Stanford postdoc wins a Science and SciLifeLab prize for young scientists

by Taylor Kubota

Birds that eat plastic may be doing so in part because it smells like food to them. MATTHEW SAVOCA, a postdoctoral fellow in biology at Stanford, explains the science behind this statement in an essay that won this year’s Science and SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists in the ecology and environment category.

The prize, which aims to encourage promising early-career scientists, is based on applicants’ doctoral research. Savoca’s essay, published Nov. 22 in Science as part of his win, condenses a 150-page dissertation into less than 1,000 words - a task well-suited for Savoca, who has made a habit of communicating his science to broad audiences.