The 2025 Blavatnik National Awards, sponsored by the Blavatnik Family Foundation, are a prestigious honor recognizing the most promising and innovative faculty-rank scientists and engineers in the United States. This annual award aims to celebrate groundbreaking discoveries and support further contributions in three key disciplinary categories: Chemical Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Life Sciences.
Award Details
- Amount: $250,000 (unrestricted funds)
- Categories: One laureate will be selected from each of the three categories (Chemical Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, Life Sciences), and additional finalists will also be honored.
Eligibility Criteria
- Age: Nominees must have been born on or after 1983.*
- Doctoral Degree: Candidates must hold a doctorate degree (PhD, DPhil, MD, DDS, DVM, etc.).
- Research Leadership: Nominees must currently conduct research as a principal investigator in one of the three categories: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, or Chemistry.
- Diversity Encouragement: The Blavatnik Awards encourage the nomination of women and underrepresented groups in science and engineering.
Note: Age limit exceptions may be granted under exceptional circumstances, but requests must be submitted by the nominating institution by November 13, 2024.
Nomination Process
Each institution is allowed to nominate up to 3 candidates, one per disciplinary category. Institutions are encouraged to consider candidates across departments whose work aligns with the relevant category, even if they do not belong to that specific department.
Internal Nomination Deadline at Penn State:
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- Submit the required documents by October 23, 2024.
- After the internal downselect process, the official institutional nominees will be submitted to the Blavatnik Awards.
Application Materials
- Research Summary (Max. 1,000 words): Written by the nominee, describing up to five of their most significant research contributions.
- Professional Service and DEI Statement (Max. 1 page): Highlighting contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the scientific community.
- List of Key Publications and Patents (Max. 1 page): Up to four of the nominee’s best works.
- Letters of Support: Two letters from experts familiar with the nominee’s contributions, preferably external to Penn State.
- Apply Here: https://www.research.psu.edu/node/7448.
Evaluation Criteria
Nominations will be evaluated based on the following:
- Quality: Scientific rigor and reliability of the work.
- Impact: How the research addresses significant problems and advances scientific progress.
- Novelty: Originality of the research and potential to establish new fields.
- Promise: The nominee’s potential for future contributions to science.
Deadlines to Remember
- Internal Downselect Deadline (Penn State): October 23, 2024
- Age-Limit Exception Requests: November 13, 2024
- Nominations Close: December 4, 2024
- Letters of Support Deadline: December 18, 2024.