Monday, 1 June 2015.  At today’s press conference in Hong Kong, The Shaw Prize Foundation announced the Shaw Laureates for 2015. 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, each bearing a monetary award of one million US dollars. This will be the twelfth year that the Prize has been awarded and the presentation ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, 24 September 2015.

The Shaw Laureates

The Shaw Prize in Astronomy is awarded to

William J Borucki
Principal Investigator for the Kepler Mission, Ames Research Center, NASA, USA

for his conceiving and leading the Kepler Mission, which greatly advanced knowledge of both extrasolar planetary systems and stellar interiors.

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

Bonnie L Bassler
Squibb Professor and Chair, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, USA and

E Peter Greenberg
Professor of Microbiology, University of Washington, USA

for elucidating the molecular mechanism of quorum sensing, a process whereby bacteria communicate with each other and which offers innovative ways to interfere with bacterial pathogens or to modulate the microbiome for health applications.

The Shaw Prize in Mathematical Sciences is awarded in equal shares to

Gerd Faltings
Managing Director, Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, Germany and

Henryk Iwaniec
New Jersey Professor of Mathematics, Rutgers University, USA

for their introduction and development of fundamental tools in number theory, allowing them as well as others to resolve some longstanding classical problems.

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.