Distinguished Scientist Award

The Distinguished Scientist Award is the Sleep Research Society’s highest award and recognizes significant, original, and sustained scientific contributions to the sleep and circadian research field. This award honors a single prominent individual who has conducted influential basic, translational, clinical, or theoretical research spanning an entire career.

Selection criteria generally include:

  • A substantial body of research that is considered inspired, meritorious, and significant, and which has had a major impact on the field, both nationally and internationally
  • Additional substantial or outstanding contributions that have advanced the field.
  • Nominee should exemplify highest ethical standards

The nomination period for 2024 Annual Meeting Awards is now closed. Nominations for 2025 will open in August 2024.

2024 Recipient

Elizabeth Klerman, MD, PhD
Elizabeth Klerman, MD, PhD

“I am honored by this Sleep Research Society Distinguished Scientist Award.  The work recognized by this award was done in collaboration with many talented and hardworking individuals and the support of many organizations. This award inspires me as I continue to work with the SRS to promote knowledge of the importance of sleep and circadian rhythms for health, safety, learning, and other outcomes for all people.”

Past Recipients

2023 – Chiara Cirelli, MD PhD
2022 – Thomas E. Scammell, MD
2021 – Allison G. Harvey, PhD, CBSM, DBSM
2020 – Phyllis C. Zee, MD, PhD
2019 – Louis J. Ptáček, MD
2018 – David F. Dinges, MS, MA, PhD
2017 – Thomas S. Kilduff, PhD
2016 – Charles M. Morin, PhD
2015 – Derk-Jan Dijk, PhD, FSB
2014 – Sonia Ancoli-Israel, PhD
2013 – Eve Van Cauter, PhD
2012 – Clifford Saper, MD, PhD
2011 – Fred W. Turek, PhD
2010 – Ronald M. Harper, PhD
2009 – Barbara E. Jones, PhD
2008 – Charles Czeisler, PhD, MD
2007 – Mary A. Carskadon, PhD
2006 – James M. Krueger, PhD
2005 – Christian Guilleminault, MD, PhD and Jacques Montplaisir, MD, PhD, CRCPc
2004 – Rosalind D. Cartwright, PhD
2003 – Alexander A. Borbely, MD
2002 – Adrian Morrison, DVM, PhD and Jerome Siegel, PhD
2001 – J. Christian Gillin, MD
2000 – Gerald Vogel, MD
1999 – Michael H. Chase, PhD and Ottavio Pompeiano, MD
1998 – J. Allan Hobson, MD and Thomas Roth, PhD
1997 – Pier Luigi Parmeggiani, MD
1996 – Irwin Feinberg, MD
1995 – Robert W. McCarley, MD
1994 – Dennis J. McGinty, PhD
1993 – Laverne C. Johnson, PhD
1992 – Wilse B. Webb, PhD
1991 – David Foulkes, PhD and William C. Dement, MD, PhD
1990 – Michael Jouvet, MD
1989 – Allan Rechtschaffen, PhD and Mircea Steriade, MD, DSc