The Wiley Foundation has announced the recipients of its 24th annual Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences. This prestigious award acknowledges contributions that open new research fields or significantly advance concepts in biomedical disciplines.
The honorees for 2026 are John White, Gerald Rubin, Sebastian Seung, and Mala Murthy.
Their collective recognition is for their pioneering work in reconstructing and interpreting connectomes. These connectomes are the anatomical wiring diagrams of neurons and synapses, which are foundational to how the brain processes information and controls actions.
John White serves as an Emeritus Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gerald Rubin holds a position as a Senior Group Leader at the HHMI Janelia Research Campus. Sebastian Seung is a professor at Princeton University, where Mala Murthy is both the Director of the Princeton Neuroscience Institute and a professor of Neuroscience.
Insights from the Jury
H. Robert Horvitz, a distinguished member of the Wiley Prize awards jury, emphasized the critical importance of this research: "Understanding a connectome is essential for comprehending the nature and logic of a nervous system. This understanding includes its function in responding to environmental stimuli, controlling behavior and physiological outputs, its development and modification, and its potential dysfunction in disease."
Deborah Wiley, Chair of the Wiley Foundation, highlighted the broader implications of the recipients' work. She noted that their research "helps to understand how neuron networks interact and communicate, offering a framework for diagnosing neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and psychiatric illnesses like schizophrenia."
A Legacy of Scientific Excellence
Since its establishment in 2002, the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences has celebrated remarkable talent, with thirteen of its recipients later awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and five receiving the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Award Presentation Details
The award presentation and Wiley Prize lecture are scheduled for April 10, 2026, at 3:30 pm EDT, as part of The Rockefeller University Lecture Series. A recording of the event will be made accessible on the Wiley Foundation website following the presentation.