Now open: nominations for $250,000 Kabiller Prize

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Northwestern University is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine, the world’s largest monetary award for achievement in nanomedicine. Alongside the $250,000 Kabiller Prize, nominations also are open for the $10,000 Kabiller Young Investigator Award and the $3,000 Kabiller Rising Star Award.

Nominations for the 2025 Kabiller Prize will close on March 1, 2025. Recipients will be announced ahead of the 2025 International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN) Rosemary Schnell Symposium on Oct. 15, where the winners will deliver keynote lectures alongside other leading researchers in the field. 

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Kabiller Awards, which have recognized luminaries in nanoscience and nanomedicine since their inception in 2015. The Kabiller Prize has been awarded to Jeffrey Hubbell (2023), David Walt (2021), Chad A. Mirkin (2019), Robert Langer (2017) and Joe DeSimone (2015), each of whom has made groundbreaking contributions to nanotechnology and its application to medicine. 

The Kabiller Young Investigator Award, which honors emerging researchers for their impactful discoveries, has recognized Xiaodong Chen (2023), Bin Liu (2021), Molly Stevens (2019), Liangfang Zhang (2017) and Warren Chan (2015). 

The Kabiller Rising Star Award, established in 2021 to honor early career faculty for their exceptional contributions to nanoscience, has been given to Ke Zhang (2023) and Natalie Artzi (2021). 

Presented biennially, these prestigious awards are made possible through the generosity of David G. Kabiller ’85, ’87 MBA, co-founder and head of business development at AQR, a global investment management firm. Kabiller is a member of the Northwestern University Board of Trustees, chair of IIN’s executive council, a member of the advisory council of the AQR Asset Management Institute at the London Business School and a former trustee for the Terra Foundation for American Art. 

“For a decade, the Kabiller awards have celebrated the exceptional talent and vision of the global nanoscience and nanomedicine communities,” Kabiller said. “These awards honor scientists who embody curiosity, risk-taking and gratitude — qualities that drive innovation and inspire future generations.” 

Many nanoparticles for medical use are smaller than 100 nanometers in size — significantly smaller than cells in the human body. At the nanoscale, structures often possess unique properties that researchers can harness to develop innovative ways to study, track and treat diseases. For example, spherical nucleic acid (SNA) nanoconstructs, which are foundational to the field of structural nanomedicine, can enter cells to track and potently treat disease. These distinctive properties make SNAs a promising basis for advanced cancer therapies and vaccines. Such breakthroughs underscore the potential of nanotechnology to tackle pressing health-care challenges.

“The Kabiller awards have set a gold standard for recognizing excellence in nanoscience and nanomedicine,” said Mirkin, founding director of the IIN. “These awards inspire innovation by celebrating researchers who are tackling some of the most significant challenges in health care and technology. Thanks to David Kabiller’s visionary support, we are helping drive scientific breakthroughs that will benefit people around the world.” 

For more information about the Kabiller awards and nomination criteria, visit iinano.org/education/kabillerprize.