The George C. Eickwort Student Research Award is given to recognize distinguished research and scholarly activity by graduate or undergraduate students in the field of social insect biology. Thanks to all those that submitted nominations, because the committee had lots of amazing applications to choose from!
The winner of the 2025 Eickwort Award is Patrick Piekarski who will be awarded a certificate, a $1000 honorarium, and a one-year subscription to Insectes Sociaux. Patrick is currently a postdoc at the Rockefeller University and is recognized for his graduate work first as a Master’s student at the University of Central Florida working with Barbara Sharanowski and then as a PhD student with Daniel Kronauer at the Rockefeller University.
Throughout his graduate studies, Patrick’s research has been focused on understanding the molecular underpinnings of the origin and maintenance of eusociality and has spanned both wasps and ants. He has been very productive with seven publications from graduate work, including a number of publications in top tier journals.
The Awards Committee wishes to recognize Patrick’s strong research record and his work addressing fundamental questions about origins and maintenance of eusociality. This work exemplifies the spirit of the Eickwort Student Award.
IUSSI-NAS Awards Committee
Elizabeth Tibbetts, Joshua King (co-chairs).
Scott Powell, Natalie Lemanski, Mallory Hagedorn, and Alex Payne (committee members).