The winners of the Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards 2025 have been announced.
The prizes, awarded by the learned society Applied Microbiology International (AMI), celebrate the brightest minds in the field and promote the research, group, projects, products and individuals who continue to help shape the future of applied microbiology.
The Horizon Awards recognise excellence across various domains of applied microbiology. Each award reflects a unique aspect of the field and its relevance to global challenges.
Dr Manu De Rycker, a Principal Investigator at the University of Dundee, has been named as the newest winner of the WH Pierce Global Impact in Microbiology Prize, which acknowledges and celebrates individuals, teams, or organisations that have made groundbreaking contributions to global challenges through applied microbiology.
Dr Manu De Rycker is a Principal Investigator at the University of Dundee, UK and Head of Biology at the University’s Drug Discovery Unit (DDU). At the DDU he leads the kinetoplastid and antifungals drug discovery programmes.
Manu and his team have enabled drug discovery for African sleeping sickness, visceral leishmaniasis and Chagas disease by developing a range of cell-based assays and screening cascades that allow high-throughput screening while also conferring the required physiological relevance. This work contributed to the development of two clinical candidates for visceral leishmaniasis and multiple advanced compounds for Chagas disease, all in collaboration with GSK. More recently Manu has set up a consortium to develop much-needed new antifungal drugs.
Professor Joana Falcao Salles, a professor of Microbial Community Ecology at the University of Groningen, has been named as the newest winner of the Basil Jarvis Food Security and Innovation Award, which targets professionals, researchers, and innovators who have made significant contributions to food safety, security, and sustainable agricultural practices. It celebrates their efforts in enhancing food production methods, addressing global hunger, and contributing to sustainable industrial processes, emphasising tangible impacts in these vital areas.
Professor Joana Falcao Salles is known for her research on soil and host-associated microbiomes. She is an agronomic engineer (Brazil), with a PhD from Leiden University (Netherlands) and a postdoc in Lyon (France).
Her work integrates ecological theory with experimental and computational tools to explore how microbial diversity supports ecosystem resilience, disease suppression, and sustainable agriculture. She has advanced the field of microbial invasions and demonstrated how plant genotypes can promote beneficial microbial interactions, thereby reducing the need for chemical inputs.
Through interdisciplinary collaboration, Prof. Falcao Salles bridges microbiome ecology with sustainable agriculture, connecting fundamental science with practical solutions for farmers, policymakers, and the future of microbiome-driven sustainability.
Dr José Luis Balcazar, Senior researcher at the Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Spain, has been named as the newest winner of the John Snow Public Health Innovation Prize, which recognises and supports excellence in applied microbiology, specifically targeting those whose work significantly improves public health and environmental sustainability.
Dr. Balcázar is a multifaceted microbiologist whose work focuses on the mechanisms that drive the spread of antimicrobial resistance at the One Health interface.
His research has revealed the crucial role of bacteriophages in horizontal gene transfer and resistance dissemination, and has shown that phages in polluted environments may carry auxiliary metabolic genes that support the degradation of pollutants. These findings open new avenues for bioremediation strategies while also generating actionable knowledge to improve water safety and strengthen public health surveillance.
Professor Elaine Cloutman-Green, Consultant Clinical Scientist at Great Ormond Street Hospital, has been named as the newest winner of the Christiana Figueres Policy to Practice Award, which acknowledges the pivotal role of individuals who bridge the gap between microbiological research and policy.
Professor Elaine Cloutman-Green is a Consultant Clinical Scientist in Infection Prevention and Control and Lead Healthcare Scientist at a world-renowned paediatric hospital.
She also holds an Honorary Professorship at UCL and was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2021 New Year Honours for her outstanding services to healthcare. Since beginning her Clinical Scientist training in Microbiology in 2004, Elaine has dedicated her career to protecting patients through science and innovation. Her groundbreaking PhD research explored the role of the environment in healthcare-associated infections, leading to the development of rapid diagnostic and infection-control tools now used to prevent transmission across hospitals.
Professor Thomas Crowther has been named as the newest winner of the Rachel Carson Environmental Conservation Excellence Award, which is designed for professionals, researchers, and innovators who have made significant contributions to the conservation of marine and terrestrial ecosystems and the preservation of biodiversity.
Professor Thomas Ward Crowther is a British ecologist, focussed on understanding the forces that shape biodiversity at a global scale.
He is the founder of the Crowther Lab, an international network of research groups exploring the role of biodiversity in regulating the Earth's climate and human wellbeing.
In 2020 he founded Restor.eco, an online platform that supports hundreds of thousands of community-led restoration projects around the world. By democratizing access to data and financing, this platform facilitates local biodiversity protection initiatives to enhance the wellbeing of local people. Collectively, this global network of projects is supporting the recovery of healthy soils and vegetation across 160 million hectares of land. Crowther was the founding co-chair of the Advisory Board for the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which aims to facilitate ecological recovery at a global scale, and in 2021, the World Economic Forum named Crowther a Young Global Leader for his efforts to protect biodiversity across the globe.
Max Fisher, a leading Disability & LGBTQIA+ Advocate, and Senior Research Associate at ViaNautis Bio, has been named as individual winner of the Dorothy Jones Diversity & Inclusion Achievement Award, which honours Dorothy Jones' commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion within STEM.
Max Fisher is an activist and an advocate for disability and LGBTQIA+ rights, in particular, advocating for the inclusion of disabled and queer people in STEM.
In 2024, they were named the UK’s most influential disabled scientist at the Disability Power 100.
“I speak openly about intersectionality in the workplace, drawing on my lived experiences as a queer, DeafBlind, and disabled scientist. I am passionate about being a role model for future scientists and others from marginalised backgrounds who are pursuing careers in science,” Mx Fisher said.
“With over a decade of experience in EDI advocacy, I’ve consistently championed dignity and respect for all. Professionally, I’m a registered scientist (RSci) with The Science Council and a Member of the Royal Society of Biology (MRSB). I currently work as a senior research associate in nanomedicine—growing cells in flasks, honing my flow cytometry skills, and building our automation platform.”
The Microbes and Social Equity Working Group (MSE) has been named as the team winner of the Dorothy Jones Diversity & Inclusion Achievement Award.
Accepting the award on behalf of the MSE Board of Directors, Dr Sue Ishaq, Associate Professor of Microbiomes, University of Maine, said: "Microbial exposures across ecosystems, settlements, cultures, and individuals are sociopolitical, and the mission of the Microbes and Social Equity Working Group is to connect microbiology with social equity research, education, policy, and practice to understand the interplay of microorganisms, individuals, societies, and ecosystems.
“Collectively, MSE seeks to generate and communicate knowledge that sparks evidence-based public policy and practice, supporting equity and sustainability for all.
“MSE addresses health disparities and inequitable access to public and natural resources, which cause adverse microbial exposures or failure to recruit beneficial ones, which worsen disparities in social and environmental health outcomes. MSE welcomes members from all disciplines and research focuses, with the intent of fostering interdisciplinary collaboration from our members to empower their own work and make a positive impact.”
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Notes to editors
- Applied Microbiology International (AMI) is the oldest microbiology society in the UK and with more than half of its membership outside the UK, is truly global, serving microbiologists based in universities, private industry and research institutes around the world.
- AMI provides funding to encourage research and broad participation at its events and to ensure diverse voices are around the table working together to solve the sustainability development goals it has chosen to support.
- AMI publishes leading industry magazine, The Microbiologist and in partnership with Oxford University Press, publishes three internationally acclaimed journals: Sustainable Microbiology, Journal of Applied Microbiology and Letters in Applied Microbiology. It gives a voice to applied microbiologists around the world, amplifying their collective influence and informing international, evidence-based, decision making.