2016 Blavatnik National Laureate and Professor of Astronomy at Harvard University
There are too few opportunities for scientists to actually come together and share the really big ideas. One of the really great things that we get out of the annual Blavatnik Symposium is that you have this community of young scientists that come together in many different fields.
Founder
Access Industries and Blavatnik Family Foundation
Young scientists represent the future of scientific thought. 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 will look in 20, 50, 100 years.
Eugene Higgins Professor of Electrical Engineering, Professor of Applied Physics
Columbia University
Blavatnik National Awards Scientific Advisory Council
There are a few awards for young scientists, but almost all of them are based on proposals that you submit, and not on the actual work that you do as a young scientist. The Blavatnik Awards is true recognition of the work of young scientists; it is unique in that sense. There is no equivalent.
Yale School of Medicine (2007 Faculty Regional Award Winner)
The Blavatnik Awards are very special because they are given at a stage of a scientific career when recognition is most meaningful and has a long-lasting impact. This was certainly the case for me. The award given at the early stage of a scientific career not only recognizes past accomplishments, but also the future promise. This provides a powerful motivation to deliver on that promise.
Published October 2, 2023
By Kamala Murthy
The Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences hosted the 2023 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists Ceremony at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City on September 19, 2023. The event honored the 2023 Blavatnik National Awards Laureates and Finalists as well as the 2023 Blavatnik Regional Awards Laureates and Finalists.
France Anne Córdova, President of the Science Philanthropy Alliance, former director of the National Science Foundation, and the first woman to be chief scientist for NASA, served as presenter. A distinguished group of leaders from the worlds of philanthropy, academia, science, and technology was joined at the event by notable members from New York’s artistic community including Carnegie Hall’s artistic director Sir Clive Gillinson, Robert Kyncl, CEO of Warner Music, Lyor Cohen, YouTube’s global head of music; and Lauren Selig of Shake and Bake Productions.
During her opening remarks, Córdova spoke about the impact the Blavatnik Awards have made on scientists’ careers: “A recent survey of Blavatnik honorees showed that in the two years following their first recognition, more than half reported feeling validation and increased confidence after receiving a Blavatnik Award. These awards help recipients progress in their careers and increase their visibility. They also give honorees the courage to pursue high-risk, high-reward research. After recognition, 75% started a new research direction and many started a new collaboration with another Blavatnik Awards honoree.”
Next, Córdova introduced the 31 Blavatnik National Awards Finalists who each came on stage, receiving a standing ovation from the audience.
The ceremony then turned its spotlight on the talented young scientists being recognized as part of the 2023 Blavatnik Regional Awards–nine postdoctoral fellows selected from among 121 outstanding nominees from 28 academic institutions in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Córdova called each Regional Finalist to the stage who received a round of applause. Short videos featuring each of the three Regional Laureates were then presented. Córdova called the Regional Laureates to the stage and awarded each with a medal in their award category:
2023 Blavatnik Regional Awards Laureate in Chemistry, quantum chemist Joonho Lee, nominated by Columbia University and currently at Harvard University.
2023 Blavatnik Regional Awards Laureate in Physical Sciences & Engineering, physicist Zoe Yan, nominated by Princeton University and currently at The University of Chicago.
2023 Blavatnik Regional Awards Laureate in Life Sciences, biomedical engineer Yanxiang Deng, nominated by Yale University and now at the University of Pennsylvania.
Nicholas B. Dirks, President and CEO of The New York Academy of Sciences, led the next part of the evening’s ceremony. Prof. Dirks commented on the power of community within the Blavatnik Awards program. “Scientists who make up this community aren’t just achieving incredible things in isolation; they’re also inspiring and nurturing the next generation of scientists. In addition, they’re collaborating. In doing so, they’re making discoveries beyond what they might have been able to do on their own.”
Prof. Dirks gave a presentation featuring numerous collaborations that came about through the Blavatnik Awards community. He then highlighted other innovations that have had a direct impact on humankind and fostered economic growth. “With the confidence and financial support provided by the Blavatnik Awards, our community of Blavatnik Scholars has founded more than 50 companies, some publicly traded today on the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ. There is no question that together–and as individuals–they are driving economic growth at home and abroad while using science to advance the public good.”
Córdova announced the 2023 Blavatnik National Awards Laureates by introducing a video profile of each Laureate. Len Blavatnik, Founder and Chairman, Access Industries and the Blavatnik Family Foundation, then conferred the medals to each of the Laureates, who went on to deliver brief presentations showcasing their prize-winning research.
2023 Blavatnik National Awards Laureate in Life Sciences, forest ecologist expert William Anderegg, from the University of Utah, spoke about his research on how climate change is impacting the earth’s forests.
2023 Blavatnik National Awards Laureate in Physical Sciences & Engineering, mathematician Svitlana Mayboroda, University of Minnesota, gave a talk on her discoveries in mathematics that are unlocking the potential of electronic waves – ideas that can lead to crucial new 21st-century technologies.
2023 Blavatnik National Awards Laureate in Chemistry, materials chemist Shannon Boettcher, from the University of Oregon, spoke about his discoveries in electrochemistry which are enabling new sustainable methods to create fuels, plastics, fertilizers, and other important chemicals.
The ceremony concluded with the Blavatnik Awards tradition of making a “Toast to Science.”
To learn more about the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, visit blavatnikawards.org.
Explore tumor metastasis prediction, RNA’s role in cold-resistant plants, quantum internet technologies, extraterrestrial life detection, computer-aided molecule design, and enzyme engineering in this interactive lecture series by 2024 Blavatnik Award winners. Discover cutting-edge insights across Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemical Sciences, suitable for science enthusiasts of all ages. Join us to witness UK scientists’ transformative innovations shaping the future.
This exciting, free symposium features a series of short talks from three brilliant young scientists recognized as the Laureates of the 2022 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel. Their award-winning research will be on display as we learn about new materials that rival the photosynthetic efficiency of plants, mathematical equations that are transforming how we approach large data sets, and the different strategies that SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses use to hijack cells.
This symposium features a series of short talks from nine brilliant young scientists recognized as the Laureates and Finalists of the 2022 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the United Kingdom. Their multidisciplinary, award-winning research is transforming our understanding of the human brain, how to predict the future of climate change, the creation of new materials with innovative properties, the design of sustainable chemistry, and the optimization of chemical reactions critical to new drug development. The lectures and discussion are intended for science enthusiasts of all ages – from high schoolers to adults.
Considered the largest unrestricted prize ever created for early-career scientists, the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists were established in 2007 by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and are independently administered by The New York Academy of Sciences. The Blavatnik Awards seek to identify and honor exceptional young scientists and engineers 42 years of age and younger. Honorees are selected based on the quality, novelty, and impact of their research and their potential for further significant contributions to science.
Unlike lifetime achievement awards that honor scientists at a later stage in their career, the Blavatnik Awards aim to identify and encourage promising young scientists early on, when they are most in need of funding and recognition.
“Our goal is to recognize exceptional young scientists, and to showcase their work as examples of what the next generation of young scientists should strive to achieve. The Blavatnik Family Foundation provides critical support to fuel the kind of innovative science and technology research that addresses society’s most pressing global problems.” Len Blavatnik
Blavatnik Awards honorees are recognized in three disciplinary categories:
