Richard and Rosaria Haugland Industry Award

Overview of Award | Application Process | Recipients

Photos of  Dick Haugland and Rosaria Haugland

Overview of Award

The Richard and Rosaria Haugland Industry Award recognizes outstanding individuals in the bioimaging industry whose work embodies the spirit of Dick and Rosaria Haugland, co-founders of Molecular Probes. At Probes, the Hauglands fostered a culture of scientific curiosity, risk-taking, and deep engagement with the research community. The company constantly evolved its product line, driven by a simple philosophy: if we can make something useful, we should; and if it’s working, we keep it going. This award honors corporate BINA members who carry forward that legacy; people who advance the bioimaging community through working in the imaging industry sector.

Dr. Rosaria P. Haugland and Richard Paul “Dick” Haugland (husband and wife research team) are American scientists renowned for their work with fluorescent dyes and their applications in biomedical research. Together they co-founded Molecular Probes in 1975, with Rosario’s biochemistry and Richard’s chemistry expertise contributing greatly to the success of this innovative new company. Originally established in Minnesota the company grew and relocated to Texas and finally Oregon. Together they built Molecular Probes into a successful enterprise that was ultimately acquired by Invitrogen in 2003.

They co-established the original Haugland Foundation in 1998 to support health, education, and cultural initiatives and Following the Invitrogen acquisition in 2003, the foundation split into:

• The Richard P. Haugland Foundation (focused on programs in Asia)
• The Rosaria P. Haugland Foundation (supporting programs primarily in Eugene, Oregon)

The Hauglands’ work exemplifies how scientific innovation can create both commercial success and meaningful philanthropic impact across local and global communities.

Richard and Rosaria Haugland Industry Award benefits include:

• Travel, food, and accommodation expenses covered for attendance at the BINA Community Congress
• Recognition and award receipt at the meeting
• Presentation on awardee’s winning-work during the Community Congress program
• Invitation to the “Leadership Reception”
• Awardee’s details (name, affiliation, year awarded) listed as recipients on the Richard and Rosaria Haugland Industry Award webpage
• $250 cash award

Application process

The Richard and Rosaria Haugland Industry Award recognizes outstanding individuals working in the imaging industry sector who make significant contributions in Innovation, Impact, Education and Mentorship and Community Engagement to the greater bioimaging community.

Award Eligibility

1. The award is open to BINA members residing in North America (United States and its territories, Canada, or Mexico), (companies do not have to be US based)
2. Nominees should be past or current employees of any company whose products or services directly involve bioimaging research
3. Both self-nominations and third-party nominations are allowed; Nominees & nominators should be current BINA members by the time of submission
4. The award is open to any career level and any role within industry; a degree is not required
5. BINA Executive Board Members are excluded from consideration
6. Individuals who have previously received the award are not eligible
7. If applying to multiple awards, nominees are only eligible for one award per calendar year

Note: All nominations are retained for three years on a rolling basis. If a nomination was previously submitted but not selected, it is eligible for an additional two years–no new application is needed.

Award Details: 

• Complete submission deadline: Noon PT, May 1, 2026
• Notification of outcome: No later than June 16, 2026
• All materials must be submitted by the deadline; late or incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Nominees should demonstrate significant contributions in one or more of the following areas. Nominees are not required to address all areas.

• Innovation: Developing products, technologies, or methods that meaningfully advance biological imaging. This includes the creation of new reagents, instruments, software, or techniques that enable researchers to ask questions they could not ask before. Innovation may also include creative approaches to product development, manufacturing, or deployment that expand access to bioimaging tools.

• Impact: Demonstrating substantial effects on the field of biological imaging through one’s work. Impact may be reflected in the widespread adoption of tools or methods, enabling of landmark discoveries, or transformation of standard practices in bioimaging research. The committee will consider both breadth–how widely the contribution has been felt–and depth–how significantly it has advanced the field.

• Education and Mentorship: Supporting the training, development, and career growth of current and next-generation imaging scientists. This may include formal or informal teaching and training activities, mentorship of early-career scientists in industry or academia, development of educational resources, and efforts to make data and best practices in biological imaging more widely accessible.

• Community Engagement: Making sustained efforts to interact with and contribute to the bioimaging community beyond one’s immediate professional obligations. This includes active participation in conferences, courses, workshops, and community organizations; publishing and sharing findings openly; listening to and responding to the needs of researchers; and contributing to initiatives that strengthen the bioimaging ecosystem.

Items for submission: 

• A completed nomination form

• A cover letter from the nominee (1 pg max) on why they merit the Richard and Rosaria Haugland Industry Award, addressing one or more of the contribution areas described above: Innovation, Impact, Education and Mentorship, and Community Engagement. Nominees are not required to demonstrate contributions in all areas.**

• A letter of support from a member of the community (the nominee’s supervisor, a prominent collaborator etc) using the following template
• One  additional letter of support from a community member(s) impacted by the work of the nominee using the following template

• • At least one letter of support must be from a current BINA member
  • Letters can be supported by multiple people

** letter not required if self nominating

All nomination materials must be uploaded to the nomination form no later than Noon, PT, May 1, 2026

We recommend the nominating member notify the nominee and consider submitting the application together in order to best capture the nominee’s community contributions.

Successful applicants must be members of BINA by the noon Pacific time May 1st, 2026 deadline and are required to attend the awards session at the Community Congress to accept their prize and present their community work.*

Please contact contact@bioimagingna.org if there are any questions regarding the application process.

* Consideration will be given if the award winner has exceptional circumstances that prohibit them from attending the Community Congress in person.

Review Process

All materials must be submitted by the deadline; late or incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

The Review Committee will evaluate applications in the weeks after the submission deadline, using the evaluation criteria summarized in this document. All nominees will be notified of the outcome no later than June 16, 2026.