Today, the Biden-Harris Administration awarded the Enrico Fermi Presidential Award to Héctor D. Abruña, Paul Alivisatos, and John H. Nuckolls for their exemplary contributions to advance efforts to tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges, including improving health outcomes, clean energy, and national security.
“President Biden likes to say that America can be defined in a single word: possibilities,” said Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Arati Prabhakar. “This year’s award winners have used science and technology to transform what is possible by expanding the boundaries of knowledge.”
“It’s an honor to recognize three DOE scientists who have accomplished a tremendous feat of advancing scientific knowledge in nanoscience, electroanalytical chemistry, and fusion,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “The legacy of their work will be felt for generations as America continues be a global leader in technological innovation.”
The Enrico Fermi Presidential Award is one of the oldest and most prestigious science and technology honors bestowed by the U.S. government. The award was established in 1956 as a memorial to the legacy of Enrico Fermi, an Italian-born naturalized American citizen. Fermi was a 1938 Nobel Laureate in physics, and he went on to achieve the first nuclear chain reaction in 1942. The Fermi Award encourages excellence in research in energy science and technology. The Award recognizes scientists, engineers, and science policymakers whose work benefits humanity.
Winners receive a citation signed by the President and the Secretary of Energy, a gold-plated medal bearing the likeness of Enrico Fermi, and an honorarium of $100,000. In the event the award is given to more than one individual in the same year, the recipients share the honorarium equally. The Fermi Award is administered on behalf of the White House by the Department of Energy (DOE). In honor of the recipients and their accomplishments, DOE will host a hybrid award ceremony in Washington, DC, on January 10, 2025. Proceedings will be broadcast live online, and a recording will be available following the event. For more information, please visit https://science.osti.gov/fermi.
Below are the citations presented to the recipients:
Enrico Fermi Presidential Award Laureates
Héctor D. Abruña
For revolutionizing the fundamental understanding of electroanalytical chemistry and innovating characterization for development of batteries, fuel cells, and energy materials that have led to advancements for the electrical power grid and energy transformation and creation.
Paul Alivisatos
For developing the foundational materials and physical chemistry to produce beneficial nanocrystals and polymers with controlled size, shape, connectivity, and topology that underpin energy-efficient technology, optical devices, and medical diagnostic technology.
John H. Nuckolls
For seminal leadership in inertial confinement fusion and high energy density physics, outstanding contributions to national security, and visionary leadership of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory at the end of the Cold War.