International Recognition for Jacobs Center Early-Career Researchers
Dr. Laura Bechtiger and Dr. David Bürgin, former postdoctoral researchers at the Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, have each been shortlisted for a 2026 award from the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH).
Both scholars remain closely connected with the Jacobs Center's Risk and Resilience research group and with the Zurich Project on Social Development from Childhood to Adulthood (z-proso). The research group is led by Prof. Dr. Lilly Shanahan, who is also Professor of Clinical Developmental Psychology at the University of Zurich's Department of Psychology. The nominations highlight Dr. Bechtiger's and Dr. Bürgin's contributions to research on child and adolescent mental health. Dr. Bechtiger is one of five candidates shortlisted for the Postdoctoral Researcher of the Year Award, which recognizes researchers who completed their PhD within the past three years and do not yet hold a tenured academic position. Dr. Bürgin is one of four candidates shortlisted for the Kathy Sylva Rising Star Award, which honors significant scientific contributions within ten years of a researcher's first peer-reviewed publication. The shortlists were selected by an expert panel from an exceptionally strong field of nominations from around the world. Dr. Bechtiger's and Dr. Bürgin's inclusion in the shortlists represents international recognition of early-career research and mentorship at the Jacobs Center.Read more