Michelson Prizes
Prize winners are the next-generation of innovators in human immunology and vaccine research.
About the Michelson Prizes
We support disruptive, innovative,
and high-impact ideas.
The Michelson Prizes are scientific awards of $150,000 given annually to young investigators who are applying disruptive concepts and inventive processes to advance human immunology, vaccine discovery, and immunotherapy research across major global diseases.
Well done to our 2020 awardees: This year’s winners are Dr. Danika Hill, a research fellow at Monash University, and Dr. Michael Birnbaum, assistant professor at MIT. Their winning proposals demonstrated both innovation and the potential for high impact across disease areas and states. By thinking beyond conventions, they will contribute to the Human Vaccine Project’s grand vision of decoding the human immune system. We are proud to be able to support them on this path.
Danika Hill and Michael Birnbaum received their awards in a special two-hour event. This webinar connected the experts of today with the leaders of tomorrow: Pulitzer Prize winner Laurie Garrett gave her insights into the fight against the global crisis and Harvard professor Dr. Dan Barouch presented the latest data set published in Nature with his insights on the pandemic in the Global COVID Lab Meeting, where the Human Vaccines Project connects experts in the field to discuss the latest COVID-19 data. You can watch the full recording of the 2020 awards on YouTube
Michelson Prize Winners
A rigorous and competitive international search will identify the most innovative projects from young scientists working across a broad range of scientific fields. Proposals will be reviewed by a distinguished committee of internationally-recognized scientists. The review committee will be looking for research that challenges dogma, from researchers who clearly articulate a vision that demonstrates an ability to look beyond convention to make a lasting impact on vaccine and immunotherapy research. We encourage applications from the full spectrum of scientific disciplines related to immunology, vaccine, and immunotherapy research, including but not limited to:
- Clinical Research
- Molecular Biology
- Computer science
- Biophysics
- Bioengineering
- Biochemistry
- Protein engineering
- AI/Machine Learning
- Nanotechnology
- Microbiome
Register to be emailed when the application portal opens:
The Michelson Prize was instrumental in my early career. It allowed me to pursue high-risk, high-impact ideas, which would not have been possible without the funding and scientific collaborations developed through the Human Vaccines Project.
