The Fred Yates Prize for Early Career Researchers is awarded annually to an early career researcher for their significant and specific contributions to the field of addiction. Applications for the 2026 prize have now closed.

About the prize

The Fred Yates Prize for Early Career Researchers is awarded to people at the early stages of their research careers who have already made significant and specific contributions to the field of addiction. The prize was created in honour of colleague Fred Yates, who sadly passed away in 1996, but whose work “made a lasting impression on the field and an important contribution to the welfare of those with alcohol and drug problems”.

Dr Emmert Roberts was awarded the 2026 prize. The judging panel noted that Emmert’s record of collaborations and involvement in national guideline development have shown a clear pathway from research to policy impact, and his public engagement activities, such as podcast appearances, have demonstrated commitment to wider societal benefit. The panel also praised Emmert’s trajectory as an early career researcher, saying that his career to date has been marked by significant methodological innovation and meaningful contributions to addiction research.

Previous winners

  • 2026  Dr Emmert Roberts, King’s College London and South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK
  • 2025  Dr Leon Xiao, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
  • 2024  Dr Katie East, King’s College London, UK
  • 2023  Ebtesam Saleh, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
  • 2022  Dr Claire Garnett, University College London, UK
  • 2021  Dr Sarah Jackson, University College London, UK
  • 2020  Dr Gemma Taylor, University of Bath, UK
  • 2019  Two awards were given this year: Dr Hamid Noori, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, and Dr Kyla Thomas, University of Bristol and South Gloucestershire Council, UK
  • 2018  Dr Andrew McAuley, Health Protection Scotland & Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
  • 2017  Dr Andrew Jones, University of Liverpool, UK
  • 2016  Dr Leonie Brose, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK
  • 2015  Dr Jamie Brown, University College London, Health Behaviour Research Centre, UK
  • 2014  Dr Frances Kay-Lambkin, University of New South Wales, Australia
  • 2013  Dr Jaime Delgadillo, University of York, UK
  • 2012  Dr Bridgette Bewick, University of Leeds, UK
  • 2011  Two awards were given this year: Dr Jodie Trafton, Stanford University Medical School, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, USA, and Dr Simon Adamson, National Addiction Centre, New Zealand

How to apply

Submissions are assessed by a panel of three individuals appointed from the SSA’s Board of Trustees.

In order to be eligible to apply:

  • You must be a member or associate of the SSA
  • You must provide a supporting statement by a member or associate of the SSA
  • You must be in the early stages of your research career (i.e. for the 2026 prize, you must have attained your most recent graduate or post-graduate addiction qualification no later than five years prior to 1 November 2025)
  • You must be an active researcher in the field of addiction
  • You must have had one or more publications (or manuscripts accepted for publication) in the previous 12 months, and a minimum of two publications in the previous five years
  • You must have demonstrated enthusiasm and potential future leadership (e.g. through developing a novel programme of work or contributing to new or improved clinical practice or an enhanced understanding of addiction)

Information on eligibility and conflicts of interest

You are ineligible for this prize if you are an employee of the alcohol, cannabis, gambling, nicotine, pharmaceutical, or tobacco industries. This exclusion also applies if you are an employee of an Industry Social Aspect Organisation*.

You are ineligible for this prize if you have received funding of any kind, either directly from, or through representatives of, the alcohol, cannabis (except pharmaceutical), gambling, nicotine (except pharmaceutical), or tobacco industries. This exclusion also applies if you have received funding from an Industry Social Aspect Organisation*.

To be eligible, you must provide details about all potential conflicts of interest when requested. This information will be used to inform decision-making and applications may be rejected if the SSA deems there to be a risk of bias, ethical concerns, or a risk to the reputation of the SSA.

*Industry Social Aspect Organisations are those that are funded by addictive product industries – sometimes through secondary organisations – that often have a stated purpose to reduce the harms of those addictive products.