Blavatnik Family Foundation, New York Academy of Sciences Name 31 Finalists for 2021 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists

NEW YORK, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Showcasing America's most promising young scientists and engineers, the Blavatnik Family Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences today named 31 finalists for the world's largest unrestricted prize honoring early-career scientists and engineers.

Three winners of the Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists – in life sciences, chemistry, and physical sciences and engineering ­– will be announced on July 20, each receiving $250,000 as a Blavatnik National Awards Laureate.

The finalists, culled from 298 nominations by 157 United States research institutions across 38 states, have made trailblazing discoveries in wide-ranging fields, from the neuroscience of addiction to the development of gene-editing technologies, from designing next-generation battery storage to understanding the origins of photosynthesis, from making improvements in computer vision to pioneering new frontiers in polymer chemistry. Descriptions of the honorees' research are listed here.

"Each day, young scintists tirelessly seek solutions to humanity's greatest challenges," said Len Blavatnik, founder and chairman of Access Industries, and head of the Blavatnik Family Foundation. "The Blavatnik Awards recognize this scientific brilliance and tenacity as we honor these 31 finalists. We congratulate them on their accomplishments and look forward to their continued, future discoveries and success."

President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences Nicholas B. Dirks said: "Each year, it is a complete joy to see the very 'best of the best' of American science represented by the Blavatnik National Awards finalists."

"On behalf of the New York Academy of Sciences, we are extremely proud to administer the Blavatnik National Awards. This honors scientists at a pivotal career juncture, where support and recognition can make a huge impact on their career and their potential for future innovations and discoveries," he said.

Three independent juries – each representing one of the awards' categories – will determine the winning laureates, who must be faculty-level scientific researchers and engineers 42 years of age or younger.

The Blavatnik National Awards honorees will be recognized in a ceremony Sept. 28 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists
The Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, established by the Blavatnik Family Foundation in 2007 and administered by the New York Academy of Sciences, were first awarded nationally in 2014 and expanded in 2017 to honor faculty-rank scientists in the United Kingdom and Israel. By the close of 2021, the Blavatnik Awards will have awarded prizes totaling $11.9 million. Visit blavatnikawards.org.

Blavatnik Family Foundation
The Blavatnik Family Foundation is an active supporter of world-renowned educational, scientific, cultural and charitable institutions in the United States, United Kingdom, Israel, Russia and other countries throughout the world. The foundation is headed by Len Blavatnik, a global industrialist, philanthropist and founder and chairman of Access Industries, a privately held industrial group based in the U.S. with global strategic interests. Visit www.accessindustries.com or www.blavatnikfoundation.org.

Media contact
Kamala Murthy [email protected] 212-298-3740

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SOURCE New York Academy of Sciences

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