CRDF Global announces Victor Rabinowitch Memorial Award recipients 

Three scientists from India, Singapore, and Africa are recipients of the 2021 Victor Rabinowitch Memorial Award for Young Leaders in International Scientific Cooperation. 

Rabinowitch was a lifelong supporter of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which his father, Eugene Rabinowitch, co-founded in 1945. The younger Rabinowitch was also a member of the Bulletin’s Board of Sponsors and chair of the Bulletin’s board.

The annual award, given by CRDF Global, recognizes young scientists who “facilitate and promote novel and promising frameworks and approaches to international scientific cooperation.” It memorializes Rabinowitch’s long commitment to promoting and developing innovative scientific collaborations and capacity building and global security. 

The 2021 recipients are: 

Rafiou Agoro, PhD, from Togo. He is co-founder of the African Diaspora Scientists Federation (ADSF), which aims to provide a platform for African scientists to connect and consult with each other. He is currently a post-doctoral fellow in medical and molecular genetics at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Agoro will use the award to create a mobile platform for ADSF, a series of scientific lectures or seminars, and a mentoring program. 

Andy Tay, PhD, from Singapore. He is a presidential assistant professor in the biomedical engineering department at the National University of Singapore. He was included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2018 and a 2020 World Economic Forum Young Scientist. Tay will use the award to facilitate lab exchanges about nano-fabrication technology. His lab focuses on integrating nanofabrication, biomaterials, and bioinformatics to study and treat cancer metastases. 

Jane von Gaudecker, PhD, from India. She is an assistant professor, science of nursing care, at the Indiana University School of Nursing. Her research focuses on epilepsy in western Kenya and how to improve care outcomes and build necessary infrastructure to deliver care. Von Gaudecker will use the funds to train future researchers and collaborators, develop collaborations with community health workers, and support a Kenyan researcher to participate in a scientific conference. 

The Bulletin also amplifies the work of future leaders through its Voices of Tomorrow, Editorial Fellows and Board Fellows programs. Learn more at https://thebulletin.org/next-generation-program/. 

About CRDF Global
CRDF Global is an independent nonprofit organization founded in 1995 in response to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the threat of large-scale proliferation of weapons technology from the region.  With support authorized by the Nunn-Lugar Act of 1991 and the Freedom Support Act of 1992, as well private foundation contributions, CRDF Global embarked on bolstering the global scientific community and fostering alternatives to weapons research.     

In the past 25 years, CRDF Global’s work has expanded to address ever-changing global concerns, but its commitment to ensuring the success of its partners remains the same. CRDF Global is a leading provider of flexible logistical support, program design and management, and strategic capacity building programs in the areas of higher education, CBRNE security and nonproliferation, border security, cybersecurity, global health, technology entrepreneurship, and international professional exchanges. 

With offices in Arlington, Virginia; Kyiv, Ukraine; Almaty, Kazakhstan; and Amman, Jordan, CRDF Global’s diverse staff and networks of local community and government stakeholders deliver tailored programs that meet specific regional needs in over 100 countries across the globe.