April 5, 2025 — Los Angeles

In a remarkable showcase of scientific talent, the Breakthrough Prize Foundation has announced the esteemed winners of the 2025 Breakthrough Prizes. These awards honor the groundbreaking work of scientists making significant strides in the fields of Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics, and Mathematics.

Dubbed the "Oscars of Science," the Breakthrough Prize was established to celebrate extraordinary achievements in scientific exploration. Founding sponsors include notable tech leaders such as Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan, Mark Zuckerberg, Julia and Yuri Milner, and Anne Wojcicki.

This year, six prestigious Breakthrough Prizes of $3 million each have been awarded, with additional recognitions for early-career researchers. Eight early-career physicists and mathematicians will share six $100,000 New Horizons Prizes, while three women mathematicians fresh out of their PhDs will each receive a $50,000 Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize. The total prize pool for this year amounts to $18.75 million, pushing the cumulative awards granted over the past 14 years to an astounding $326 million.

Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg remarked, “The laureates of this year have achieved astonishing progress with treatments for diseases impacting millions, demonstrating the transformative power of curiosity-driven basic science.”

Life Sciences Breakthroughs

The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences recognizes five scientists: Daniel J. Drucker, Joel Habener, Jens Juul Holst, Lotte Bjerre Knudsen, and Svetlana Mojsov. Their collaborative research has revolutionized the treatment of diabetes and obesity through the advancement of GLP-1 medicines, showcasing the potential of gene discovery in medical treatments.

Stephen L. Hauser and Alberto Ascherio are also noted for their contributions to the understanding and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Their findings have transformed the approach to MS, with Hauser identifying B cells as significant players in the disease's progression and Ascherio linking Epstein-Barr virus infections to an increased risk of MS, paving the way for potential preventive measures.

David R. Liu has been recognized for developing groundbreaking gene-editing technologies that don't require DNA cutting, significantly lowering the risk of unintended consequences. His innovations, base editing and prime editing, have immense applications, potentially correcting a wide array of genetic disorders and yielding life-saving results in clinical trials.

Fundamental Physics Innovations

Thousands of researchers from over 70 countries, participating in different collaborations at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), have been honored with the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. This award recognizes their contributions in confirming the properties of the Higgs boson and investigating the foundational theories of particle physics.

Importantly, the funds from this award will be directed to the CERN & Society Foundation to support grants for doctoral students, enabling future scientists to gain experience at the forefront of research.

Mathematical Discoveries

In Mathematics, Dennis Gaitsgory earned the Breakthrough Prize for his pivotal role in the proof of the geometric Langlands conjecture. His decade-long dedication culminated in an extensive publication that is expected to influence numerous mathematical fields and advance our understanding of number theory and algebraic geometry.

Special Breakthrough Prize for Theoretical Physics

Gerard 't Hooft was awarded the Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for his vital contributions to the foundations of the Standard Model, significantly enhancing our theoretical understanding of particle physics.

New Horizons in Physics and Mathematics

The New Horizons Prizes were awarded to early-career innovators such as Waseem Bakr for his work in quantum gas microscopy and Jeongwan Haah for advancements in quantum information theory. The New Horizons in Mathematics prize winners included Ewain Gwynne and John Pardon, who have contributed significantly to the intersection of quantum physics and mathematics.

Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize

Highlighting the achievements of women in mathematics, the Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize honored Si Ying Lee, Rajula Srivastava, and Ewin Tang for their critical contributions to several mathematical fields and advancements in quantum computing.

As the Breakthrough Prize continues to celebrate exceptional scientific achievements, it not only acknowledges current innovatory work but also inspires future generations of scientists ready to push the boundaries of human knowledge. For more information, visit breakthroughprize.org.