The Blavatnik Family Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences have announced the 2024 recipients of the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the UK.

Grants totalling £480,000 ($609,000) recognize the research of nine scientists, age 42 or younger, whose work has extended the boundaries of medical research, science, and technology across three categories: chemical sciences, life sciences, and physical sciences and engineering. Three laureates will receive £100,000 ($127,000) each, including Anthony P. Green (University of Manchester, chemical sciences), for discoveries in designing and engineering new enzymes; Rahul R. Nair (University of Manchester, physical sciences and engineering), for developing energy-efficient separation and filtration technologies; and Nicholas McGranahan (University College London, life sciences), for work harnessing evolutionary principles to understand cancers.

In addition, two finalists for each category will receive £30,000 ($38,000) each, including Fernanda Duarte (University of Oxford) and Samuel D. Stranks (University of Cambridge) for their work in the chemical sciences; Jayne Birkby (University of Oxford) and Mehul Malik (Heriot-Watt University) for their efforts in the physical sciences and engineering; and Tanmay Bharat (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology) and Yiliang Ding (John Innes Centre) for their work in the life sciences.

Since 2017, the awards—the largest unrestricted grant prizes given to early and mid-career scientists in the UK—have distributed £3.3 million to 21 recipients. According to the foundation, 60 percent of all recipients are immigrants to the UK from 54 countries. To date, recipients have founded 72 companies, 30 percent have obtained or filed for patents, and 75 percent have initiated new areas of scientific research.

“Providing recognition and funding early in a scientist’s career can make the difference between discoveries that remain in the lab and those that make transformative scientific breakthroughs,” said foundation head Sir Leonard (Len) Blavatnik, who is the founder and chairman of Access Industries, a global investment company. “We are proud that the awards have promoted both UK science and the careers of many brilliant young scientists, and we look forward to their additional discoveries in the years ahead.”

(Photo credit: Blavatnik Awards/The New York Academy of Sciences)