Awards and Accolades

Faculty Chairs

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Endowed Chairs

The Joan Klein and Irwin Mark Jacobs Senior Scientist Endowed Chair Challenge began in 2008 to encourage donors to establish endowed chairs for Salk senior scientists. For every $2 million donor contribution toward a chair, the Jacobs added $1 million to achieve the $3 million required to fully endow a chair. To date, the Jacobs Challenge has resulted in 20 chairs. View Chair Holders»

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Developmental Chairs

This academic honor is bestowed on scientists in recognition of their achievements in their field of study and to further support their careers. The impressive number of chairs awarded to Salk Institute’s assistant and associate professors reflects the excellence and promise of their scientific research. View Chair Holders»

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Faculty Awards & Honors

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Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prize is widely regarded as the most prestigious award given for intellectual achievement in the world. As stipulated by Alfred Nobel in his will, it is awarded “to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.” View»

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Albert Lasker Awards

The Lasker Award, which has come to be known as the “American Nobel,” recognizes basic researchers and clinical scientists whose work has been seminal to understanding and treating disease and is the most coveted award in medical science. View»

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American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business and public affairs. View»

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American Philosophical Society Members

The American Philosophical Society is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications, library resources and community outreach. Founded in 1743, it is this country’s first learned society, and has played an important role in American cultural and intellectual life for over 265 years. View»

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Breakthrough Prize

“The Breakthrough Prize was created to celebrate the achievements of scientists, physicists, and mathematicians, whose genius help us understand our world, and whose advances shape our future,” said Breakthrough Prize co-founder, Mark Zuckerberg. View»

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Fellows of the Royal Society

The Royal Society is a Fellowship of the world’s most eminent scientists and the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. The Society’s fundamental purpose is to recognize, promote and support excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity. View»

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Gruber Prize

The International Prize Program honors individuals in the fields of Cosmology, Genetics, and Neuroscience, whose groundbreaking work provides new models that inspire and enable fundamental shifts in knowledge and culture. View»

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Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s flagship program, where leading scientists—called investigators—are selected through rigorous national competitions to direct Institute laboratories on the campuses of universities, research institutes and medical centers throughout the United States. The HHMI is a nonprofit medical research organization that ranks as one of the nation’s largest philanthropies, and plays a powerful role in advancing biomedical research and science education in the United States. View»

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National Academy of Engineering

The National Academy of Engineering promotes the technological welfare of the nation by marshaling the knowledge and insights of eminent members of the engineering profession. View»

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National Academy of Medicine

With a mission to advise the nation on matters of health and medicine and provide a broad view of the research enterprise, members of the National Academy of Medicine help guide medical and scientific research and identify priorities for the nation. View»

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National Academy of Sciences

The National Academy of Sciences is an organization of scientists and engineers established by Congress and dedicated to the furtherance of science and its use for the general welfare. Members and foreign associates are elected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Currently, one in four Salk scientists is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. View»

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The Salk Medal

The Salk Medal is awarded to recipients who have made significant leadership contributions to world health in a manner that is consistent with our founder Jonas Salk’s humanitarian ethos and accomplishments. The award is not presented annually and was first conferred in 2005 to honor the 50th anniversary of Jonas Salk’s development of the polio vaccine. Salk Medals are awarded solely at the discretion of the Institute’s Board of Trustees upon recommendation by the faculty Awards Committee. Salk Medals are awarded in two grades: The Salk Institute Medal for Research Excellence and The Salk Institute Medal for Public Service. READ MORE»

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Wolf Prize

The Wolf Prize is an international award granted in Israel that recognizes outstanding achievements in the fields of agriculture, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, physics, and arts. Since its establishment in 1978, the prize aims to promote excellence in these fields globally, honoring individuals who have made significant contributions to the betterment of humanity. View»