Shankar Balasubramanian receives the Princess of Asturias Award
Professor Sir Shankar Balasubramanian is one of three scientists who jointly received the prestigious Princess of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research this month. The award comprises a prize of fifty-thousand euros and a diploma ceremony in October that will be presided over by the Spanish Royal Family.
The 2026 award recognises Prof Balasubramanian and his co-recipients David Klenerman and Pascal Meyer for their pioneering work in genome sequencing technologies. This work revolutionised research in cell biology, ecology, biomedicine and forensic medicine, and has led to the creation of both new fields of research and new clinical treatments for cancer, infectious and rare diseases. In recent years, their achievements laid the foundations for the swift sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the scientific world’s response to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
The awarding body, La Fundación Princesa de Asturias, also noted the personal achievements of Balasubramanian, Klenerman and Meyer in their respective fields of nucleic acid chemistry, structure and function, and in epigenetics, microscopy and the application of AI in the search for therapeutic treatments respectively, as key factors in granting the award at this time.
Professor Sir Shankar Balasubramanian said:
“Writing from the University of Cambridge, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for this award for which I am truly honoured to receive. The science and technology being recognised involved collective contributions from many brilliant people from the University of Cambridge, Solexa, Illumina and Manteia illustrating the importance of collaboration. I thank the Princess of Asturias Foundation for recognising the work and for its important role in supporting science and technology.”
Now in its forty-sixth year, the Princess of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research recognises the achievements of individuals and groups of scientists who have made significant contributions to advancing research, discovery and invention in their fields. This year, a total of 56 candidatures comprising 24 nationalities were put forward for the Technical and Scientific Research Award.
You can find out more in the full press release.
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