The Brown Science Foundation today announced seven recipients of the annual Brown Investigator Award. The award recognizes curiosity-driven basic research in chemistry and physics and supports investigators’ research with up to $2 million over five years to their respective universities. Each winner was nominated by their institution and chosen from a candidate pool of mid-career scientists at top-rated research universities.

This year’s recipients are:

• Columbia University – Cory Dean, Professor of Physics
• Johns Hopkins University – N. Peter Armitage, Professor
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Mircea Dincă, Professor of Chemistry and W. M. Keck Professor of Energy
• The Ohio State University – David A. Nagib, Miller Professor in Organic Chemistry
• UC Berkley – Holger Mueller, Professor
• UC Los Angeles – Anastassia Alexandrova, Professor and Vice Chair for Undergraduate Education
• University of Washington – Mark Rudner, Associate Professor of Physics

“The scientists receiving the 2023 Brown Investigator Award are path-breaking researchers who have developed innovative approaches to address fundamental questions in the physical sciences,” said France Córdova, president of Science Philanthropy Alliance. “I know I speak for the Foundation’s eponymous founder when I say we can’t wait to see the discoveries they will make and how their careers will evolve.”

The Brown Science Foundation, a Science Philanthropy Alliance member, is dedicated to the belief that scientific discovery is a driving force in the improvement of the human condition. Established in 1992 by Ross M. Brown, the foundation announced its invitation-only Brown Investigator Award program in 2020 with plans to make eight awards annually by 2025. The program supports the often-overlooked resource of mid-career physics and chemistry researchers in the U.S.