Congratulations to the 2025 Biota Award Recipients!

Walder Foundation announces over $1.4 million in total funding will support six Chicago-based conservation and biodiversity scientists through the Foundation’s Biota Awards program. Funds will be used to advance research and solutions aimed at understanding, protecting, and restoring the unique and diverse ecosystems in Chicago and around the world.

Now in its fourth year, Walder Foundation’s Biota Awards continue to advance the careers and opportunities of biodiversity and conservation researchers in Chicago. In previous years, the program focused on providing support for early career independent investigators. This year, for the first time, the Biota Awards sought to support the work of exceptional postdoctoral scientists. Focusing on emerging leaders is intended to enhance the pipeline for biodiversity research by attracting and retaining talented scientists in Chicago and providing opportunities for them to pursue action-oriented research when other sources of funding may be lacking. 

"Protecting and enhancing biodiversity is essential to the health of our planet and our communities, including here in Chicago,” said Elizabeth Walder, CEO of Walder Foundation. “In order to better protect biodiversity, we must attract and retain the highest caliber of research scientists. Through the Biota Awards program, more scientists are advancing knowledge and contributing to resilient ecosystems in Chicago and beyond. Their efforts will help shape a more sustainable future for all."

Read the full announcement

The 2025 Biota Award recipients include: 

• Grace Burgin, Ph.D.
  Leveraging Mating System Theory for Targeted Conservation of Endangered Prairie Wildflowers
  University of Illinois Chicago
   

• Trinity Conn, Ph.D.
  Leveraging Genomics to Restore Climate-Resilient Reefs
  Shedd Aquarium
   

• Opale Coutant, Ph.D.
  From Seasonal Biodiversity Distribution Patterns to Local Ecological Knowledge: A Multiscale Investigation to Enhance Freshwater Conservation Planning in Guyana
  Field Museum of Natural History
   

• Amanda Grunwald, Ph.D.
  From Museum Collections to Conservation: Uncovering Climate-Driven Shifts in Tropical Montane Bat Communities
  Field Museum of Natural History
   

• Miguel Jimenez, Ph.D.
  Linking Avian Migratory Stopover to Legacies of Urban Inequity
  Lincoln Park Zoo
   

• Nicholas Medina, Ph.D.
  Roots of Equity: Uncovering Soil Biodiversity to Support Urban Tree Health in Chicago
  The Morton Arboretum

The 2025 award recipients will be recognized at a celebration in the fall of 2025 hosted by Walder Foundation. To learn more about their research projects, please visit biotaawards.org.

Applications for the 2026 Biota Awards will open soon and will again support postdocs. We intend to provide further opportunities for independent investigators in the future. More information will be released via e-mail and on the Walder Foundation’s website soon.