The ‘EurJOC-KVCV-SRC Best PhD Thesis Prize‘, sponsored by the European Journal of Organic Chemistry and the Divisions of Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry of SRC and KVCV is awarded annually and recognizes an outstanding and original contribution to organic and bioorganic chemistry. This prize, which consists of a certificate, a voucher from Wiley and 500 €, will be delivered in 2026 during the Merck Organic Chemistry Conference (MOCS) in Blankenberge (December 3 & 4, 2026).

Applicants willing to apply for this award must have obtained their PhD from a Belgian university maximum 3 years before the closing date of the call for applications (i.e. not earlier than May 4, 2023 – with extension(s) corresponding to maternity or paternity leave(s)) and must be members of KVCV and/or SRC at the time of the application.

Applications should be sent directly, before May 4, 2026, by the candidates to Annemieke Madder (Annemieke.Madder@UGent.be) and Gwilherm Evano (Gwilherm.Evano@ulb.be) and must include:

  • a CV (including ORCID or ResearcherID identifiers) – 2 pages maximum;
  • a list of publications including a short mention of the contribution of the applicant to every manuscript published – 2 pages maximum;
  • a 4-page summary of the PhD thesis including a section highlighting the creativity and impact of the work in organic and bioorganic chemistry;
  • proof of membership in SRC/KVCV at the time of the application;
  • a letter of support from the PhD supervisor(s);
  • a copy of the PhD diploma.

The candidate is expected to attend the MOCS conference in Blankenberge (December 3 & 4, 2026) where the prize will be delivered.

Evaluation criteria: The ranking of all applicants will be based on the scientific excellence of the applicant. This excellence is considered as a blend between the qualitative evaluation (of the scientific content and originality of the research, of the relevance/impact of the research for the domain, of the applicability) and numbers (number – taking into account the contribution of the candidate to every manuscript published – and quality of publications, citations, impact factor of journals and so on).