The Rainwater Charitable Foundation (RCF) is proud to award Bess Frost, Ph.D., Brown University, with the 2025 Rainwater Prize for Innovative Early-Career Scientist of $200,000.

The Rainwater Prize^TM Program was established by the RCF in 2018 and aims to honor scientific advancements and motivate researchers in the neurodegenerative disease field—driving us closer to treatments, and a cure, for primary tauopathies like progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

Dr. Frost works as a Professor of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry in the Division of Biology and Medicine, and Professor of Brain Science at the Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science at Brown University, where she also serves as Salame-Feraud Director of the Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research. Her groundbreaking research has furthered our understanding of tau function, and, even more, she’s translating these discoveries into the clinic.

Dr. Frost discovered that tau toxicity can spread between cells the same way as seen in prion diseases, which has resulted in new research in tau proteoforms and the mechanisms of pathology spread. She also showed how retrotransposons, DNA sequences known as “jumping genes,” are activated in tauopathies and the impact it has on cell function and eventual cognitive decline. These findings have led to a Phase IIa trial targeting retrotransposon activation in patients at the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Frost is an active leader in the field and a dedicated mentor to the next generation of scientists. She’s participated in numerous conference organizing committees, including co-chairing the 2024 Tau Global Conference. Dr. Frost also serves on the Scientific Advisor Board of CurePSP and National Scientific Advisory Council of The American Federation for Aging Research.

Jeremy Smith, President of the RCF, stated that, “Bess embodies what Richard Rainwater envisioned when he created the Rainwater Prize. She is an innovative investigator helping to advance our knowledge of tauopathies both in the lab and the clinic. And most importantly, she demonstrates the importance of service, leadership, and collaboration that will help propel scientific advances forward.”

We are thrilled to honor Dr. Frost with the 2025 Rainwater Prize for Innovative Early-Career Scientist and are eager to see how her research continues to impact the field.

Interested in exploring the RCF’s previous prize awardees and their cutting-edge research? Visit the Rainwater Prize Program to learn more.