Heiligenberg Student Travel Awards Grant

Heiligenberg Student Travel Awards Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: International Society for Neuroethology (ISN)
Last Updated: February 27, 2026

Summary

The Heiligenberg Student Travel Awards are presented annually by the International Society for Neuroethology to support qualified students presenting their research in neuroethology at scientific meetings. Named in honor of Walter Heiligenberg, a pioneer in the field, these awards prioritize applicants showcasing academic excellence and research potential, alongside consideration for financial need. This initiative fosters the growth of future neuroethologists, encouraging their contributions to understanding animal behavior.

Overview

About ISN (International Society for Neuroethology) ISN is a scholarly society devoted to neuroethology: the study of how nervous systems generate natural behavior in animals. Neuroethology is a relatively young science. Early brain anatomists like Ramon y Cajal and Camillo Golgi revealed the intricate structure of brains and neurons, but it wasn't until the mid-20th century that researchers began to understand how neurons actually worked. Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley (studying the giant axon of squid) worked out how neurons generated action potentials, researchers' ability to record from active neurons increased dramatically. Nevertheless, being able to record neural activity from an actively behaving animal remains a major challenge in many cases. Neuroethology arguably became a distinct research field, as opposed to a few talented but somewhat isolated scientists, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This success was driven by steady technical advances in recording from, and identifying, individual neurons. The International Society for Neuroethology formed in Kassel, Germany in 1981. Heiligenberg Student Travel Awards Heiligenberg Student Travel Awards are awarded annually to qualified students who wish to present work in the field of neuroethology at national and international scientific meetings. The award is given in honor of Walter Heiligenberg, who was a distinguished neuroethologist, and a pioneer in the field. Heiligenberg made seminal contributions to understanding the neural mechanisms underlying the jamming avoidance response of weakly electric fish. Priorities will be given to applicants who have demonstrated academic excellence and research potential as evidenced by the abstract of the work to be presented and the recommendation letters. Applicants with demonstrated financial need also will be considered for these awards.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. The applicant must be an ISN member, a registered graduate student or postdoc at a university and must plan on presenting their work at the conference.  Applicants with demonstrated financial need also will be considered for these awards. You must be a member of this organization to apply for this award - become a member. Both the student and the student’s mentor must be ISN members by the deadline of application (to be decided by the selection committee).