Maria Leptin awarded ALLEA's 2025 Madame de Staël Prize

The European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA) has awarded Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council (ERC), its 2025 Madame de Staël Prize.

ALLEA announced on 15/12/2026 that the jury had decided unanimously to award Maria Leptin the prize "in recognition of her pioneering contributions to developmental biology and her outstanding leadership in European research".

Leptin's research had "deepened the understanding of how individual cells form complex multicellular organisms, particularly through studies of embryonic development, cell shape and organ formation," ALLEA said. She is widely recognised for her work on Drosophila respiratory systems and pathogen resistance in zebrafish.

In addition to her scientific contributions, she has played a major leadership role in European science, serving as the first woman Director of European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) and, since 2021, as President of the ERC, bringing together research excellence and science policy leadership.

Leptin responded to the award, saying: “It is a great honour to…