INSAR Awards

Awards are presented during the Awards Ceremony at the INSAR Annual Meeting.

Lifetime Achievement Award

The INSAR Lifetime Achievement Award acknowledges an individual who has made significant fundamental contributions to research on autism spectrum disorders that have had a lasting impact on the field. The focus of the awardee's research can be in any discipline.

2025: Joseph Piven
2024: Peter Mundy
2023: Jan Buitelaar
2022: Sally J. Rogers
2021: Helen Tager-Flusberg
2019: Catherine Lord
2018: Margot Prior
2017: Mary Coleman
2016: Christopher Gillberg
2015: Laura Schreibman
2014: Fred R. Volkmar
2013: Patricia Howlin
2012: Susan Folstein
2011: Margaret L. Bauman
2010: Ed Ritvo
2009: Marian Sigman
2008: Isabelle Rapin
2007: Uta Frith
2006: Eric Schopler
2005: Lorna Wing
2004: Marie Bristol-Power
2002: Michael Rutter
2001: Donald Cohen

Advocate Award

This award honors community members / advocates who have influenced the ability to carry out autism research. 

2025: Andy Shih
2024: Sunita Maleku Amatya
2023: Harald Neerland
2022: James H. Simons
          Marilyn Hawrys Simons
2021: John E. Robison
2019: Deborah Hilibrand
2018: Jon Spiers
2017: Alison Singer
2016: Thomas Insel
2015: Merry Barua
2014: Peter Bell
2013: Dame Stephanie Shirley
2012: Temple Grandin
2011: Portia Iversen
          Eric London
          Karen London
          Jon Shestack

Special Recognition Award

2011: Bernard Rimland (awarded posthumously)

Cultural Diversity Research Award

This award aims to recognize and support investigators who conduct community-based or community partnered research that leaves a lasting impact on underserved and under-researched communities.

2025: REAL Network
2024: Compass Consortium
2023: SPARK
2022: Meadan Family Lab 
2021: Chongying Wang, PhD
2020: Waganesh Zeleke, Ed.D
2019: Cecilia Montiel-Nava, PhD
2018: Centre for Autism Research in Africa (CARA)

Early Career Investigator Award (formally Young Investigator) 

2025: Charlotte Pretzsch, Teddy Cheung
2024: Jin Liu
2023: Chloe Yap, Jessie Northrup
2022: Xin Jin; Helen Willsey
2021: Micheal Paige Sandbank, F. Kyle Satterstrom
2020: Meghan Miller, Vanessa H. Bal
2019: Joon An, Christina McDonnell
2018: Yuta Aoki, Mark D. Shen
2017: Lior Brimberg, Abigail Dickinson
2016: Bonnie Auyeung, Brittany Travers
2015: Sarah Cassidy, Brian O'Roak, Ryan Stevenson
2014: Matthew Lerner, Matthew W. Masconi, Shannon Rose
2013: Genevieve Konopka, Jason Wolff
2012: James McPartland
2011: Sophie Lind, Dalila Pinto

Dissertation Award

2025: Grant Bruno; Connor Keating
2024: Desiree Jones; Chloe Yap; Matthijs Moerkerke
2023: Alex Tsompanidis; Mariana Garcia
2022: Melissa Anderson-Chavarria; Tanya Procyshyn
2021: Sofie Vettori, Stela Petkova
2020: Katherine E. Lawrence, Sophie Schwartz
2019: Jace King, Varun Warrier
2018: Derek Andrews, Richard Bethlehem, Melissa Scott
2017: Dorothea Floris, Alexandra Havdahl, Lauren Schmitt
2016: Melissa Kirkovski, Catherine Manning
2015: Vanessa Hus Bal, Shulamite Green, Katherine Stavropoulos
2014: Teresa Bennett, Elizabeth Smith
2013: Roger Jou, Matthew Lerner, Jeffrey D. Rudie, Xiang Sun
2012: Armin Raznahan, Brandon Keehn, Josephine Barbaro
2011: Michael Lombardo, Leigh Sepeta

INSAR Annual Meeting Travel Awards

Categories:

• Autistic Researcher
• Diversity (from High-income countries)
• Early Career Diversity (Early Career researchers from low-income countries)
• Professionals from Low Income Countries
• Student and Trainee
• Student and Trainee Workshop

Annually, Awards are announced via email and on Social Media. If you wish to receive updates, and you do not have a profile or membership with INSAR, click here for more information.