THE BLAVATNIK AWARDS For Young Scientists DRIVING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION

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. Key Features of The Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists

• Recognize and support outstanding young scientists and engineers early in their careers when additional funding and recognition have the greatest impact on their work.

• Open to researchers working in more than 35 different scientific and engineering disciplines within Chemistry, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Life Sciences.

• Honorees are selected based on the quality, novelty, and impact of their research, and their potential for further significant contributions to science.

• Offer the largest unrestricted prizes ever created for early-career scientists.

• Connect alumni with a network of their peers throughout the world to foster collaboration.

“Many breakthroughs come from people working on the fringes of their subject. Interdisciplinary science ensures that this is happening, because it is often unexplored territory.”

Dr. Richard Roberts NOBEL LAUREATE, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER OF NEW ENGLAND BIOLABS AND A MEMBER OF THE BLAVATNIK AWARDS NATIONAL JURY

2 “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 will look over the next century.”

Len Blavatnik FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN OF ACCESS INDUSTRIES AND HEAD OF THE BLAVATNIK FAMILY FOUNDATION

3 The Blavatnik The Blavatnik National Awards Regional Awards for Young Scientists for Young Scientists

Celebrate America’s most innovative and promising Acknowledge and celebrate the excellence of faculty-rank scientists and engineers. Nominations outstanding postdoctoral scientists and engineers are accepted from U.S.-based research institutions who work in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. and the Blavatnik Awards US Scientific Advisory Council. Every year, one nominee in each category is Winners and finalists are selected by a group of senior named a Blavatnik National Laureate and awarded scientists and engineers from institutions primarily US$250,000 in unrestricted funds. in the Northeast. Winners are awarded US$30,000 each and finalists are awarded US$10,000 each in The Blavatnik National Award for Young unrestricted funds. Scientists in Life Sciences

The Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists in Physical Sciences & Engineering

The Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists in Chemistry

Blavatnik National Laureates and Finalists are selected by a jury composed of some of the world’s most distinguished scientists and engineers.

“The Awards program provides exceptional opportunities for winners and finalists to serve as role models to the nation’s youth — showing that young, creative individuals can indeed be the face of science.”

ELLIS RUBINSTEIN PRESIDENT AND CEO OF 4 THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES The Blavatnik The Blavatnik Awards for Young Awards for Young Scientists in the Scientists in United Kingdom Israel

Launching in 2017 to recognize and support In collaboration with the Israel Academy outstanding young scientists and engineers in the UK. of Sciences and Humanities, the Blavatnik Each year, beginning in 2018, one nominee in each Awards for Young Scientists in Israel category will be named a Blavatnik Laureate in the recognize and support outstanding young UK and awarded US$100,000 in unrestricted funds, faculty scientists and engineers in Israel. with two finalists in each category each receiving Each year, beginning in 2018, one nominee in each US$30,000 in unrestricted funds. Talented young category will be named a Blavatnik Laureate in Israel faculty across the UK are nominated by their university and awarded US$100,000 in unrestricted funds. or research institution, or by members of the UK Nominations are accepted from universities and via Scientific Advisory Council. the Scientific Advisory Council in Israel.

The Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists in the The Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists in UK in Life Sciences Israel in Life Sciences

The Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists in the The Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists in UK in Physical Sciences & Engineering Israel in Physical Sciences & Engineering

The Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists in the The Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists in UK in Chemistry Israel in Chemistry

Blavatnik Laureates and Finalists in the UK are Blavatnik Laureates in Israel are selected by a jury selected by a jury of distinguished researchers in their of world-recognized researchers in their respective respective disciplines. disciplines.

5 Our

The Blavatnik National Awards announce its History 2014 first National Laureates in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemistry.

The Blavatnik Family The Blavatnik Regional Foundation and the Awards are created in New York Academy of 2007 the United States to Sciences host the first celebrate the outstanding annual Blavatnik Science postdoctoral and faculty Symposium. scientists who work in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

The Blavatnik National Awards are created in the United States. The Awards grant three The Blavatnik Family $250,000 prizes in Foundation announces Life Sciences, Physical 2012 doubling of the prize 2013 Sciences & Engineering, money for winners and and Chemistry to faculty 6 finalists starting in 2013. scientists. THE BLAVATNIK The inaugural Blavatnik Awards for Young 2016 AWARDS 2018 Scientists in the United CELEBRATE ITS Kingdom and Israel are 10-YEAR conferred. ANNIVERSARY! Since 2007, over $4,000,000 has been awarded in unrestricted funds to 125 recipients of the Blavatnik National and Regional Awards.

The Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the United Kingdom and the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel are established, recognizing outstanding young scientists and engineers in Chemistry, The Blavatnik National Physical Sciences & Awards receive 300 Engineering, and Life nominations representing Sciences. 147 American universities and research institutions. In Israel, the New York Academy of Sciences The Blavatnik Regional collaborates with the Awards receive 130 Israel Academy of 2015 postdoctoral nominations 2017 Sciences and Humanities from institutions in the in administering the tri-state area. Awards. 7 Meet the 2016 Blavatnik National Laureates!

4 1 MICHAEL RAPE 2016 National Laureate in Life Sciences 1 2 1 3 26 University of California, Berkeley 31 4 Dr. Rape studies ubiquitin-mediated cell division and 10 5 differentiation. He has made numerous fundamental 5 17 5 discoveries related to the enzymes, substrates, 1 3 11 11 processes, and regulation of the cell cycle influenced 12 6 ★ 4 2 3 by ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. 2 8 3 3 2 11 “W e are trying to dissect principles of information transfer 8 6 7 in human cells that shed light on fundamental mechanisms 38 of early human development and can be translated into 6 3 4 novel therapies against developmental diseases and cancer.” 1 4 5 2 17 DAVID CHARBONNEAU 11 2016 National Laureate in Physical Sciences & Engineering Dr. Charbonneau made the first detections of a transiting exoplanet, exoplanet atmosphere, and light emitted from an exoplanet. He also pioneered numerous methods to discover and characterize exoplanets that have become standards in the field. “For generations, humans have looked up at the stars and wondered if there existed inhabited worlds other than our own. We are the first generation in human history with the technological ability to answer that question.”

PHIL BARAN 2016 National Laureate in Chemistry The Scripps Research Institute Dr. Baran is transforming what was thought to be a mature field of natural product synthesis. He designs efficient, commercially-scalable syntheses of biologically active natural products and, in the process, develops new reagents and reactions. “We are passionate about those problems in fundamental organic chemistry that have near-immediate impact to society, specifically to the heroes of chemistry that develop new medicines. Either by dramatically truncating the time it takes to make complex natural products or by inventing methods that solve real-world challenges, we are dedicated to Translational Chemistry.”

8 2016 NATIONAL NOMINATIONS

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1 2 1 3 26 31 4 10 5 17 5 1 5 3 11 11 6 4 12 ★ 2 2 8 3 3 3 2 11 8 6 7 38 6 3 4

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“The science community is defined by innovators and pioneers, and this year’s National Laureates are leading the way in their fields. The Academy is honored to collaborate with the Blavatnik Family Foundation to recognize these scientists. We congratulate the Laureates and National Finalists on their achievement.”

Dr. Brooke Grindlinger CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER, SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMS & BLAVATNIK AWARDS, THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES9 Meet the 2016 Blavatnik National Finalists!

2016 LIFE SCIENCES FINALISTS to develop clinical diagnostic methods for responding to deadly disease outbreaks, including the Ebola virus and Lassa fever. Xin Chen (Johns Hopkins University): Dr. Chen is a developmental biologist working on some Beth Shapiro (University of California, of the deepest questions about stem cells and Santa Cruz): Dr. Shapiro studies “ancient DNA,” their asymmetric division. She examines how or paleogenomics to understand how changing epigenetic information is inherited using cutting- selective pressures have affected species edge super resolution microscopy to visualize old distributions and survival. Her work has reshaped and new histones during DNA replication. evolutionary history and provided key insights on Casey Dunn (Brown University): Dr. Dunn’s extinction and conservation practices for animals such as work in evolutionary biology explores the history mammoths, bison, camel, brown and polar bears. of life on earth. His studies of the morphology Leor Weinberger (): and evolution of marine animals have challenged Dr. Weinberger is a physicist-turned- existing paradigms by being the first to show that immunologist studying gene expression in HIV comb jellyfish, not sponges, are the common ancestor and human herpes viruses. He has demonstrated or sister group to all animals. the role of stochastic noise and signals in Antonio Giraldez (Yale University): influencing cell fate decisions and discovered Dr. Giraldez’s research in developmental biology therapeutic targets for antiviral therapies. seeks to understand how cells decode the Feng Zhang (Massachusetts Institute language of life. He focuses on the mechanisms of Technology): Dr. Zhang has played critical and regulation of microRNAs during early roles in the development of revolutionary embryonic development. technologies including optogenetics and Rob Knight (University of California, editing using the CRISPR system. San Diego): Dr. Knight studies the human and environmental microbiome. He has pioneered 2016 PHYSICAL SCIENCES & the fields of comparative microbial genomics and metagenomics and developed bioinformatic tools ENGINEERING FINALISTS to improve our understanding of microbial Andrea Alù (The University of Texas at Austin): communities around the world. Dr. Alù has made seminal contributions to the theory and design of metamaterials, including Oliver Rando (University of Massachusetts pioneering work on “invisibility cloaks” for Medical School): A physician scientist, making objects undetectable to radio waves or Dr. Rando focuses on genetics and genomics, light, and theoretical studies of nanocircuits specifically studying paternal transgenerational and nanoantennas. effects in yeast and mice. His research asks questions about how a father’s diet (“Daddy effects”) Alexei Borodin (Massachusetts Institute of may influence the metabolism of his children. Technology): Dr. Borodin is a mathematician who has made influential interdisciplinary Antonina Roll-Mecak (National Institutes contributions ranging from probability theory of Health): Dr. Roll-Mecak investigates the to mathematical physics. He has authored organization and movement of cells, focusing on important work on integrable probabilistic models, cytoskeletal regulation and microtubules. She which describe a variety of real world phenomena. employs a unique approach combining biophysics, single molecule fluorescence, and structural Yi Cui (Stanford University): Dr. Cui has and cell biology to crack the “tubulin code.” pioneered the use of nanomaterials for energy storage devices and created numerous Pardis Sabeti (Harvard University): Dr. Sabeti breakthrough materials-based solutions for high- is a systems biologist and physician scientist performance batteries and battery electrodes, studying infectious disease evolution. Her including nanostructured silicon anodes and research utilizes computational genetics stable lithium metal anodes. 10 Jenny Greene (): precision medicines from genome sequences by Dr. Greene is an astrophysicist who has made targeting the RNA product of genes. important contributions to the observational studies of black holes, their lifecycles, and their Pieter Dorrestein (University of California, role in galaxy evolution. She has made several San Diego): Dr. Dorrestein, a chemical biologist, discoveries of relationships between the properties of is the primary architect of the Global Natural black holes and their host galaxies. Products Social Molecular Network, an algorithm that automatically deduces the relationship between Julia Greer (California Institute of Technology): natural products based on their fragmentation patterns. Dr. Greer has transformed the study of meta- materials by designing new methods to engineer Michael Fischbach (University of California, 3D hierarchical nanolattices with remarkable San Francisco): Dr. Fischbach’s research is on the mechanical, thermal, and optical properties. human microbiome, focusing on the molecular mechanisms by which the microbiota influence Sergei Kalinin (Oak Ridge National Laboratory): the host organism. He developed an algorithm Dr. Kalinin is a leader in scanning probe that identifies the biosynthetic genes in bacterial microscopy (SPM) for studying functionality of and has applied this to the human microbiome. nanomaterials. He has developed unique SPM methods for characterizing nanoscale behavior of David Ginger (University of Washington): ferroelectric and multiferroic materials. Dr. Ginger works to develop and apply new methods of microscopy to probe heterogeneous Aydogan Ozcan (University of California, chemical systems in nanostructured polymers and Los Angeles): Dr. Ozcan has created photonics- solar cells. He has developed technology that based telemedicine technologies and built allows images to be rendered from humongous lens-free imaging devices for point-of-care data sets in real time (earlier methods require diagnostics, sensing, and testing that may be at least four hours). integrated with cell phones. Bo Huang (University of California, Amit Singer (Princeton University): Dr. Singer San Francisco): Dr. Huang, a chemical biologist, has created methods for data analysis and has successfully repurposed CRISPR-Cas9 as a optimization that have had a profound impact tool for visualizing the chromosomes in living on empirical science methodology, digital data cells. In addition, he developed and applied organization, and knowledge extraction used in super-resolution microscopy to the study of medical diagnostics, hyperspectral imaging, various biological systems. and equipment monitoring. Nevan Krogan (Gladstone Institutes): Anastasia Volovich (Brown University): Dr. Krogan uses biochemistry and structural Dr. Volovich is a theoretical physicist working at biology to generate large-scale quantitative the forefront of quantum field theory and gravity. genetic and physical interaction maps in several She has authored influential studies of scattering organisms. The maps are used to formulate amplitudes in 4D gauge theories, supergravity, hypotheses about various biological processes. and string theory, with applications ranging from fundamental theory to physics at particle colliders. Teri Odom (Northwestern University): Dr. Odom focuses on physical chemistry and has developed powerful new methods of 2016 CHEMISTRY FINALISTS nanofabrication on a multi-scale level. These Garnet Chan (Princeton University): Dr. Chan’s tools focus on multi-scale, anisotropic, and 3D major discovery is the reformulation of DMRG plasmonic materials for applications in imaging, method, which enables computational chemists sensing, and cancer therapeutics. to accurately model the electronic structure of Edward Valeev (Virginia Polytechnic Institute complex molecules. This method shortens the time needed for certain simulations to complete and State University): Dr. Valeev does research from decades to months. in theoretical chemistry and is a pioneer in the development of accurate, many-body electronic Matthew Disney (The Scripps Research structure methods for molecular simulations. The Institute): Dr. Disney is focusing his research on main focus of his work is on the development of RNA-based drug discovery. His work centers on mathematical and numerical models and their developing general, rational approaches to design implementation in computer programs. 11 Blavatnik BLAVATNIK 2009 REGIONAL Sreekanth Chalasani AWARDS Paul Chirik Science Scholars Ofer Feinerman Carmala Garzione 2007 Tamas Horvath Antje Baeumner In the ten years since its launch, the Blavatnik Awards Lam Hui Léon Bottou for Young Scientists has built an exceptional network Rebecca Oppenheimer Christoph Bregler of past and current honorees, whose members Eva Pastalkova Geoffrey Coates together represent one of the most dynamic, Alexander Pechen Antonio Giraldez innovative, and cross-disciplinary communities in the Shai Shaham Tarun Kapoor world — the Blavatnik Science Scholars Community. Daniel Sigman Scott Keeney Denis Zorin Philip Kim George Malliaras 2010 Ruslan Medzhitov Elza Erkip Colin Nuckolls David Evans Milan Stojanovic Zoltan Haiman Kathryn Uhrich Yaron Lipman Leslie Vosshall Michal Lipson Haitao Liu 2008 Evgeny Nudler Alexei Aravin Nicolas Reyes Daphne Bavelier Daniela Schiller Geoffrey Coates Agnel Sfeir Matthew Evans Song-Hai Shi Steven Gubser Neal Weiner Valerie Horsley Andrew Houck 2011 Christine Jacobs-Wagner Robert Anderson Andreas Keller Roberto Bonasio Eric Lai Johannes Gehrke Laura Landweber Charalampos Kalodimos Thomas Muir Jun Korenaga Andrey Pisarev Mary Kay Lobo Ken Shepard Szabolcs Márka Saeed Tavazoie Shaun Olsen Shobha Vasudevan Franck Oury Valentino Tosatti Olga Troyanskaya Ruth Van de Water Gerard Wysocki

12 2012 2016 Ali Javey Matthew Disney Andrei Bernevig William Anderegg Jonathan Kagan Xiangfeng Duan Michael Collins Xi Chen Ali Khademhosseini Michael Fischbach Andrey Feklistov Matthieu Gagnon Rob Knight Eric Ford Jason Fridley Jian Li Harmit Malik Markus Greiner Alison Galvani Tomoyasu Mani Sarkis Mazmanian Rustem Ismagilov Michael Hahn Kate Meyer Teri Odom Jonathan Kagan Robert Johnston Rachel Perry Aydogan Ozcan Ali Khademhosseini Wei Min Eli Visbal Michael Rape Rob Knight Assaf Naor Kuang Yu Leonardo Rastelli Nevan Krogan Elisa Oricchio Melanie Sanford Hakho Lee Nicholas Stavropoulos William Shih Hening Lin BLAVATNIK Michael Strano Yueh-Lin Loo 2013 NATIONAL Alice Ting Harmit Malik David Blei AWARDS Sinisa Urban Luciano Marraffini Bi-Sen Ding Peng Yin Aydogan Ozcan Jonathan Fisher Martin Zanni Abhay Pasupathy 2014 National Laureates Kristjan Haule Michael Rape Adam Cohen Emily Hodges 2015 National Laureates Jared Rutter Marin Soljacic Patrick Holland Christopher Chang Melanie Sanford Rachel Wilson Samie Jaffrey Edward Chang Michael Strano Mariangela Lisanti Syed Jafar Alice Ting 2014 National Finalists Jason MacGurn Ashvin Vishwanath Phil Baran Frans Pretorius 2015 National Finalists Peng Yin Helen Blackwell Rachel Rosen Phil Baran Feng Zhang Garnet Chan Xiankai Sun Bianxiao Cui Yi Zuo Christopher Chang Yi Cui Howard Chang 2014 Peng Chen Stephen Brohawn Yi Cui Dilek Colak Ruben Gonzalez Nathaniel Craig Ali Hajimiri Knut Drescher Patrick Hopkins Clément Hongler Xiaowei Hou Jérémie Palacci “The Blavatnik Awards are Jeremy Palmer very special because they are Panteleimon Rompolas given at the stage of a scientific 2015 Allyson Friedman career when recognition is most Xiang Gao meaningful and has a long- Hani Goodarzi Jinzhong Lin lasting impact. This was Yang Liu Arash Nikoubashman certainly the case for me.” Dennis Perepelitsa Ziv Shulman Dr. Ruslan Medzhitov Nicolás Young 2007 BLAVATNIK AWARDS FACULTY WINNER, PROFESSOR OF IMMUNOBIOLOGY AT YALE UNIVERSITY, AND HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE INVESTIGATOR

13 Blavatnik Science Scholars In the News

Michael Strano develops nanotube sensors that can detect single protein molecules MIT News | Jan. 23, 2017

Sergei Kalinin and colleagues use scanning transmission electron microscope to build materials atom by atom Nature | Nov. 22, 2016

Pardis Sabeti and colleagues report that Ebola virus may have mutated during 2013-2016 West African epidemic to better target human cells Science Magazine | Nov. 3, 2016 The Atlantic | Nov. 3, 2016

Ruslan Medzhitov discusses the effects of fasting on inflammation The Atlantic | Sep. 8, 2016

Szabolcs Marka and Frans Pretorius are among the group of scientists awarded the 2016 Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for their contributions to the discovery of gravitational waves Breakthrough Prize | May 2, 2016

Leslie Vosshall is part of the team working to assemble a DNA map that will help fight Zika The New York Times | March 30, 2016

Howard Chang and his colleagues at Stanford University discover functional lncRNAs The New York Times | Jan. 21, 2016

Peng Yin launches a new company to provide inexpensive access to super-resolution microscopy Nanowerk News | Oct. 13, 2015

More evidence for coming black hole collision: research findings by Zoltan Haiman The New York Times | Sept. 16, 2015

Can brain cells be controlled with sound waves? Research findings by Sreekanth Chalasani Forbes | Sept. 15, 2015

Co-founded by Saeed Tavazoie, Rgenix takes aim at cancer Xconomy | Aug. 31, 2015

14 ABOUT THE BLAVATNIK FAMILY FOUNDATION The Blavatnik Family Foundation is an active supporter of leading educational, scientific, cultural, and charitable institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, and throughout the world. The Foundation is headed by Len Blavatnik, an American industrialist and philanthropist. Mr. Blavatnik is the Founder and Chairman of Access Industries, a privately-held U.S. industrial group with global interests in natural resources and chemicals, media and telecommunications, real estate, technology, and e-commerce.

THE WORLD’S SMARTEST NETWORK The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, not-for-profit organization that since 1817 has been driving innovative solutions to society’s challenges by advancing scientific research, education, and policy. With more than 20,000 Members in 100 countries, the Academy is creating a global community of science for the benefit of humanity. Please visit us online at www.nyas.org and follow us on Twitter at @NYASciences.

15 Blavatnik Awards fo BLAVATNIK Young Scientists FAMILY FOUNDATION

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