attendance at the IDF World Dairy Summit 2024 in Paris. The second and third-prize winners will also receive an honorarium.
Awardees are carefully selected by a panel of judges with expertise across a broad range of disciplines related to dairy science and technology and drawn from several standing committees of IDF. Qualifying early career scientists and technologists are invited to make their submissions by May 2, 2024, through IDF at the following e-mail: [email protected]. The applicant’s score will be informed by June 30 to allow for travel arrangements and to be included in the programme of the IDF World Dairy Summit 2024.
2024 Winners Announced
IDF proudly announces the winners of the “IDF Professor Pavel Jelen Early Career Scientist Prize” for 2024:
First Prize: Maria Frizzarin (Teagasc Animal and Grassland Research Centre, Ireland) for her work on the use of mid-infrared spectroscopy to quantify the cow environmental footprint.
Second Prize: Natalie Ahlborn (Sustainable Nutrition Initiative – Riddet Institute, New Zealand) for her work on processing treatments of milk and their effects on digestion and nutrient absorption.
Equal Third Prize: Riccardo Cocuzzi (Agroscope and the University of Fribourg, Switzerland) for his work on lactate metabolism in Propionibacterium freudenreichii, an important microorganism in the manufacture of Swiss-type cheeses.
Equal Third Prize: Mark Timlin (University College Dublin and Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ireland) for his work on the impacts of a ‘typical’ Irish pasture-based system on the composition and quality of milk and dairy products.
Maria Frizzarin will receive a plaque recognizing the achievement, complimentary registration to the IDF World Dairy Summit 2024, a honorarium of €400, and travel expenses up to €1,800 to support her attendance at the IDF WDS 2024.
Natalie Ahlborn will receive a printed certificate recognizing the achievement and an honorarium of €200.
Riccardo Cocuzzi and Mark Timlin will both receive a printed certificate recognizing the achievement and an honorarium of €100.
The winners will be encouraged to attend the IDF World Dairy Summit 2024 to be held in Paris, France from 15 to 18 October 2024. There, they will have the opportunity to present their work as a poster and as a short oral presentation. Presenting their work at the World Dairy Summit will provide the awardees with an invaluable platform to showcase their research and expertise, fostering opportunities for further education, mentoring, and employment in the dairy sector.
“We firmly believe that this prize will inspire and incentivize candidates to dedicate their careers to addressing dairy-related issues, empowering a new generation of scientists and technologists committed to advancing dairy science and technology. Through their efforts, we aim to enhance the quality, safety, and nutritional value of milk and dairy products,” stated Dr. Geoffrey Smithers, a member of the IDF Standing Committees on Dairy Science and Technology and Nutrition and Health, and Chair of the Prize judging panel.
IDF extends its gratitude to all the participants and extends heartfelt congratulations to the winners for their outstanding performance.
