Berna Sozen, PhD, Assistant Professor of Genetics at Yale School of Medicine, has been named a recipient of the 2026 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science. Awarded annually by the Vilcek Foundation, the prize honors immigrant contributions to science and culture in the United States.
A developmental biologist, Sozen studies the earliest stages of mammalian life, focusing on embryogenesis and the mechanisms that guide a small cluster of cells to organize into complex tissues. Her lab investigates the biological processes that unfold in the first days and weeks after conception, a period that lays the foundation for all subsequent development.
Her fascination with these questions began early. As a first-generation college student in Turkey, inspired by her brother’s path into medicine, she found herself drawn not to clinical practice but to fundamental biological questions: Where do we come from? “We start from a single cell,” she reflects. “Then how does that single cell acquire different domains, different fates, different functions to make us human?”
Today, her group integrates stem cell engineering, advanced imaging, and molecular profiling to better understand lineage specification, tissue formation, and the cellular interactions that shape early embryonic development.
The Vilcek Foundation celebrates immigrants who advance innovation in the United States — a mission that resonates deeply with Sozen. Being an immigrant, she notes, shapes both perspective and resilience. “Being an immigrant isn’t an easy path in any profession,” she says. “You’re leaving your roots. You’re dealing with cultural differences — different work, different systems, different everything in daily life.”
That experience can also bring pressure — a sense of needing to work harder to earn recognition or prove oneself. For Sozen, the Vilcek Prize affirms that the journey behind the work is inseparable from the science itself. “It doesn’t only recognize your science,” she explains, “but it recognizes where you come from — what your roots are.”
At this stage in her career, Sozen views the prize not simply as a personal milestone but as recognition of collective effort. When she learned she had received the award, her first reaction was gratitude. She recalls feeling “so lucky — so appreciative of Yale, of the people in my life, of everyone in my lab.” Though she is the one formally honored, she emphasizes that the achievement belongs to her entire team. “That wouldn’t have happened if people in my lab didn’t trust my vision, be ambitious and motivated.”
The foundation also recognized Sozen for fostering inclusive research environments. For her, building such a culture requires attentiveness to individual backgrounds and structural barriers that can limit access to opportunity. “Talent is everywhere,” she says. “Opportunity is not.”
Drawing from her own experiences, she works to ensure that trainees feel supported, visible, and empowered to think independently. “From my own background and experiences, I want to create an environment where people feel seen,” she explains.
Sozen is candid about the challenges of academic science. Research often involves setbacks, uncertainty, and long stretches of incremental progress. “Academia is challenging,” she says. “There are days when you find yourself thinking, ‘What am I doing? Why am I doing this?’ because you can get more negative or failing results than working results. It can become very overwhelming.”
Yet recognition like the Vilcek Prize can renew perspective. “These kinds of awards remind you: this is why I need to continue,” she says.
In her lab, she encourages bold thinking and collaboration. Trainees, she advises, should not be afraid of “bringing new ideas, challenging yourself, and working as a team.” She strives to create an environment where researchers “feel they have enough space to do what they want to do.”
For young scientists — particularly those who may see aspects of their own journeys reflected in hers — Sozen emphasizes persistence. “I always say this knowing it’s going to sound cheesy: just don’t give up,” she says. “Everyone’s journey is different. In my own journey, there were so many obstacles that could have made me say, ‘Okay, I’m going back and I’m going to do something else.’ But you need to keep pushing. Your efforts will be seen. It may not come immediately, but it will come through.”
For Sozen, science is not simply a profession but an integral part of her identity. “I don’t see this as just my job,” she says. “I see this as part of my life. Every time I see a confocal image, I feel attached to it — that’s how much what I’m doing feels like a part of my life.”
Dr. Valerie Reinke, Professor and Chair of Genetics at Yale School of Medicine, shared the department’s pride in Sozen’s achievement, noting, “Dr. Sozen is a scientific pioneer, and we are immensely proud to see her recognized with the Vilcek Prize. Having two Vilcek laureates in our department is a powerful testament to the culture of innovation and groundbreaking science that defines Yale Genetics.”