Event
The 10th International USERN Congress and Prize Awarding Festival: Day 3
The 10th International USERN Congress and Prize Awarding Festival Day3
As World Science Day for Peace and Development was celebrated around the globe, the third day of the 10th International USERN Congress and Prize Awarding Festival proceeded with an atmosphere of unity, inspiration, and scientific excellence. Held on November 10, 2025, in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
USERN Prize Award Ceremony: Honoring Global Scientific Excellence
The highlight of the day was the USERN Prize Award Ceremony, where outstanding young scientists were recognized for their groundbreaking contributions to their respective fields. As the world celebrates the UN Day of Science for Peace and Development on November 10th, the 10th International USERN Congress approaches its final stages. The 10th USERN Prize Awarding Festival is our annual prize to appreciate and promote young scientists who are broadening the frontiers of science and making a difference in their respective fields. Out of approximately 200,000 candidates who were first authors of papers published in Q1 journals during the previous year, 675 were selected to advance to the next stage of evaluation. From these, 200 candidates reached the final round.
Now, the five nominees and one winner in each scientific field for the 2025 USERN Prize are as follows:
The nominees for the USERN Prize 2025 in Formal Sciences were: Dr. Victor Hugo Costa De Albuquerque (Brazil), Dr. Xiaoying Tang (China), Dr. Robin Thompson (United Kingdom), Dr. Ka-Chun Wong (Hong Kong), Dr. Dong Keon Yon (South Korea).
USERN Prize Laureate in Formal Sciences: Dr. Dong Keon Yon from South Korea
Project Title: Global Health Foundation Model: Building an AI Platform for Predicting Non-Communicable Disease Trajectories
USERN Prize Laureate in Physical and Chemical Sciences: Dr. Hasan Oğul from Turkey
Project Title: Development of Radiation Shielding Materials for Small Modular Nuclear Reactors
USERN Prize Laureate in Biological Sciences: Dr. Anton Tkachenko from Czech Republic
Project Title: Eryptosis as a Promising Approach to Assess Hemocompatibility of Nanomaterials
USERN Prize Laureate in Medical Sciences: Dr. Yunlu Dai from Macao
Project Title: Rapid Construction of Efficient Polypeptide Tumor Vaccine Based on Topo-engineered Self-Adjuvantic OMV
USERN Prize Laureate in Social Sciences: Dr. Beata Bothe from Canada
Project Title: International Sex Survey (ISS)
The candidate universities for hosting the USERN Congress 2025 were: Spain, Tunisia, Kazakhstan and Malaysia.
The host for USERN 2026 Congress and Prize Awarding Festival was selected by the votes from the USERN Policy-Making Council. Astana, Kazakhstan was selected as the USERN 2026 host.
Another major highlight of the day was the announcement of the new President of USERN, following the official presidential election conducted by the USERN Policy Making Council. Prof. Tommaso Dorigo was selected from among all nominated candidates, succeeding the previous president who led USERN for three years and continues to support the network. This transition marks an exciting new chapter for USERN and its global scientific community.
The academic program of the third day featured virtual keynote lectures by distinguished scientists, enriching the multidisciplinary dialogue focusing on “Translational Neuroscience and Neurology: Mental Health and Neurological Diseases":
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Prof. Sophia Moskalenko (USA) — "Breaking Boundaries: The Psychological Science of Extreme Thought and Behavior"
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Prof. Umberto Crisanti (UK) — "Heal Yourself: Visualisation, Inner Intelligence, and the Neuroscience of Healing"
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Prof. Vivette Glover (UK) — "For the sake of the child, perinatal mental health care needs to help with more than diagnosed disorders. Stress is important too"
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Prof. Amedeo Amedei (Italy) — "The epoch of intratumoral microbiome: focus on colorectal and breast cancer"
The day also included virtual oral presentations, providing a platform for researchers and young scientists to present their newest studies and engage in meaningful scientific exchange.
The Appreciation Session for the Best In-Person Oral and Poster Presentations acknowledged outstanding contributions from participants whose scientific work demonstrated excellence, creativity, and impactful research.
The third day of the 10th International USERN Congress concluded with deep appreciation for three days filled with knowledge-sharing, innovation, and global scientific partnership; a powerful reflection of USERN’s mission to promote “Science without Borders.”