Tuesday, 31 May 2016.  At today’s press conference in Hong Kong, The Shaw Prize Foundation announced the Shaw Laureates for 2016. Information was posted on the website www.shawprize.org at Hong Kong time 15:30 (GMT 07:30).

The Shaw Prize consists of three annual prizes: Astronomy, Life Science and Medicine, and Mathematical Sciences. The monetary award for each prize has been increased from US$1 million to US$1.2 million starting from this year. This will be the thirteenth year that the Prize has been awarded and the presentation ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, 27 September 2016.

The Shaw Laureates

The Shaw Prize in Astronomy is awarded in equal shares to

Ronald W P Drever
Professor of Physics, Emeritus, California Institute of Technology, USA

Kip S Thorne
Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, Emeritus, California Institute of Technology, USA and

Rainer Weiss
Professor Emeritus in Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

for conceiving and designing the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), whose recent direct detection of gravitational waves opens a new window in astronomy, with the first remarkable discovery being the merger of a pair of stellar mass black holes.

The Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine is awarded in equal shares to

Adrian Bird
Buchanan Professor of Genetics, University of Edinburgh, UK and

Huda Y Zoghbi
Professor of Pediatrics & Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Director of Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, USA

for their discovery of the genes and the encoded proteins that recognize one chemical modification of the DNA of chromosomes that influences gene control as the basis of the developmental disorder Rett syndrome.

The Shaw Prize in Mathematical Sciences is awarded to

Nigel J Hitchin
Savilian Professor of Geometry, Oxford University, UK

for his far-reaching contributions to geometry, representation theory and theoretical physics. The fundamental and elegant concepts and techniques that he has introduced have had wide impact and are of lasting importance.

Background

Established under the auspices of Mr Run Run Shaw, the Prize honours individuals, regardless of race, nationality, gender and religious belief, who have achieved significant breakthrough in academic and scientific research or applications and whose work has resulted in a positive and profound impact on mankind.

The Shaw Prize is an international award managed and administered by The Shaw Prize Foundation based in Hong Kong. Mr Shaw has also founded The Sir Run Run Shaw Charitable Trust and The Shaw Foundation Hong Kong, both dedicated to the promotion of education, scientific and technological research, medical and welfare services, and culture and the arts.