National Academy of Sciences

06/24/2026

The Michael and Sheila Held Prize honors outstanding, innovative, and influential research in combinatorial and discrete optimization and related areas of computer science, including algorithm design, analysis, and complexity theory.

Awarded annually, the $100,000 prize recognizes recent work published within the last eight years that has advanced the field in significant ways. Established in 2017 through a bequest from Michael and Sheila Held, the prize's inaugural recipients, Prasad Raghavendra and David Steurer, were recognized for work that transformed our understanding of optimization and computational complexity.

Who will be the next researcher to receive this prestigious honor? Nominations for the 2027 Michael and Sheila Held Prize are now open.

Learn more and submit a nomination: https://www.nasonline.org/award/michael-and-sheila-held-prize/

06/23/2026

Happy International Women in Engineering Day! 🎉

To celebrate, explore how robotics pioneer and Lydia Kavraki of Rice University is helping shape the future of human-robot collaboration.

In her Research Briefing, Kavraki explored the computational foundations that have transformed robotics from isolated industrial machines into increasingly autonomous systems that can work alongside people in factories, hospitals, and homes. She discussed how advances in robot motion planning have enabled reasoning under uncertainty, long-horizon autonomy, and safer human-robot collaboration.

Learn how the algorithms behind modern robotics are helping create more capable, reliable, and human-centered technologies for the future. Watch her full Research Briefing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXJKZdzghAI&t

06/22/2026

Ed Miles reimagined how we think about the world’s oceans, not just as environments to study, but as shared systems that require cooperation to sustain.

At the University of Washington, he worked across , , , and , driven by a central question: how can humanity better manage the world’s oceans and other global commons together?

Over more than forty years, his research helped lay the groundwork for modern thinking on climate adaptation and international cooperation. Just as importantly, he helped connect scientific understanding with real-world decision-making, ensuring that insights about complex Earth systems could inform policy and action.

His legacy is a reminder that solving global challenges often requires crossing boundaries between disciplines, and between science and society.

Read his NAS memoir:
https://ow.ly/X6Yt50ZbTsO

06/19/2026

Each year, two Troland Research Awards of $75,000 are presented to early-career researchers (preferably age 45 or younger) whose work has advanced our understanding of the mind and behavior through empirical psychology. Established through a bequest from physicist and psychologist Leonard T. Troland, the awards have honored innovative scientists since 1984.

Do you know a researcher whose work is shaping the future of psychological science? Nominations for the 2027 Troland Research Awards are now open.

Learn more and submit a nomination: https://ow.ly/zcKO50ZbTiQ

06/18/2026

Until recently, nearly all we knew about the Universe came from light. Now we can also “listen” through gravitational waves—tiny ripples in spacetime that are reshaping our understanding of black holes. 🌌

Join us on June 24 for a Distinctive Voices lecture with University of Southern California cosmologist Kris Pardo on gravitational waves, how we detect them, what they reveal about black holes, and how shifts in star positions may offer a new way to find them.

Learn more and register to attend virtually or in person at the Beckman Center in Irvine, CA: https://ow.ly/8l3y50ZbTnH

06/17/2026

For more than 50 years, the NAS Award in Molecular Biology has recognized exceptional early- and mid-career scientists whose discoveries have transformed our understanding of life at the molecular level.

The award honors a recent notable discovery by a U.S. scientist age 50 or younger and includes a medal and a $25,000 prize. Its distinguished recipients include pioneers such as Marshall Nirenberg, the inaugural awardee, whose work helped decipher the genetic code and later earned a Nobel Prize.

The award has a remarkable track record of recognizing scientific leaders: previous recipients have gone on to receive numerous National Medals of Science, Lasker Awards, and 15 Nobel Prizes.

Who will be the next groundbreaking scientist recognized? Nominations are now open. Learn more and nominate a deserving candidate today: https://ow.ly/IzuR50ZbTcc

06/16/2026

As the nation approaches America’s 250th anniversary, scientific discovery remains central to shaping the country’s future prosperity, security, and well-being.

“Revolutions in Science: Discovery, Imagination, and the Future” brings together leading researchers, innovators, and thinkers to explore the next frontiers of science—from artificial intelligence and neuroscience to planetary resilience, human health, and the future of discovery itself. Hosted by the NAS and Smithsonian Institution. Register to watch online: https://ow.ly/UaEZ50ZbSZQ

06/15/2026

Frederick James “Jim” Allen spent a six-decade career transforming our understanding of the deep human past across Australia, New Guinea, and the wider Pacific.

His archaeological work helped illuminate the initial colonization of Sahul (Pleistocene Australia-New Guinea), the Late Pleistocene history of Tasmania, the Lapita cultural complex, and the emergence of early coastal trading networks in New Guinea. Taken together, his research reshaped how we understand the movement and connection of ancient peoples across vast distances.

But colleagues remember Jim as more than a pioneering archaeologist. He was known for his larger-than-life presence: a passionate debater, a late-night performer of traditional Australian songs and poetry, a cricket enthusiast, and a knowledgeable guide to Australian wines, shaped by decades of experience.

Read more about his colorful life in a new NAS Memoir: https://ow.ly/em5850ZbSOC

06/15/2026

"Taking this job is a bet, or maybe a hope, that the best science will drive the conversation over the long run." Incoming NAS President Neil Shubin spoke with The New York Times about the state of American science and his hopes for his five-year term as president:

An eminent fossil hunter takes the reins at the National Academy of Sciences in a turbulent moment for American researchers.

06/12/2026

Metal-organic frameworks have revolutionized materials science with applications ranging from separations to sustainability. A new PNAS profile highlights the incredible contributions of 2025 Nobel Laureates in Chemistry, including Omar Yaghi: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2605022123