Kavli Prize

The Kavli Prize was established in 2005 through a joint venture between the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research, and The Kavli Foundation. The main objective for the Prize is to honor, support and recognize scientists for outstanding scientific work in the fields of astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience and award three international prizes every second year. The Kavli Prize was awarded the first time in Oslo, 9 September 2008. The Prizes were presented by His Royal Highness Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway. Each of the three Kavli Prizes consists of a gold medal, a scroll, and a cash award of US $1,000,000.

The Scientific Fields

The Kavli Prize in Astrophysics is awarded for outstanding achievement in advancing our knowledge and understanding of the origin, evolution, and properties of the universe, including the fields of cosmology, astrophysics, astronomy, planetary science, solar physics, space science, astrobiology, astronomical and astrophysical instrumentation, and particle astrophysics.

The Kavli Prize in Nanoscience is awarded for outstanding achievement in the science and application of the unique physical, chemical, and biological properties of atomic, molecular, macromolecular, and cellular structures and systems that are manifest in the nanometre scale, including molecular self-assembly, nanomaterials, nanoscale instrumentation, nanobiotechnology, macromolecular synthesis, molecular mechanics, and related topics.

The Kavli Prize in Neuroscience is awarded for outstanding achievement in advancing our knowledge and understanding of the brain and nervous system, including molecular neuroscience, cellular neuroscience, systems neuroscience, neurogenetics, developmental neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, neuropsychology, computational neuroscience, and related facets of the brain and nervous system.

Selection of the Kavli Laureates

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters appoints the three Prize Committees consisting of leading international scientists after receiving recommendations made by the following international academies and equivalent scientific organisations:

• The Chinese Academy of Sciences
• The French Academy of Sciences
• The Max Planck Society (Germany)
• The National Academy of Sciences (US)
• The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
• The Royal Society (UK)

These distinguished panels of international scientist’s reviews and recommend the prize winners on basis of a nomination process. The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters administer the selection process and announce the prize winners.

The Kavli Prize Laureates

Astrophysics

Year	Laureate		Institution	Country	Citation
2008		Maarten Schmidt	California Institute of Technology		“for their seminal contributions to understanding the nature of quasars”
		Donald Lynden-Bell	Cambridge University
2010		Jerry E. Nelson	Lick Observatory, University of California, Santa Cruz		“for their contributions to the development of giant telescopes”
		Raymond N. Wilson	European Southern Observatory, Garching
		James Roger Angel	Steward Observatory, University of Arizona
2012		David C. Jewitt	University of California Los Angeles		“for discovering and characterizing the Kuiper Belt and its largest members, work that led to a major advance in the understanding of the history of our planetary system.”
		Jane X. Luu	Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
		Michael E. Brown	California Institute of Technology

Nanoscience

Year	Laureate		Institution	Country	Citation
2008		Louis Brus	Columbia University		“for their large impact in the development of the nanoscience field of the zero and one dimensional nanostructures in physics, chemistry and biology”
		Sumio Iijima	Meijo University
2010		Donald Eigler	IBM Almaden Research Center, San Jose		“for their development of unprecedented methods to control matter on the nanoscale”
		Nadrian C. Seeman	New York University
2012		Mildred S. Dresselhaus	Massachusetts Institute of Technology		“for her pioneering contributions to the study of phonons, electron-phonon interactions, and thermal transport in nanostructures.”

Neuroscience

Year	Laureate		Institution	Country	Citation
2008		Sten Grillner	Karolinska Institute		“for discoveries on the developmental and functional logic of neuronal circuits”
		Thomas Jessell	Columbia University
		Pasko Rakic	Yale University School of Medicine
2010		Richard H. Scheller	Genentech, South San Francisco, California		“for discovering the molecular basis of neurotransmitter release”
		Thomas C. Südhof	Stanford University School of Medicine
		James E. Rothman	Yale University
2012		Cornelia Isabella Bargmann	Rockefeller University		“for elucidating basic neuronal mechanisms underlying perception and decision.”
		Winfried Denk	Max Planck Institute for Medical Research
		Ann M. Graybiel	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

External links

• The Kavli Prize, official site
• The Kavli Prize on The Kavli Foundation site
• The Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research