Adam Cohen Is Blavatnik Laureate In Chemistry

Adam E. Cohen, professor of chemistry and chemical biology and of physics at Harvard University, has been named the 2014 Blavatnik National Laureate in Chemistry. He is among three winners of the 2014 Blavatnik National Awards from the Blavatnik Family Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences.

The awards, which were just expanded last year (C&EN, June 3, 2013, page 10), honor exceptional young scientists and engineers, and each winner receives an unrestricted cash prize of $250,000.

Cohen is being honored for his significant breakthroughs in cellular imaging that allow for the observation of neural activity in real-time, at single-cell resolution. His research could help answer questions about how electrical signals propagate and could one day lead to the design of individualized treatments for diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), epilepsy, and bipolar disorders.

The other two Blavatnik awardees are Harvard neurobiologist Rachel Wilson and Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicist Marin Soljačić. The award ceremony will take place in New York City on Sept. 15.