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THE
BLAVATNIK AWARDS
For Young Scientists
AT I O N O F
GENER SCI
XT EN
E NE TI
FI
TH C
G IN
IN N
O
R IV
V
D
A
TI
O
N
2021
The Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists honor exceptional
young scientists and engineers by celebrating their extraordinary
achievements, recognizing outstanding promise, and accelerating
innovation through unrestricted funding.
Table of Contents
Key Features...............................................................................................................................................4
Our History.................................................................................................................................................6
Blavatnik Regional Awards....................................................................................................................8
Blavatnik National Awards.................................................................................................................. 10
Blavatnik Awards in the United Kingdom.......................................................................................12
Blavatnik Awards in Israel................................................................................................................... 14
Blavatnik Science Scholars.................................................................................................................. 16
In the News.............................................................................................................................................. 18
Tackling the COVID-19 Pandemic.................................................................................................... 19
“Encouraging and supporting young scientists
is essential if we are to successfully address
society’s challenges. By honoring these young
individuals and their achievements we are
helping to promote the breakthroughs in science
and technology that will define how our world
Established by: Administered by: Blavatnik Awards in Israel,
will look over the next century.” in collaboration with:
LEN BLAVATNIK
2
FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN BLAVATNIK
ACCESS INDUSTRIES AND BLAVATNIK FAMILY FOUNDATION FAMILY FOUNDATION
2 3
Key Features of
The Blavatnik Awards
AR
61% of Blavatnik Awards
GEN
honorees are immigrants
for Young Scientists
TIN
CROATIA
to the country in which
CZECH REPUBL
A
they were recognized.
ND
A
Open to researchers working in more than 36 different
U
SCIENCE
ST
IRELA
scientific and engineering disciplines in three categories:
BIA
R ALIA
KNOWS NO
OM
N
The Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists in
IC
BORDERS
A
OL
IRA
Chemistry
U
FR
C
ST
A
A
A
NA
RI
N
The Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists in
ISR
B I
CH
DI
CE
Physical Sciences & Engineering GE EL
AE
IN
AR •
A
•
RM US AD Y
O
L
A B E C AN R
CC
GA
NE
AL NY LGIUM O
I
The Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists in
T
Y UN OR
TH
RL J GR H
Life Sciences AP EECE HONG KON G M
E
AN
DS AN
LE E XICO ND
• Recognize and support outstanding young scientists and •N BANON • M A
EW MALAYSIA OL
engineers early in their careers when additional funding Z E P IA
RO EAL ST IN K
and recognition have the greatest impact on their work. MA A ND NIGERIA PAL E V A
NIA
E SLO
RU POR
SSIA S
•H
onorees are selected based on the quality, novelty, and ERBIA SINGA R EA
SLO O
impact of their research, and their potential for further VENI HK
significant contributions to science. A SOUTH AFRICA SOUT UK
SPA KEY
IN S
WITZERL A N TUR
•O
ffer the largest unrestricted prizes ever created AND TAIW AN
for early-career scientists. UKRA KIST
INE URUGUAY USA UZBE
•C
onnect alumni with a network of their peers throughout
the world to foster collaboration.
“Young scientists drive scientific discovery and
innovation. They feel urgency and impatience.
They think creatively and boldly. While we must
support promising scientists at all levels, young
“Past and present Blavatnik Scholars are some of
scientists are a critical resource that we must nurture
the top young scientists in the world. We are proud
for the good of the whole scientific enterprise.”
to celebrate them and their achievements, and to
ERIC S. LANDER showcase their work to the world.”
DIRECTOR, UNITED STATES OFFICE OF
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY NICHOLAS B. DIRKS
MEMBER, BLAVATNIK NATIONAL AWARDS PRESIDENT AND CEO
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COUNCIL NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
4 5
Our The Blavatnik National THE BLAVATNIK
AWARDS
History
Awards are created to
2014 honor faculty scientists 2016 CELEBRATE THEIR 2018 2020
across the United States,
and the first Laureates
in Life Sciences, Physical
10TH
ANNIVERSARY! The first international Blavatnik Scholars
Blavatnik Awards are take on the COVID-19
Sciences & Engineering, pandemic, discovering
and Chemistry are conferred, recognizing
outstanding academic new ways to predict
announced. Each Laureate and detect disease
The Blavatnik Awards are created to receives a $250,000 prize. faculty-level scientists and
engineers in the United spread, identifying
celebrate the outstanding postdoctoral
2007 and faculty scientists in New York, The Blavatnik Regional Kingdom and in Israel. effective treatments, and
Awards continue to honor researching new vaccine
New Jersey, and Connecticut.
postdoctoral scientists in technologies.
New York, New Jersey, and
Connecticut.
2021
THE BLAVATNIK
2017 2018 AWARDS
CELEBRATE THEIR
The Blavatnik Family Foundation announces Three women are named 15TH
ANNIVERSARY!
expansion of the Blavatnik Awards to the United Blavatnik Regional Awards
Kingdom and Israel. In Israel, the New York Winners, marking the first By the close of 2021, the
The Blavatnik Family The Blavatnik Family Foundation Academy of Sciences collaborates with the time in Blavatnik Awards Blavatnik Awards will
Foundation announces and the New York Academy of
2012 doubling of the prize 2014 Sciences host the first annual
Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities
in administering the awards.
history that the top prize
is concurrently awarded
have recognized 359
young scientists and
money for Winners and Blavatnik Science Symposium. to female scientists in engineers and awarded
Finalists starting in 2013. each of the three prizes totaling over
disciplinary categories. US$11.9 million.
6 7
2020 Blavatnik Meet the 2020 Blavatnik Awards
Regional Winners
Regional Awards NING JIA
2020 Regional Winner in Chemistry
Southern University of Science and Technology in China (formerly at
for Young Scientists
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)
Ning Jia, PhD, has unlocked key biological mechanisms that govern the function of enzymes
and CRISPR-Cas systems, such as those used in gene editing. Jia’s research has provided
scientists with an enhanced understanding of the functions and structure of individual
atoms in biological molecules. In the case of her work on CRISPR-Cas systems, this detailed
Acknowledge and celebrate the excellence knowledge is necessary if we are to demonstrate that gene-editing can be used in the
of outstanding postdoctoral scientists future to cure certain genetic diseases.
and engineers who work in New York, “If you want to have a career in the sciences, you have to enjoy science. Then, you will love spending
your time on it. My advisor Dinshaw Patel is a mentor for me, because his continuous passion in
New Jersey, and Connecticut. science inspires me.”
Young scientists are nominated by research
institutions across the New York region, and
Winners and Finalists are selected by a
group of senior scientists and engineers ADRIAN PRICE-WHELAN
from institutions in this Tri-State Area. 2020 Regional Winner in Physical Sciences & Engineering
Winners are awarded US$30,000 each and Flatiron Institute
The innovative use of advanced statistical analysis and computational techniques by Adrian
Finalists are awarded US$10,000 each in Price-Whelan, PhD, has unlocked one of the biggest mysteries of the universe—dark matter.
unrestricted funds. Utilizing satellite data to analyze the motions of stars throughout the outer regions of the Milky
Way, Price-Whelan’s work has provided the first clear evidence of dark matter substructure in
the outskirts of our galaxy.
“Mentorship is one of the most consequential endeavors we undertake as scientists. My own
mentors have filled many different roles in my career, providing both scientific guidance and
encouragement, and serving as important role models. We each deserve to have, and should be
expected to provide, mentorship experiences that empower ourselves and our mentees to help all
scientists become more equitable, inclusive, and successful.”
ANTONIO FERNÁNDEZ-RUIZ
2020 Regional Winner in Life Sciences
Cornell University (formerly at New York University)
Antonio Fernández-Ruiz, PhD, has expanded our understanding of how neurons in the brain
coordinate their activity to support our ability to form and recall memories. By uncovering
ABOVE: 2018 Blavatnik Regional the mechanisms of this coordinated activity in the brain, Fernández-Ruiz was also able to
Awards Winner in Physical Sciences alter how neurons are reactivated, demonstrating that memory can be improved artificially.
& Engineering, Lingyan Shi.
“Science is not just a job. It is a lifestyle, and an incredibly fulfilling one. Pursuing an academic
career, nowadays, presents a path full of difficulties and obstacles, and what always gave
LEFT: 2019 Blavatnik Regional Awards
honorees with Brooke Grindlinger, me strength was to remember the initial motivation that drew me into science—the need to
Chief Scientific Officer, New York understand the world around us.”
Academy of Sciences, and Peter
Thorén, Executive Vice President,
Access Industries.
8 9
2021 Blavatnik Meet the 2021 Blavatnik Awards
National Laureates
National Awards MIRCEA DINCĂ
2021 National Laureate in Chemistry
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
for Young Scientists Most materials that conduct electricity are densely packed metals. Inorganic chemist
Mircea Dincă, PhD, has proven that certain porous materials—metal-organic frameworks
(or MOFs)—can also conduct electricity and be used in fuel cells and supercapacitors,
which play critical roles in green technology systems. Taking inspiration from how
individual molecules can conduct electricity, Dincă achieved a conducting MOF by weaving
Celebrate America’s most innovative and a network of conducting molecules into a porous solid. Dincă has operated his MOFs as
promising faculty-rank scientists and supercapacitors and can retain performance after repeated use, an essential property for
their use in commercial products. He is now partnering with Lamborghini to incorporate
engineers. MOFs for energy storage in future electric supercars.
“What cool, new materials would I find if I could manipulate solids at the molecular level? Having a
Nominations are accepted from US-based job asking curiosity-driven questions is a privilege; the Blavatnik Award is wonderful reassurance
that curiosity-driven work is still important in our metric-driven culture.”
research institutions and the Blavatnik
National Awards Scientific Advisory
Council. Every year, one nominee in
each category is named a Blavatnik ANDREA ALÙ
2021 National Laureate in Physical Sciences & Engineering
National Awards Laureate and awarded Advanced Science Research Center, The Graduate Center,
US$250,000 in unrestricted funds, with The City University of New York
additional nominees recognized as Engineer and physicist Andrea Alù, PhD, is challenging the limits of materials science, influencing
a wide range of engineering applications in electromagnetics, nano-optics, and acoustics. By
Finalists. Laureates and Finalists are tailoring the interactions of electromagnetic and acoustic waves with artificial materials, Alù is
selected by a jury composed of some of demonstrating, both theoretically and experimentally, how cleverly designed meta-materials can
push the boundaries of physics. His work leads to new and enhanced material technologies with
the United States’ most distinguished potential applications that include cellular communications, energy harvesting, radar cloaking,
scientists and engineers. optical computing, and nano-optics.
“This fantastic recognition represents a great honor for me and my research group, and a unique
encouragement to continue pursuing our curiosity-driven research into the exciting opportunities
enabled by engineered materials and meta-materials.“
KAY M. TYE
2021 National Laureate in Life Sciences
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Problems in processing reward, fear, and learning can cause a range of psychiatric disorders.
“Every year we see an increasing pool of outstanding candidates emerge in the Neuroscientist Kay M. Tye, PhD, investigates the neural circuitry that drives these emotions
and cognitive abilities to understand addiction and depression. She discovered a neural
Blavatnik National Awards selection, and it is indicative of the kind of prestige and pathway that underlies an animal’s willingness to engage in compulsive, reward-seeking
visibility these Awards have and continue to gain.” behaviors despite negative consequences—a pattern observed in binge-eating and alcohol
use disorders. This neural circuitry could be a target for therapeutic interventions. Tye’s
ELAINE FUCHS addiction research identified a collection of neurons that serve as a biomarker that predicts
NATIONAL MEDAL OF SCIENCE RECIPIENT whether an animal will develop compulsive binge-drinking behavior, even before being
exposed to alcohol.
REBECCA C. LANCEFIELD PROFESSOR OF MAMMALIAN CELL BIOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT
THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY “It is an incredible honor for both myself and my incredible research team with whom I feel
CHAIR, 2021 BLAVATNIK NATIONAL AWARDS LIFE SCIENCES JURY privileged to work. We are committed to continuing our efforts to understand the neural
mechanisms underlying emotional and social processing.”
10 11
2021 Blavatnik Meet the 2021 Blavatnik Awards
Laureates in the United Kingdom
Awards for Young DANIELE LEONORI
2021 United Kingdom Laureate in Chemistry
Scientists in the
The University of Manchester
Nearly all molecules of interest to chemists, including drug candidates and agrochemicals,
contain the elements carbon and nitrogen. However, bonds between these two atoms are
not always easy to form in the laboratory. Daniele Leonori, PhD, has shown that it is possible
United Kingdom
to form these strong bonds using visible light to catalyze, or accelerate, the chemical
reaction. This technique is starting to be applied by pharmaceutical companies to facilitate
new and efficient routes to lifesaving drugs and other valuable molecules.
“I am deeply honored to be named the Blavatnik Laureate in Chemistry for the United Kingdom
and I owe this success to my outstanding students and postdoctoral researchers. It is their hard
Recognize and support outstanding work and continuous ability to surprise me with new ways to look at chemistry that has led to all
of our major discoveries.”
young scientists and engineers working in
England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern
Ireland. SINÉAD FARRINGTON
2021 United Kingdom Laureate in Physical Sciences & Engineering
The University of Edinburgh
Talented young academic staff across the Sinéad Farrington, PhD, is a leading particle physicist working to understand how nature
works at its most fundamental level. She led a team of over 100 physicists at the ATLAS
UK are nominated by their university or experiment at CERN, which in 2013 announced the first direct measurement of a Higgs
research institution, or by members of the boson interacting with particles that make up matter in the universe, known as fermions.
Discovered only a year earlier by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN, the Higgs
Blavatnik Awards UK Scientific Advisory boson is believed to give mass to all fermions through Yukawa interactions. The 2013
Council. Each year, one nominee in each measurement provided the first direct experimental confirmation of Yukawa interactions by
establishing the Higgs boson’s interaction with a type of fermion known as a tau lepton. She
category is named a Blavatnik Awards UK continues to lead efforts to explore the frontiers of particle physics, focusing on searches for
Laureate and awarded US$100,000 in new particles beyond the Standard Model and developing future capabilities of ATLAS.
unrestricted funds, with two Finalists in “High energy physics is a collaborative endeavor involving very talented individuals from around the
world, working together to build machines on a grand scale, and to analyze the data they generate
each category each receiving US$30,000 in to help us understand how the universe works at its deepest levels. I am privileged to have been
unrestricted funds. Laureates and Finalists able to contribute to this endeavor and to help provide some pieces of nature’s great puzzle.”
are selected by a jury of distinguished
scientists based in the UK. STEPHEN L. BRUSATTE
ABOVE: 2020 Blavatnik Awards 2021 United Kingdom Laureate in Life Sciences
in the UK Chemistry honorees
celebrate at the awards ceremony The University of Edinburgh
in London, UK. Stephen L. Brusatte, PhD, is a paleontologist whose work describes the anatomy, genealogy,
evolution, and extinction of the dinosaurs, the origin of birds from dinosaurs, and the
expansion of mammalian species after dinosaur extinction. He has pioneered new techniques
to study evolutionary transitions—periods of history which are similar to some of the sudden
“There are many prizes for senior scientists often at a time when they don’t changes in climate occurring today. Brusatte is a leading expert on theropods, a group of
need them and frequently years after they’ve made their big discoveries. It dinosaurs that includes Tyrannosaurus rex, Velociraptor, and Allosaurus, and has described
several new species. He is also a powerful science communicator, having penned a New York
is a really nice change to see scientists rewarded early in their career when Times bestselling book, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, authored numerous articles for
they have many great things ahead of them.” Scientific American, and is the paleontology consultant for the upcoming 2022 science fiction
adventure film, Jurassic World III.
SIR VENKI RAMAKRISHNAN
”I’m incredibly honored to receive a Blavatnik Award. I’ve been so fortunate to be able to follow my
NOBEL LAUREATE
passion in studying dinosaurs and evolution. Dinosaurs are a gateway into science for so many
PRESIDENT EMERITUS, THE ROYAL SOCIETY children, and I treasure the opportunities I have to spread my enthusiasm to the next generation.
MEMBER, THE BLAVATNIK AWARDS IN THE Fossils tell us how real animals and ecosystems have responded to real moments of environmental
UK SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COUNCIL change over time—knowledge that has never been more important.”
12 13
2021 Blavatnik Meet the 2021 Blavatnik Awards
Laureates in Israel
Awards for Young RAFAL KLAJN
2021 Israel Laureate in Chemistry
Weizmann Institute of Science
Scientists in Most man-made materials are intrinsically static, and thus not capable of undergoing change
in response to external signals. The ability to react to external stimuli, such as light, heat, and
touch, is fundamental to the existence and functioning of living organisms. Organic chemist,
Rafal Klajn, PhD, has developed dynamic nanomaterials that are engineered to possess
Israel
some of these “life-like” characteristics. For example, he has created cube-shaped, magnetic
nanoparticles that are capable of self-assembling into complex double-helical materials in
the presence of a magnetic field. These and other dynamic nanomaterials have potential
applications in such diverse fields as water purification, energy storage, and catalysis.
“I am honored to be named the Blavatnik Laureate in Chemistry in Israel, an award that
Celebrate and support outstanding young recognizes the hard work of many talented individuals in our laboratory, and that would not be
faculty-rank scientists in Israel. possible without the continued support of my family, colleagues, and mentors.”
Each year, one nominee in each category is
named a Blavatnik Awards Israel Laureate and IDO KAMINER
2021 Israel Laureate in Physical Sciences & Engineering
awarded US$100,000 in unrestricted funds. Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Nominations are accepted from all universities The work of Ido Kaminer, PhD, Head of the Robert and Ruth Magid Electron Beam Quantum
in Israel and from the Blavatnik Awards Dynamics Laboratory, has influenced fundamental physics research with real world applications
by transforming our understanding of the quantum nature of light-matter interactions. New
Israel Scientific Advisory Council. Laureates technologies developed in his laboratory open up the possibility of compact and tunable
X-ray apparatuses for applications such as medical imaging and security scanning. He has
are selected by a jury of world-recognized
also uncovered new aspects of the Cherenkov Effect—a burst of light seen when high-speed
researchers working in Israel. particles travel through gas, liquid, or solid—that was first discovered in 1934. Thought to be
fully understood, Professor Kaminer has discovered hidden quantum features not previously
identified by classical physics. This discovery led him to develop novel high energy particle
The Blavatnik Awards in Israel are detectors for particle accelerators such as the one at CERN.
administered jointly by the New York Academy “I am grateful for the honor and would like to thank my mentors and my students for sharing their
passion for science with me. My research strives to understand the roots of quantum mechanics,
of Sciences and the Israel Academy of
which forms the foundations of our physical reality. I wake up every morning knowing that the most
Sciences and Humanities. exciting discoveries are still ahead, and looking forward to sharing this science-journey with colleagues
and students for many more years.”
YOSSI YOVEL
2021 Israel Laureate in Life Sciences
Tel Aviv University
Yossi Yovel, PhD, is working to bridge the gap between two of the most influential fields in
“Each of this year’s winners demonstrate their biology—ecology and neuroscience. He has helped to establish the new field of neuroecology,
the study of how the brain controls behavior in a rapidly changing natural environment; this
outstanding merit, their passion for pushing the combination is crucial to our understanding of biological processes in the natural world. He is
a leading expert on the use of bats in scientific research and studies their use of echolocation
frontiers of scientific discovery, and their bright to perceive and navigate through the world. He has developed novel miniaturized GPS and
future as part of a new generation of pioneering other devices that monitor the behavior of freely moving bats in the wild. This work provides
broader insight into group behaviors, integration of sensory information in the brain, and real-
Israeli scientists.” time decision making. Yovel also applies his understanding of bat echolocation in a range of
robots. Yovel has made his technology freely available; it is used in field work internationally
NILI COHEN and has the potential to aid in engineering acoustic control of autonomous vehicles.
PRESIDENT
THE ISRAEL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES “When the border between facts and fake is fine, science should delineate it.”
14 15
Blavatnik Science Scholars REGIONAL FINALISTS
Xi Chen
Matthieu Gagnon
Andrew Goodwin
Henry Snaith
UNITED KINGDOM
LAUREATES
Philipp Kukura
2020
ISRAEL LAUREATES
Emmanuel Levy
Shruti Puri
Marc Schneeberger Pané
Yifei Zhang
In the fifteen years since its launch, the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists program has built an exceptional network Kate Meyer UNITED KINGDOM Konstantinos Nikolopoulos Guy Rothblum
Rachel Perry FINALISTS Ewa Paluch Igor Ulitsky 2021
of honorees whose members together represent one of the most dynamic, innovative, and cross-disciplinary
Eli Visbal Timothy Behrens ISRAEL LAUREATES
communities in the world. Kuang Yu John Briggs UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM Ido Kaminer
Claudia de Rham FINALISTS LAUREATES Rafal Klajn
2007 POSTDOCTORAL FACULTY FINALISTS Aydogan Ozcan Peng Yin
2017 Robert Hilton Timothy Behrens Timothy Behrens Yossi Yovel
FACULTY WINNERS WINNERS Michael Collins Michael Rape Feng Zhang
US NATIONAL Andrew Levan Gustav Holzegel Claudia de Rham
Léon Bottou Sreekanth Chalasani Wei Min Leonardo Rastelli Yi Zuo
LAUREATES Philipp Kukura Igor Larrosa Kirsty Penkman UNITED KINGDOM
George Malliaras Ofer Feinerman Melanie Sanford
Yi Cui Kathy Niakan LAUREATES
Ruslan Medzhitov Eva Pastalkova POSTDOCTORAL William Shih REGIONAL WINNERS
Melanie Sanford US NATIONAL Máire O’Neill UNITED KINGDOM Stephen L. Brusatte
Milan Stojanovic Alexander Pechen WINNERS Michael Strano Hani Goodarzi
Feng Zhang LAUREATES Rachel O’Reilly FINALISTS Sinéad Farrington
Leslie B. Vosshall Andrey Feklistov Alice Ting Arash Nikoubashman
Janelle Ayres Ian Chapman Daniele Leonori
2010 Michael Hahn Sinisa Urban Nicolás Young
US NATIONAL Neal K. Devaraj US NATIONAL Matthew Fuchter
FACULTY FINALISTS FACULTY WINNERS Robert Johnston Peng Yin
FINALISTS Sergei V. Kalinin LAUREATES Stephen Goldup UNITED KINGDOM
Antje Baeumner Song-Hai Shi Elisa Oricchio Martin Zanni REGIONAL FINALISTS
Andrea Alù Emily Balskus Eleanor Stride FINALISTS
Christoph Bregler Zoltan Haiman Nicholas Stavropoulos Allyson Friedman
Matthew Becker US NATIONAL Heather J. Lynch Amaury Triaud John Marioni
Geoffrey Coates Michal Lipson REGIONAL WINNERS Xiang Gao
Nicholas Dauphas FINALISTS Ana Maria Rey Edze Rients Westra David P. Mills
Antonio Giraldez Evgeny Nudler 2013 Clément Hongler Jinzhong Lin
William Dichtel Andrea Alù Artem Mishchenko
Tarun Kapoor FACULTY WINNERS Jeremy Palmer Yang Liu
Matthew Disney Emily Balskus US NATIONAL US NATIONAL Matthew Powner
Scott Keeney FACULTY FINALISTS David Blei Panteleimon Rompolas Dennis Perepelitsa
Mohamed El-Naggar Alexandra Boltasseva FINALISTS LAUREATES Themis Prodromakis
Philip Kim Elza Erkip Kristjan Haule Ziv Shulman
Michael Fischbach Edward Boyden Andrea Alù Clifford Brangwynne Edze Westre
Colin Nuckolls David Evans Patrick Holland REGIONAL FINALISTS
2016 Nathan Gianneschi Clifford Brangwynne Clifford Brangwynne William Dichtel
Kathryn Uhrich Neal Weiner Samie Jaffrey Stephen Brohawn
Antonio Giraldez Luis Campos Chiara Daraio Brian Metzger US NATIONAL
Frans Pretorius Dilek Colak US NATIONAL
Julia Greer Bianxiao Cui William Dichtel LAUREATES
2008 POSTDOCTORAL Nathaniel Craig LAUREATES
Christy Haynes Mircea Dincă Xiangfeng Duan US NATIONAL Andrea Alù
FACULTY WINNERS WINNERS POSTDOCTORAL Knut Drescher Phil Baran
Mark Hersam Xiangfeng Duan Viviana Gradinaru FINALISTS Mircea Dincă
Steve Gubser Yaron Lipman WINNERS Xiaowei Hou David Charbonneau
Bo Huang Jonathan Fortney Mohammad Hafezi Aditya Akella Kay M. Tye
Laura Landweber Haitao Liu Jonathan Fisher Jérémie Palacci Michael Rape
Sergei V. Kalinin Neil Garg Christy Haynes Andrea Alù
Tom Muir Daniela Schiller Rachel Rosen
Christy Haynes Ive Hermans Polina Anikeeva US NATIONAL
2015 US NATIONAL Jure Leskovec
Ryan Hayward Liangbing Hu Luis M. Campos FINALISTS
FACULTY FINALISTS POSTDOCTORAL POSTDOCTORAL US NATIONAL FINALISTS Stavros Lomvardas
Bo Huang Michael Jewett Cory Dean Aditya Akella
Daphne Bavelier FINALISTS FINALISTS LAUREATES Andrea Alù Franziska Michor
Jure Leskovec Jeremiah Johnson Guangbin Dong Shannon Boettcher
Geoffrey Coates Nicolas Reyes Bi-Sen Ding Christopher Chang Alexei Borodin Celeste Nelson
Zachary Lippman Subhash Khot Neil K. Garg Brandi Cossairt
Christine Jacobs-Wagner Agnel Sfeir Emily Hodges Edward Chang Garnet Chan Bradley Pentelute
Ying Shirley Meng Jure Leskovec Elena Gracheva Paul Dauenhauer
Eric Lai Mariangela Lisanti Syed Jafar Xin Chen Antonis Rokas
2011 Brian Metzger Ying Shirley Meng Viviana Gradinaru Michael Fischbach
Kenneth Shepard Jason MacGurn Yi Cui Pardis Sabeti
FACULTY WINNERS Franziska Michor Brian Metzger Kristen Grauman Danna Freedman
Saeed Tavazoie Xiankai Sun US NATIONAL Matthew Disney Michael Strano
Johannes Gehrke Joseph Mougous Wei Min Mohammad Hafezi Viviana Gradinaru
FINALISTS Pieter Dorrestein Dmitri Talapin
Szabolcs Márka 2014 Celeste Nelson Joseph Mougous Mohammad Hajiaghayi Kristen Grauman
POSTDOCTORAL Phil Baran Casey Dunn Tommaso Treu
US NATIONAL Bradley Pentelute Seth Murray Liangbing Hu Kaiyu Guan
WINNERS Bianxiao Cui Michael Fischbach Benjamin Tu
FACULTY FINALISTS LAUREATES Joseph Subotnik Nicholas Navin Sun Hur Asegun Henry
Andrew Houck Yi Cui David Ginger, Jr. Anastasia Volovich
Robert Anderson Adam Cohen Benjamin Tu David Nicewicz Prashant K. Jain Liangbing Hu
Andrey Pisarev Matthew Disney Antonio Giraldez Gleb Yushin
Charalampos Kalodimos Marin Soljačić Anastasia Volovich Mohammad R. Cigall Kadoch Sun Hur
Xiangfeng Duan Jenny Greene
POSTDOCTORAL Jun Korenaga Rachel Wilson REGIONAL WINNERS Emily Weiss Seyedsayamdost Subhash Khot Prashant K. Jain
Michael Fischbach Julia Greer
FINALISTS Olga Troyanskaya June Huh Gene Yeo Joseph Subotnik Maureen D. Long Rebekka Klausen
Eric Ford Bo Huang
Alexei Aravin Gerard Wysocki US NATIONAL Andrew Ilott Gleb Yushin Benjamin tenOever Julius B. Lucks Houra Merrikh
Markus Greiner Sergei V. Kalinin
Matthew Evans FINALISTS Chao Lu Benjamin Tu Houra Merrikh Wei Min
Rustem Ismagilov Rob Knight
Valerie Horsley POSTDOCTORAL Phil Baran REGIONAL WINNERS Emily Weiss Wei Min Hosea M. Nelson
Jonathan Kagan Nevan Krogan
Andreas Keller WINNERS Helen Blackwell REGIONAL FINALISTS Shruti Naik Nieng Yan Seth Murray Graham Neubig
Ali Khademhosseini Teri Odom
Shobha Vasudevan Franck Oury Garnet Chan Alan Healy Lingyan Shi Gene Yeo Aydogan Ozcan Noah Planavsky
Rob Knight Aydogan Ozcan
Valentino Tosatti Christopher Chang Chia Wei (Wade) Hsu Lu Wei Gary J. Patti Stanley Qi
Nevan Krogan Oliver Rando
2009 Howard Chang Wilhelm Palm REGIONAL WINNERS Ryan A. Shenvi Mikhail G. Shapiro
Hakho Lee Antonina Roll-Mecak
FACULTY WINNERS POSTDOCTORAL Peng Chen Eunyong Park REGIONAL FINALISTS Laura Duvall Emily A. Weiss Sara Skrabalak
Hening Lin Pardis Sabeti
Paul Chirik FINALISTS Yi Cui Ataman Sendoel Samuel Bakhoum Netta Engelhardt Nieng Yan Peter Turnbaugh
Yueh-Lin Loo Beth Shapiro
Carmala Garzione Roberto Bonasio Ruben Gonzalez Douglas Stanford Niankai Fu Juntao Ye Joel Yuen-Zhou Kilian Weinberger
Harmit Malik Amit Singer
Rebecca Oppenheimer Mary Kay Lobo Ali Hajimiri Lucia Gualtieri Ahmet Yildiz
Luciano Marraffini Edward Valeev
Shai Shaham Shaun Olsen Patrick Hopkins 2018 Peter Schauss REGIONAL FINALISTS REGIONAL WINNERS Andrea F. Young
Aydogan Ozcan Anastasia Volovich
Ruth Van De Water Ali Javey ISRAEL LAUREATES Priyanka Sharma Derya Akkaynak Antonio Fernández-Ruiz Guihua Yu
Abhay Pasupathy Leor Weinberger
FACULTY FINALISTS Jonathan Kagan Charles Diesendruck Zhe Zhang Igor Dikiy Ning Jia Wenjun Zhang
2012 Michael Rape Feng Zhang
Tamas Horvath Ali Khademhosseini Anat Levin Carla Nasca Adrian Price-Whelan
FACULTY WINNERS Jared Rutter
Lam Hui Rob Knight Oded Rechavi 2019 Liling Wan
Melanie Sanford REGIONAL WINNERS
Daniel Sigman Andrei Bernevig ISRAEL LAUREATES Matthew Yankowitz REGIONAL FINALISTS
Harmit Malik Michael Strano William Anderegg
Denis Zorin Jason Fridley UNITED KINGDOM Moran Bercovici Yaping Zang Zahra Abdollahnejad
Sarkis Mazmanian Alice Ting Jian Li
Alison Galvani LAUREATES Erez Berg Amelia Escolano
Teri Odom Ashvin Vishwanath Tomoyasu Mani
Assaf Naor M. Madan Babu Michal Rivlin Xianwen Mao
16 17
Blavatnik Science Scholars Blavatnik Science Scholars
In the News Tackling the COVID-19 Pandemic
Oded Rechavi pieces together fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls by testing the DNA of In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Blavatnik Scholars are rising to the challenge as
the animal hide scrolls. society calls on scientists to help tackle this virus, from predicting and detecting disease
CNN | June 2, 2020 spread to identifying effective treatments and researching new vaccine technologies.
Ruslan Medzhitov reveals allergies may be caused by immune systems being overwhelmed Pardis Sabeti uses genetic sequencing to track the spread of COVID-19 and develops
by the many artificial chemicals common in modern life. models to predict the most sensitive and accurate detection methods.
The Washington Post | January 23, 2021 MIT News | April 29, 2020
Claudia de Rham helps break down the science of Christopher Nolan’s latest film, “Tenet.” The Washington Post | October 13, 2020
Los Angeles Times | September 4, 2020 Feng Zhang develops an app to track hotspots and creates
William R. Dichtel develops techniques to recycle the plastic foam in mattresses and the first CRISPR-based test for COVID-19.
cushions that usually go to landfills. CNBC | April 8, 2020
Anthropocene | May 21, 2020 The New York Times | May 5, 2020
Janelle Ayres discovers that infections in the gut can impact maternal instincts in mice. Nevan Krogan discovers existing drugs that could be used to treat COVID-19.
The Irish Times | February 4, 2021 The New York Times | March 22, 2020
San Francisco Chronicle | April 30, 2020
Liangbing Hu creates a transparent wood-based bioplastic that is stronger and lighter
than glass. Alison Galvani identifies the most effective public health measures, including testing,
New Scientist | January 27, 2021 isolation, and vaccination, for stopping the spread of COVID-19.
SciTechDaily | March 26, 2021 Medical Xpress | April 6, 2020
Plastics Today | March 29, 2021 The New York Times | November 5, 2020
Ian Chapman takes the first steps to achieve a nuclear fusion facility in the United Kingdom. Philipp Kukura develops mass photometry technology that is now being used to study
BBC News | October 29, 2020 ABOVE: Blavatnik Regional
interactions between the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the ACE2 receptor.
New Scientist | December 2, 2020 Awards Winner Alison
Galvani and Blavatnik Rob Knight and Eugene Yeo build a platform for citizen scientists to collect COVID-19
Netta Engelhardt uncovers new clues as to how gravity works at a subatomic level,
National Awards Finalist samples to rapidly understand the virus’ spread and risk.
Pardis Sabeti have been
potentially upsetting Stephen Hawking’s theories of black holes. constant resources
UC San Diego News | April 9, 2020
Symmetry Magazine | March 23, 2021 throughout the COVID-19 ScienceDaily | March 2, 2021
pandemic. Galvani (top)
Kirsty Penkman develops methods to more accurately date archaeological samples using
participates in a public Yi Cui identifies methods for disinfecting N95 facial masks without reducing their effectiveness.
health roundtable with
amino acid racemization. 2020 US presidential
The Stanford Daily | March 31, 2020
Chemistry World | March 5, 2020 candidate Senator Bernie Chemical & Engineering News | June 24, 2020
Sanders (Photographer:
Current World Archaeology | May 27, 2020 Erin Kirkland/Bloomberg Moran Bercovici develops a microfluidic technique to sift particles of different sizes that
via Getty Images) and
Shirley Meng creates a new sodium-ion conductor for high-performance batteries. Sabeti (bottom) tracks dis-
could create a test for COVID-19 that is faster and more accurate than PCR testing.
SciTechDaily | February 23, 2021 ease spread using genetic The Jerusalem Post | May 7, 2020
sequencing to identify the
Paul Chirik designs and synthesizes a new plastic that can be more easily recycled than
most effective detection Julius Lucks tracks viral content in sewage to rapidly identify COVID-19 hotspots.
and treatment methods.
conventional plastics. Chicago Tribune | November 17, 2020
SciTechDaily | January 26, 2021 Scientific American | December 1, 2020
Plastics Today | February 10, 2021
“If it works, it really does offer a path to much more compact
fusion power plants, in a much more cost-competitive way to
delivering fusion here on Earth.”
IAN CHAPMAN
2020 BLAVATNIK AWARDS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM FINALIST ON
THE IMPACT OF HIS TEAM’S EXPERIMENTAL FUSION GENERATOR
SPEAKING TO BBC NEWS | OCTOBER 29, 2020
18 19BLAVATNIK FAMILY FOUNDATION
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