Six Professors Named Schmidt Science Polymaths

Researchers pursuing risky, novel ideas will each receive up to $2.5 million

Media Contact: Carlie Wiener; cwiener@schmidtsciences.org

NEW YORK—Six researchers recognized for their boundary-pushing work to achieve scientific breakthroughs will each receive a total of up to $2.5 million over five years as awardees of the prestigious Schmidt Sciences Polymath Program, joining a global community of 21 Polymaths from six countries.

The Polymath Program provides significant, flexible multi-year grants to enable awardees to pursue risky, novel theories that would otherwise be difficult to fund. Examples of topics from past winners include working to mitigate climate change and pandemics, looking for exotic forms of matter, creating more accessible health data collection and more.

This year, the program received 117 applications from 65 nominating universities and partners that were evaluated by senior scientists, prior Polymath awardees and other experts. The six recipients were selected based on both their past achievements—including a demonstrated capacity for high-impact research and high-variance thinking—and their ideas for boundary-breaking future projects.

“Curiosity doesn’t operate in a silo, and neither should science,” said Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Sciences. “That’s why we support several initiatives to enable researchers to pursue interdisciplinary hypotheses, in collaboration. The Schmidt Sciences Polymath Program allows bold, creative thinkers to pursue knowledge across boundaries and in doing so, to help all of us better understand the deep interconnections between people, planet and universe.”

The Polymaths benefit from a network of winners that convenes annually to develop ideas for collaboration, funding and further study. The recipients represent the top 5 percent of applicants who are given funding to pursue research within three years after being awarded tenure.

“We are delighted to support the Polymaths to pursue what excites them. Through our funding, we hope to achieve breakthroughs and transform the way science is conducted,” said Stu Feldman, chief scientist at Schmidt Sciences.

Schmidt Sciences supports interdisciplinary researchers across scientific fields, geographies and career levels through Schmidt Science Fellows, Schmidt Polymaths and other initiatives. The Polymath program began in 2021 with awards to two scientists. The 2024 Polymaths include:

Ashleigh Theberge, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Adjunct Associate Professor of Urology

University of Washington

Dr. Theberge will explore the potential of tailoring drug treatments and doses based on individual biochemistry using remote specimen collection, data analysis and AI to map molecular pathways at the cellular level.

Lawrence David, Associate Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology

Duke University

Dr. David will seek new genomics methods to uncover healthier, more sustainable diets and food systems; and make it feasible to obtain regular, objective, data on the diets of individuals and communities globally.

Neil Dasgupta, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering

University of Michigan

Dr. Dasgupta will research carbon dioxide recycling technologies critical to counteracting climate change. He will examine the design, manufacturing, economics, and failure of these systems, and demonstrate pathways for the use of recycled carbon dioxide products to offset fossil fuels.

Orit Peleg, Associate Professor of Computer Science

BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder

Dr. Peleg will study the evolutionary origins and diversification of communication across different animal species and how it manifests in group cognition of social animals.

Sam Gershman, Professor of Psychology

Center for Brain Science, Harvard University

Dr. Gershman will study how single-cell organisms demonstrate intelligence and what it means for more complex organisms and the design of non-standard AI systems.

Stephanie Palmer, Associate Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy and Physics

University of Chicago

Dr. Palmer will study how human computational capacity is both limited and expanded by our ancestral history examining both the brain’s neural networks and in biochemical networks within single cells.

About the Organizations

Schmidt Sciences is a nonprofit organization founded in 2024 by Eric and Wendy Schmidt that works to advance science and technology that deepens human understanding of the natural world and develops solutions to global issues. The organization makes grants in four areas—AI and advanced computing, astrophysics and space, biosciences and climate—as well as supporting researchers in a variety of disciplines through its science systems program.

The University of Chicago Medicine & Biological Sciences is one of the nation’s leading academic medical institutions. It comprises the Pritzker School of Medicine, a top medical school in the nation; the University of Chicago Biological Sciences Division; and the University of Chicago Medical Center. Twelve Nobel Prize winners in physiology or medicine have been affiliated with the University of Chicago Medicine.

The College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado Boulder is recognized as one of the top-ranked public engineering schools in the nation. The college is dedicated to generating new knowledge in engineering and related fields while equipping its more than 8,000 students from diverse backgrounds to become leaders in society. Its six departments and more than 10 interdisciplinary programs reflect the highest standards in teaching and learning, discovery and innovation. The college offers a collaborative community of engineers and scientists who support one another during their time at CU Boulder and beyond.

Michigan Engineering is home to 13 top-ranked departments that collaborate within one of the nation’s top public research institutions – The University of Michigan. Guided by a People-first Engineering framework, its faculty provide educational, scientific and technological leadership to the world, advancing the frontiers of fields as diverse as microelectronics and semiconductors, transportation and mobility, robotics, advanced materials, energy and sustainability, health, and security. They are involved in spacecraft missions across the solar system and satellite missions that help us understand our own planet. An alumni base of nearly 90,000 living alumni spans the globe.

Established in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the pre-eminent public higher education and research institutions in the world. With an enrollment of 60,000 students across more than 200 academic majors, the UW is dedicated to providing access to an excellent education for all students. The University is home to more than 100 members of the U.S. National Academies and elite programs in many fields, and is consistently among the nation’s top five universities in receipt of federal research funding. The UW has campuses in Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma, as well as UW Medicine, a world-class academic medical center with hospitals and clinics across the Puget Sound region. Learn more at www.uw.edu.