Prize Money for Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists Doubled for 2013 and Beyond

NEW YORK, Dec. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- At the Science & the City Annual Gala, hosted by the New York Academy of Sciences on November 12, 2012, Academy Governor Len Blavatnik made a special, unplanned announcement: The Blavatnik Family Foundation will double the prize money for winners and finalists of the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, starting in 2013. Blavatnik, in addition to heading the Blavatnik Family Foundation, is the Founder and Chairman of Access Industries.

"To further the positive impact the awards have on encouraging and celebrating the accomplishments of our most gifted young scientists, I am pleased to announce the doubling of prize money that finalists and winners will receive," says Blavatnik. "It is an honor to give these talented young men and women the recognition that they deserve and to assist them on their way to ever greater challenges and discoveries."  

Faculty winners will now receive $50,000 and postdoctoral winners will now receive $30,000; faculty finalists will now receive $20,000 and postdoctoral finalists will now receive $10,000. All award endowments are granted in unrestricted funds.

"We are so proud and appreciative that the Blavatnik Family Foundation has chosen to increase its investment in the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, based on the remarkable research outcomes and career milestones achieved by previous winners," says Ellis Rubinstein, President and CEO of the Academy. "Six years ago, Len Blavatnik enlisted the help of the Academy to create the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for young scientists — noting that scientists should not have to wait until the end of their careers for meaningful recognition — and this announcement brings us one step closer to that goal."

Established in 2007, the Blavatnik Awards program recognizes early-career scientists who have made innovative and interdisciplinary advances in the life and physical sciences, mathematics, and engineering. The concept of the awards is unique in that it bridges more than 30 scientific disciplines. Eligible candidates must be under 42 years of age, and currently employed at a research institution in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut.

"The increased prize money will make a real difference in the lives of postdoctoral students and young faculty members, whether used to purchase critical lab equipment, provide salaries for graduate lab assistants, or host international conferences in niche fields — all of which are ways that previous winners have used the award funds," says Rubinstein.

In 2012, 63 judges named four faculty members and five postdoctoral fellows as winners, and two faculty members as finalists, out of a pool of 170 outstanding applicants. (See the 2012 winners and finalists here.) At the November 2012 Science & the City Gala, Blavatnik and Rubinstein presented the young researchers with metals and provided recognition for their hard work and dedication to conducting exceptional scientific research.

Applications for the 2013 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists are now open, and are due by January 31, 2013. To nominate a researcher or for more information about the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, visit www.nyas.org/blavatnikawards or contact the Awards Administrator, Mr. Marley Bauce, at [email protected] or (212) 298-8624.

About The Blavatnik Family Foundation
The Blavatnik Family Foundation is an active supporter of many leading educational, scientific, cultural and charitable institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, and throughout the world. Recipients of Foundation support include Oxford University, Harvard University, Tel Aviv University, The Royal Opera House, The Hermitage, The National Portrait Gallery, The British Museum, The National Gallery of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The New York Academy of Sciences, The White Nights Foundation of America, numerous Jewish charitable organizations and countless other philanthropic institutions. The Foundation is headed by Len Blavatnik, an American industrialist. Mr. Blavatnik is the founder and Chairman of Access Industries, a privately-held industrial group with global interests in natural resources and chemicals, media and telecommunications, and real estate.

About the New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, not-for-profit organization that since 1817 has been committed to advancing science, technology, and society worldwide. With 25,000 members in 140 countries, the Academy is creating a global community of science for the benefit of humanity. The Academy's core mission is to advance scientific knowledge, positively impact the major global challenges of society with science-based solutions, and increase the number of scientifically informed individuals in society at large. Please visit us online at www.nyas.org.

CONTACT:
Diana Friedman
(212) 298-8645 
[email protected]

SOURCE New York Academy of Sciences