Joy Cappel Young Investigator Award


The Joy Cappel Investigator Award recognizes promising graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early-career researchers advancing critical areas of the life sciences.

Each recipient is awarded a custom polyclonal antibody development project (valued at $7,000) designed specifically for the research target of their choice.

This award honors the legacy of Joy Cappel, who served as Rockland’s President and CEO for more than thirty years. Her commitment to advancing antibody-driven discovery continues to guide this initiative.

Awardees work directly with Rockland scientists throughout antigen design, peptide synthesis, antibody production, purification, and data analysis, gaining hands-on experience and expert mentorship in antibody validation and experimental design.

 

How it works

  • Step 1: Nomination

    Candidates must be nominated by a key opinion leader, principal investigator, or Rockland leadership. Nominations should include a brief explanation of the candidate’s qualifications and the reason for nomination. Submit nominations to joycappelscholars@rockland.com.

  • Step 2: Application Submission

    Nominees complete a short application that includes their CV or résumé and a 250-word summary of their research project and intended antibody target.

  • Step 3: Review & Selection

    The Joy Cappel Investigator Award Selection Committee reviews all eligible applications and selects the award recipients. Up to five awards may be granted each year depending on application volume and project feasibility.

  • Step 4: Project Initiation

    Once selected, each awardee is introduced to Rockland’s scientific team and begins the custom polyclonal antibody development project.

FAQs

The award includes:
  • Antigen design and peptide synthesis
  • Peptide conjugation (KHL, BSA, and solid-phase beads)
  • Immunizations and serum collections
  • ELISA analysis of test bleeds
  • Final antibody qualification
  • Direct collaboration with Rockland's scientific team
Yes. Recipients must provide positive and negative control lysates (or equivalent materials), along with all necessary experimental details, to support evaluation of the immune serum and purified antibody.
As an active partner in the antibody development process, the recipient is responsible for performing the necessary immunoassays to evaluate the immune serum and purified antibody and assumes all costs associated with these assays. Testing must be completed within two weeks of receiving samples, and all results, both positive and negative, must be provided to Rockland as annotated, high-resolution JPEG images. Submitted images may be used by Rockland on its website with appropriate credit.
Yes. Recipients agree to cite Rockland Immunochemicals and the Joy Cappel Investigator Award in any publications or presentations that include data generated using the developed antibody.
Most project components are covered by the award. Optional enhancements, such as additional affinity purification or expanded quality control, may be purchased at added cost. The only required expense is shipping, which will be billed to the recipient's laboratory account.

 

History of the Joy Cappel Investigator Award

The Joy Cappel Young Investigator Award (JCYIA) was first introduced in 2014 as part of Rockland’s commitment to empower the next generation of antibody innovators. What began as an experiment in supporting early-career scientists quickly grew into one of Rockland’s most meaningful scientific initiatives.

During its original run, Rockland committed $1 million in antibody development support, enabling young scientists to pursue ambitious custom antibody projects that might otherwise have been out of reach. Over that period, Rockland collaborated with investigators from an extraordinary range of institutions, including Caltech, Drexel, Duke, Emory, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, MIT, the National Cancer Institute, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh, Rutgers, UNC–Chapel Hill, UC San Diego, and Yale, among many others.

Across these partnerships, Rockland scientists completed over 40 custom antibody projects, producing high-quality reagents that contributed to impactful research in basic, translational, and applied science. Past award programs supported antibodies against targets such as IL-1B, CD31, Cyclin D3 pT283, and PARP1, a reflection of the scientific diversity and real-world relevance of the work.

Now, nearly a decade later, Rockland is reintroducing the program. By reviving and strengthening this award, Rockland continues its legacy of enabling early-career researchers to push the boundaries of discovery, honoring Joy Cappel’s lifelong dedication to scientific curiosity, quality, and collaboration.

Joy Cappel Young Investigator Award Poast Collaborators