Four University of California scientists were honored with major awards at the Breakthrough Prizes gala held on April 18. The event recognized their significant contributions to physics and mathematics, with prizes awarded to faculty from UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC Santa Barbara.
The Breakthrough Prizes are often called the “Oscars of Science” and are known for celebrating achievements in science with a level of celebrity typically reserved for Hollywood. This year’s ceremony was hosted by Emmy-winning actor James Corden and co-created by figures such as Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan, Mark Zuckerberg, Julia and Yuri Milner, and Anne Wojcicki. The total prize money awarded this year reached $18.75 million.
David J. Gross of UC Santa Barbara received the $3 million Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for his lifelong work in theoretical physics and advocacy for basic science worldwide. Gross is also a Nobel laureate who discovered key aspects of atomic nuclei function alongside his Nobel co-recipients.
UC Berkeley’s Yunqing Tang shared the New Horizons Prize in Mathematics for her research in Diophantine geometry—a field that has led to advances in number theory—while Benjamin Safdi from UC Berkeley and Berkeley Lab won the New Horizons Physics prize for his studies on axion-like particles related to dark matter. UCLA physicist Thomas Dumitrescu was recognized with a New Horizons in Physics Prize for exploring symmetry across various areas of quantum physics.
Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Priscilla Chan said: “This year’s laureates show what great science can do — deepen our understanding of the world and lead to discoveries that improve millions of lives… We’re proud to recognize their work.” Yuri Milner added: “The brilliant scientists who win the Breakthrough Prize are building a cathedral of knowledge on foundations laid down by the giants who came before them. We owe our civilization — and its future — to them.”
Dumitrescu said: “I feel honored and thrilled to receive this prize, and I would like to express my gratitude to my mentors as well as to my physics colleagues, collaborators, and friends.”
The National Science Foundation has been a principal supporter of research institutes like Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics since its founding in 1979.
