The Health and Nutrition Division New Investigator Research Award recognizes a young scientist who is making significant and substantial research contributions in one of the areas represented by the Division’s area of interest.
What does the recipient receive?
- Plaque
- US $1,000 honorarium
- Complimentary Health and Nutrition Division meal ticket
- Opportunity to present an award lecture at the AOCS Annual Meeting
Who is eligible?
- Independent researchers or scientists who are:
- younger than 36 years old, or have received their highest degree within the previous seven years, as of June 1st of the year of presentation
- making significant and substantial original research contributions on the health or nutrition of fats or oils
- Preference is given to young scientists with evidence of impact of the discovery(ies) at a national or international level for the scientific community
- Division and/or AOCS membership is not required, but preference is given to members
How do I nominate someone?
Login to the Awards Portal to submit the following nomination materials and answer two questions about the nominee by August 19.
- Letter of nomination describing the candidate’s research and service in the fields of fats, oils and related materials
- At least three letters of support from individuals familiar with the candidate’s accomplishments
- Curriculum Vitae which includes a full list of publications and patents
- Date of birth provided on the nomination form

Most Recent Recipient
Hongbing Fan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences at the University of Kentucky. His research focuses on functional foods, food chemistry, protein chemistry, and value-added applications of agricultural byproducts. He is particularly interested in developing novel food-derived compounds, such as peptides, as functional food ingredients to help prevent chronic diseases, using both in vitro and in vivo models.
His involvement with AOCS began as a Ph.D. student in 2018. Since then, he has actively contributed to AOCS in various roles, including chair of the Student Common Interest Group (SCIG), student representative and newsletter editor for the Canadian Section, liaison for the Health and Nutrition (HN) Division, and session co-chair for the Protein and Co-Products (PCP) and HN divisions.