The Kavli Prize

07/04/2026

The Kavli Prize honors scientists whose discoveries transform astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience — recognizing breakthroughs that expand the frontiers of human knowledge. We will be announcing the next set of Kavli Prize Laureates in June. Join our newsletter to be the first to know about the next Laureates. Join here: https://www.kavliprize.org/about/newsletter

01/04/2026

A comet that stopped spinning — and then began rotating backward — has given scientists a rare glimpse into how these ancient objects evolve and sometimes destroy themselves.

David Jewitt, an astronomer at UCLA and recipient of the 2012 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics, used observations from the Hubble Space Telescope to study this remarkable event. His findings, recently featured in The New York Times, help scientists better understand how jets of gas and dust can dramatically alter a comet’s rotation — and potentially cause it to break apart.

Read more about his research in the New York Times:

The unusual event, never seen before, might be a way small comets are “blown to bits” in the solar system.

27/03/2026

Jennifer Doudna, a 2018 Kavli Prize Laureate, has been awarded the 2026 Priestly Medal, the highest honor conferred by the American Chemical Society. This award recognizes extraordinary, sustained, and distinguished service to the field of chemistry.

Doudna is celebrated for her pioneering work in developing CRISPR gene-editing technology and her other contributions in biochemistry. She received the Kavli Prize in 2018, the Nobel Prize in 2020, and is now being recognized by the American Chemical Society in 2026. The Kavli Prize laureates push the boundaries of science and further human understanding, maintaining the highest standards of excellence even after being awarded the prize.

Learn more:

A version of this Priestley Medal address will be presented at the American Chemical Society Spring 2026 meeting

26/02/2026

Professor Per Barth Lilje, chair of the Kavli Prize Astrophysics committee, presents the other committee members.

24/01/2026

We mourn the loss of Louis Brus, a researcher, pioneer, leader and mentor who created the interdisciplinary field colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals – known as quantum dots.

Louis Brus shared the 2008 Kavli Prize in Nanoscience with Sumio Iijima. He received the 2023 Nobel Prize in chemistry.

Learn more about Louis Brus: https://bit.ly/4jTInPS

20/08/2025

In honor of Fred Kavli's birthday, we remember the founder of The Kavli Prize and the visionary who believed in the power of science.

Fred Kavli was known for his many philanthropic contributions to society, but it was his deep sense of responsibility that led him to create The Kavli Prize - a legacy that honors great achievements in astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience - to benefit humanity.

18/08/2025

We extend our deep condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of A. James Hudspeth.

Jim was a valuable member of The Kavli Prize community. He was a 2018 Kavli Prize laureate, recognized for his discoveries that transformed our understanding of how the inner ear translates sound into signals the brain can interpret - insights that reshaped sensory neuroscience and laid the groundwork for future treatments for hearing loss. He was the F.M. Kirby Professor at Rockefeller University and directed the F.M. Kirby Center for Sensory Neuroscience there.

We will remember Jim for his brilliance, and know his legacy will continue to inspire generations of scientists.

Learn about the life of A. James Hudspeth: https://bit.ly/4mlCrj4

07/11/2024

Tune in to watch a fascinating conversation with the 2024 Laureates about their science, the importance of mentorship, and much more!

The Kavli Prize Laureate Interviews 2024

05/11/2024

🎥 VIDEO PREMIERE 📣
Science communicators Vivienne Parry and Adam Rutherford gathered all the 2024 Laureates for a conversation about research, science, and trust at Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi.

https://youtu.be/zMvqCu2GxwY

It always comes down to trust. In science, trust can be expressed in various ways, like economical funding, time to test a hypothesis or emotional backing. ...

12/09/2024

An everyday task of proofreading a paper in college sparked the pivotal idea for Kavli Prize Laureate Doris Tsao’s Kavli Prize-winning research. But the paper didn’t belong to her or a fellow student; it was her father’s.

Doris grew up as the daughter of two academics who encouraged Doris to love learning. Reading her father’s paper in college that discussed how to compute a 3D model with only 2D pictures was a lightbulb moment for Doris: How do our brains process visual information from our eyes in a three-dimensional way?

04/09/2024

Congratulations to the 2024 Laureates, who received their medals from His Majesty King Harald V at the Kavli Prize Ceremony at the Oslo Concert Hall.

03/09/2024

Welcome to the Banquet at Oslo City Hall!