Awards

Myles W. Jackson, Ernst and Elisabeth Albers-Schönberg Professor in the History of Science in the School of Historical Studies, is among the 2026 electees to the American Philosophical Society. Alongside Jackson, five former scholars from the Schools of Historical Studies and Social Science were named as members of the society this year.

Ten former IAS scholars—and one who will join the Institute in the fall—have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The Schools of Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social Science are represented in the 2026 cohort. Announced each spring, NAS membership represents a unique honor in recognition of original research.

Homotopy theorist Ishan Levy, Member (2025–26) and soon-to-be Visiting Professor (2026–31) in the School of Mathematics, was recognized this April in the Clay Research Awards for “remarkable work” on counterexamples to Ravenel’s Telescope Conjecture.

Among the 252 new members elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences this spring are thirteen scholars with connections to IAS. All four Schools are represented in this year’s cohort, described by the Academy as “leaders in academia, the arts, industry, journalism, philanthropy, policy, research, and science.”

Seven former and three incoming Institute scholars have been appointed as 2026 Guggenheim Fellows. The consistent overlap between Guggenheim Fellows and IAS scholars is a testament to a shared commitment to truly boundary-pushing research.

Rashid Sunyaev, Distinguished Visiting Professor (2010–24) in the School of Natural Sciences, is the winner of the 2026 Fritz Zwicky Prize for Astrophysics and Cosmology. Sunyaev was cited for "his pioneering work on the cosmic microwave background and the theory of disk accretion." 

Nicola Di Cosmo, Luce Foundation Professor in East Asian Studies in the School of Historical Studies, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Onon Prize. The prize honors his "substantial contribution to scholarship," reflecting his deep expertise in the historical relations between China and Inner Asia from prehistory to the modern period.

Gerd Faltings, Member (1988, 1992–93) in the School of Mathematics, has been awarded the 2026 Abel Prize. Often described as the mathematics equivalent of the Nobel Prize, the award recognizes Faltings as "a towering figure" whose groundbreaking ideas have "united geometric and arithmetic perspectives," exemplifying "the power of deep structural insight."

Both of the scholars awarded this year’s Bancroft Prize have ties to IAS: Emilie Connolly, Member (2024–25) in the School of Historical Studies, and Beth Lew-Williams, Visitor (2015–16) in the School of Social Science. The New York Times announced the awards, describing the prize as "one of the most prestigious honors for scholars of American history."

David Nirenberg, IAS Director and Leon Levy Professor, has been named an inaugural Distinguished Visitor in the Arts and Humanities at Johns Hopkins University. Joining artist-architect Maya Lin as a visitor for 2026–27, Nirenberg will bring his influential work on ideas, religion, and history to the JHU campus through talks, seminars, and small-group conversations.