Three of America’s most promising young scientists were awarded top honors tonight at the 2025 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists, one of the country’s most significant prizes for early-career researchers. Presented by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences, the awards recognize exceptional scientific achievement and innovation by U.S.-based researchers aged 42 and younger.
This year’s Laureates were selected from a competitive pool of 310 nominees representing 161 academic and research institutions across 42 states. Eighteen Finalists emerged from this national search, and three were named Laureates by an independent jury of leading scientists.
Each Laureate will receive an unrestricted award of $250,000, the world’s largest unrestricted science prize. The remaining fifteen Finalists will each receive $15,000.
Critical global crises
The awards gala honored researchers whose groundbreaking work is advancing solutions to critical global challenges ranging from understanding the human immune system, to mitigating the environmental impacts of plastics and toxic chemicals, to improving disaster preparedness and recovery. Notably, two institutions — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Kansas — celebrated their first-ever Laureates this year.
The winners of the 2025 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists are:
- Life Sciences Laureate: Philip J. Kranzusch, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Harvard Medical School (Microbiology) - Recognized for discovering that human innate immunity evolved from ancient pathways in bacteria, explaining the molecular basis for how human cells defend against infections and cancer.
- Chemical Sciences Laureate: Frank Leibfarth, PhD, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Polymer Chemistry) - Recognized for pioneering approaches to upcycle plastic waste and remove toxic ‘forever chemicals’ from water by developing reactions and catalysts that selectively control the structure and function of polymers.
- Physical Sciences & Engineering Laureate: Elaina J. Sutley, PhD, University of Kansas (Civil Engineering) - Recognized for comprehensive, systematic computer modeling and engineering to address disaster mitigation and recovery, informing building codes and disaster readiness policies across the country.
Internationally recognized by the scientific community, the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists have been instrumental in expanding the engagement and recognition of young scientists and providing the support and encouragement needed to drive scientific innovation for the next generation. By the close of 2025, the Blavatnik Awards will have recognized over 500 scientists from 120 international research institutions and awarded prizes totaling nearly $20 million.
“We are proud to recognize the 2025 Laureates for their significant contributions to science and their remarkable breakthroughs early in their scientific careers. This award is designed to empower them with the freedom to continue to explore bold ideas, driving scientific innovation forward,” said Len Blavatnik, Founder of Access Industries and the Blavatnik Family Foundation.
The Ceremony
The announcement was made at a black-tie gala, held this evening at the American Museum of Natural History, hosted by Len and Emily Blavatnik and presented by Subra Suresh, ScD, Former Director of the National Science Foundation and current President of the Global Learning Council in Switzerland.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Suresh gave a hopeful message to the evening’s honorees, “In times of real and perceived threats to science and our future, it is even more important to focus on what excites you, what inspires you, and what it is that brought you into this field. As our next generation of leaders, I say to you: this too shall pass. While we might presently be facing high mountains and deep valleys… Today’s challenges are dwarfed when compared to all that is possible, and all that is yet to be discovered.”
In his ceremony remarks, Professor Nicholas B. Dirks, President and CEO of The New York Academy of Sciences and Chair of the Awards’ Scientific Advisory Council commented on the program’s magnitude, “Since their inception, the Awards, administered by our Academy, have received close to 7,500 applications from over 450 research institutions across the U.S., the U.K., and Israel. Over these 18 years, the Blavatnik Awards have recognized over 500 scientists from 120 research institutions, a testament to the program’s growing international reach.”
Blavatnik scholars are driving economic growth globally by embarking on new scientific trajectories to pursue high-risk, high-reward scientific research. To date, Blavatnik Awards honorees have founded over 50 companies after receiving the award, six of which are publicly traded and collectively valued at over $10 billion.
Each Laureate shared their prize-winning research with New York’s leading figures in philanthropy, research, academia, business, and the arts. Fifteen Blavatnik National Award Finalists were also recognized during the ceremony.
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