Spotlight
Technology Networks features Samuel H. Sternberg, a Columbia University scientist and 2026 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists Finalist, whose research is expanding the potential of CRISPR. His work examines naturally occurring systems that use RNA to guide the insertion of large DNA sequences at precise locations. These systems could offer an alternative to conventional CRISPR approaches that cut DNA and rely on the cell’s repair mechanisms. Sternberg discusses the challenges of adapting these systems for reliable use in more complex cells, highlighting how fundamental research into microbial biology can inform new tools for genome engineering and biotechnology.
Natalie Fardian-Melamed, an associate research scientist at Columbia Engineering, has been named the 2026 Blavatnik Regional Awards for Young Scientists Laureate in Physical Sciences & Engineering for her nanosensor research. She was honored at the Blavatnik Awards Ceremony on October 6 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Her work, begun as a postdoctoral fellow in Professor Jim Schuck’s laboratory, revealed that small amounts of pressure can trigger photon avalanching, a light-producing chain reaction in tiny crystals. The discovery could enable remote detection of minute changes in mechanical force, with potential applications in medicine, batteries, robotics, and quantum technologies. Fardian-Melamed is now applying these findings to develop sensing devices, including highly sensitive robotic skin. Given by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and administered by the New York Academy of Sciences, the Regional Awards recognize outstanding postdoctoral research across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
The sixth Blavatnik US–Israel Scientific Forum, a joint initiative of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS), took place in Jerusalem on October 13–15, 2026. Focusing on Decision Making, the Forum marked its return to Israel. The forum brought together leading researchers from Israel and the United States for interdisciplinary discussions on the mechanisms that shape decision-making at the individual, societal, and institutional levels. Topics included decision-making under uncertainty, trauma and community resilience, the role of psychological factors in the design of markets and economic mechanisms, and the use of scientific evidence to inform public policy and communicate scientific findings to policymakers.
The winner of the 2026 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction will be announced on 4 November at BMA House, during an awards ceremony supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Six titles have been shortlisted from more than 350 eligible books. Bookmaker William Hill has named Patrick Radden Keefe’s London Falling as the favourite, followed by Nicholas Boggs’s Baldwin: A Love Story and Andrea Wulf’s The Traveller. Keefe, who won the prize in 2021 for Empire of Pain, could become the first author to receive the award twice. The announcement will be livestreamed across the prize’s social media channels.
Providing many of the world's best researchers, scientists, and universities with support, and funding to discover breakthroughs that solve humankind's greatest challenges.
The Foundation contributes to renowned institutions that showcase the breadth of arts and culture, including performance, exhibition and education.
The Blavatnik Archive is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to preserving and disseminating materials that contribute to the study of 20th-century Jewish and world history, with a special emphasis on World War I, World War II, and Soviet Russia.
