Huda Zoghbi delivers Scolnick lecture

Edward M. Scolnick Prize in Neuroscience

About the Scolnick Prize

The Scolnick Prize is awarded annually by the McGovern Institute to recognize outstanding advances in the field of neuroscience. The prize is named in honor of Edward M. Scolnick, who stepped down as president of Merck Research Laboratories in December 2002 after holding Merck’s top research post for 17 years. Scolnick is now at the Broad Institute, where he established the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research. He also served as a member of the McGovern Institute’s scientific advisory board. The prize, which is endowed through a gift from Merck to the McGovern Institute, consists of a $225,000 award, plus an inscribed gift.

2026 Scolnick Prize Winner

We are delighted to announce that neuroscientist Liqun Luo is the winner of the 2026 Scolnick Prize.

Luo, who is the Ann and Bill Swindells Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences, Professor of Biology, and Professor of Neurobiology by courtesy at Stanford University, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, is being recognized for developing and applying tools to define the principles underlying neural circuit assembly during development.

He will deliver the Scolnick Prize lecture on June 16, 2026. The event is free and open to the public. Read our full announcement for more information.