SFN Travel Grant

Winners Announced!


Congratulations to this years winners of the SFN Travel Grant!

Due to the recent announcement from the Society of Neuroscience (SfN) in regards to the meeting switching to a digital format, this years $1000 (or currency equivalent) grants will be awarded towards Neuroscience research instead of travel.

Rajeshwari Chellappan,   University of Alabama at Birmingham
“It is such an honor to receive this award and thank you for the support. I feel grateful to have had a mentor such as Dr. Peter King. I would like to emphasize how my lab filled in during the pandemic hours and helped with the completion of this project. We eagerly await to see what this drug can accomplish in clinical scenarios.”
Ashley Keiser,  University of California, Irvine

"I am extremely honored and thankful for Proteintech's support of my work! Due to this support, I will be able to apply funds to further my studies and share my work virtually with a broad audience of neuroscientists from around the world, engage with the latest research and gain feedback; all of which will make me a stronger scientist. Thanks to Proteintech for this opportunity!"


The award

Proteintech is proud to support researchers by offering 2 x $1000 travel grants to attend the 2021 SFN annual meeting this November in Chicago, USA.

The travel grant is open to PhD students, lab managers and post-docs based at universities or research institutions in the US and Europe.

The $1000 grant may be used for the cost of registration, accommodation and travel to Chicago.

For your chance to win, complete the entry form below, including a summary of your research or SFN abstract. The two most interesting and innovative abstracts will be selected by a panel of scientists.

The deadline for entries is September 17 2021, so don't delay! We will announce the winner on October 11 2021.

FAQs and terms and conditions can be found below.

Entry period Aug 16 - Sept 17 2021
Judging period Sept 18-24 2021
Winner announcement Oct 11 2021
SFN 2021 Nov 13-17 2021

2019 SFN Travel grant winners


Jacob Mann,  University of Pittsburgh

Jacob Mann developed a mouse model for ALS and dementia that is optogenetically induced, allowing for more controlled study of neurodegeneration. Using this model, he and his colleagues found that the pathological potential of TDP43 and FUS to make toxic deposits is determined by whether they are unbound to RNA and if more RNA is added, the deposits can be eliminated.

Mann noted, “I am honored for the support of this travel award and am excited to share my work and exchange ideas with all the great scientists attending this meeting.”

Anthony Braun,  University of Minnesota

Aggregation of alpha-synuclein is a major cause of Parkinson’s Disease, and types of dementia. Anthony Braun and his colleagues developed a robust high-throughput cellular assay to test drugs that protect neurons from alpha-synuclein-induced death.

Braun said, “I am excited for the opportunity to attend SfN to share our exciting research and network with potential collaborators in neurodegeneration."

2018 SFN Travel grant winners

Both winners been awarded $1,000 each to cover expenses to attend the 2018 SFN annual meeting, being held November 3-7 in San Diego, CA.

Mengyang Feng, Pennsylvania State University

It is well-documented that a poor diet and obesity are risk factors for psychiatric disorders such as depression. However, the mechanism has not been elucidated as of yet. Feng and colleagues at Pennsylvania State University used a high fat diet mouse model to investigate how obesity contributes to depression. They found that a high fat diet increases the ability of these neurons to fire, leading to depression-like brain activity. Their results suggest that anticonvulsants, already used for treatment of bipolar disorder, may be useful for overweight patients who do not respond well to first-line therapies.

“I appreciate the support of the award and I am delighted to share my research and network with neuroscientists all over the world,” said Feng, who will be presenting this work on November 5 (#323. 22).

Yuyan Chen, University of California – Los Angeles.

Despite the brain’s importance to survival, neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) have limited healing abilities after injury. However, peripheral neurons have high regenerative capacity. Cheng and colleagues analyzed regenerating peripheral neurons to identify the genetic program driving this process and compared this program to CNS neurons after injury. They found that the expression of the REST transcription factor in the CNS interferes with this program. Their data suggest that targeting this protein may be effective in limiting brain damage after injury.

 “I am excited to network and see cool science!” Cheng said. Cheng will this research (#476.21) on November 6.


Travel Grant FAQS

1. Who can enter?

The travel grant is open to PhD students, lab managers and post-docs based at universities or research institutions in the US, Canada and Europe. Scientists from private companies are not eligible to enter the competition.

2. When is the entry deadline?

The deadline for all entries is September 17 2021.

3. How do I enter?

By completing the entry form, including an abstract of current research.

4. How will the winners be picked?

Proteintech has assembled a group of academic peers to pick the winners based on which research abstracts they deem most interesting in the field of neuroscience research.

5. When will the winners be announced?

The winners will be announced on October 11 at ptglab.com, Proteintech social media and via the Proteintech email newsletter. The winner will be emailed by a representative from Proteintech before this date.

6. What expenses can I be reimbursed for?

Proteintech Group will cover the cost of accommodation for the duration of SFN, your return airfare to Chicago, and a full delegate registration pass up to the value of $1000.

8. How will I be reimbursed?

Once proof of payment for each expense has been received, Proteintech Group will issue a check to the winners for the total amount spent on the expenses covered.

9. When will I be reimbursed?

Proteintech Group will reimburse the winners within seven days of receiving proof of payment.

10. Can I be reimbursed if I have already paid for my travel, etc?

Yes. Proteintech Group can still cover the costs if you provide receipts of the itinerary you have already booked.

11. What is the total amount I can receive to cover my costs?

The travel awards offered will cover costs up to a total amount of $1000 for each winner. Entrants are only eligible to receive the accommodation, travel, and registration costs pertaining to the SFN meeting. If the total amount of these costs does not reach $1000, the entrant is unable to claim the remaining balance.

12. Will the winners be required to do anything after the announcement?

By submitting an entry for the competition, all entrants agree to participate in all promotional opportunities, including, but not limited to, press releases, media interviews, advertisements, social media, videos, etc. For any further information, please email kier@ptglab.com.


Terms and conditions

  1. Only applicants from Universities and Research Institutions are eligible to take part in this competition.
  2. This award will cover only the cost of registration, accommodation, and transport to the SFN 2021 meeting, to the total value of $1000. Any remaining balance available after these costs have been covered is not transferable and cannot be used for other expenses.
  3. By taking part in the competition, you agree to take part in any marketing and PR activities that Proteintech deem necessary. These may include the following: An interview, featuring on Proteintech blog/website, and  associated press releases.
  4. The deadline for entries to be submitted is September 17, 2021. Any applications submitted after this date will not be eligible.
  5. Applicants can only submit one entry. Any further entries will not be eligible. Applicants must complete the application form in full.
  6. The applicant must be available to attend the SFN meeting in Chicago between Nov 13-17, 2021. The travel grant applies only to the SFN 2021 meeting. The reimbursement cannot be used for any other meeting.
  7. The winning applicants will receive this travel grant via reimbursement from Proteintech Group.
  8. The recipient must provide receipts for their SFN registration, accommodation, and travel to receive reimbursement.   
  9. The recipient will receive reimbursement within 7 days of proof of expense being obtained.
  10. The reimbursement can only be paid to the individual or institution that originally paid for the travel expenses, registration and accommodation.
  11. The winners will be decided by the Proteintech scientific writing team and an assisting group of scientific peers. The winning entries will be the abstract deemed most interesting by the panel.
  12. The decision on which applicants win is at the discretion of Proteintech Group and their decision is final.
  13. This competition is not affiliated with SFN-sponsored travel awards in any way.