10 scientists win 2026 Kavli Prizes for work on dark matter, twistronics, and neurons

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters on Wednesday named ten scientists as recipients of the 2026 Kavli Prize, honoring breakthroughs in astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience. Each prize carries a $1 million award shared among its laureates.kavliprize+1

Galactic Archaeology and the Art of the Twist

The Kavli Prize in Astrophysics was awarded to Vasily Belokurov of the University of Cambridge, Amina Helmi of the University of Groningen, and Rodrigo Ibata of the Astronomical Observatory of Strasbourg. The trio was recognized for uncovering fossil evidence of past galactic mergers, demonstrating that the Milky Way was assembled through a violent history of collisions and accretion rather than forming in isolation. Their work analyzing stellar streams — remnants of dwarf galaxies torn apart by the Milky Way's gravity — has allowed scientists to map the distribution of dark matter and rewrite the narrative of galaxy formation.youtube+1

In nanoscience, MIT physicist Pablo Jarillo-Herrero shares the prize with Eva Y. Andrei of Rutgers University and Allan H. MacDonald of the University of Texas at Austin "for foundational work that established the field of twistronics". By rotating two layers of graphene to a precise "magic angle," the researchers showed that superconductivity, magnetism, and other exotic properties could emerge from the twist alone.miragenews

Protein Synthesis at the Synapse

The neuroscience prize was awarded to four researchers — Christine Holt of the University of Cambridge, Kelsey Martin of the Simons Foundation, Erin Schuman of the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, and Oswald Steward of the University of California, Irvine — for their discovery of local protein synthesis in neurons. Their work overturned the long-held belief that proteins used at synapses had to be manufactured in the cell body, revealing instead that neurons can produce proteins on-site in dendrites, axons, and at synapses, a mechanism central to brain plasticity and memory.mpg+2

A Global Cohort

The ten laureates hold nine different nationalities and work across three continents. The prizes will be formally presented during Kavli Prize Week in Oslo later this year.kavliprize+1

"Each of the discoveries honored today helps to answer vital questions and reveal further areas for investigation," the Academy said in its announcement.kavliprize