The NIH Matilda White Riley Distinguished Lecture is an annual event that honors an outstanding social and behavioral scientist whose work has made significant contributions to the field.
Named in recognition of Matilda White Riley, Ph.D. (1911–2004)—a celebrated scientist, member of the National Academy of Sciences, and a pioneering leader in the behavioral and social sciences—the lecture commemorates her transformative impact on research at the National Institutes of Health.
The distinguished lecture reflects Dr. Riley’s enduring legacy and commitment to advancing rigorous, interdisciplinary science that informs health and wellbeing across the lifespan.
View the scientists that have been recognized in previous years.
Nomination Criteria:
Nominees should have a research career that has advanced behavioral and social sciences in areas within NIH’s mission and that expands on Dr. Riley’s work, including:
- An expanded conceptualization of health and wellbeing that includes effective cognitive, affective and social functioning; and quality of life
- Behavioral and social sciences research results that improve the lives of people and society
- Illumination of the complex and dynamic interplay among processes at multiple levels (e.g., interactions between genes and the built, natural, and social environment)
- Influence of social and behavioral factors on physical health and the utility of this knowledge for clinical practice and health policy
- A life course perspective on the development, health, and well-being of individuals and societies
- Research approaches that build theory and methods in the advancement of knowledge on health and well-being
Nominees do not need to have NIH funding.
