Two University of California, Berkeley faculty members and a Nobel laureate from UC Santa Barbara were honored on April 18 at the annual Breakthrough Prizes gala. The event recognized their significant achievements in science, with awards presented by the Breakthrough Foundation.
The recipients include David J. Gross of UC Santa Barbara, who received the $3 million Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for his lifelong work in theoretical physics. Gross is known for discovering how the nucleus of an atom works and has led the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics. He is also a UC Berkeley alumnus.
Yunqing Tang from UC Berkeley was awarded the New Horizons Prize in Mathematics for her research in Diophantine geometry, which has advanced number theory. Benjamin Safdi, affiliated with both UC Berkeley and Berkeley Lab, won the New Horizons Physics prize for his studies on axion-like particles—potential candidates for dark matter.
The Breakthrough Prizes are often called the “Oscars of Science” and were established to honor outstanding scientists with high-profile recognition. This year’s ceremony was hosted by James Corden and co-created by tech figures including Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Julia and Yuri Milner, and Anne Wojcicki. Now in its fourteenth year, the program distributed $18.75 million to winners this year alone.
Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Priscilla Chan said: “This year’s laureates show what great science can do — deepen our understanding of the world and lead to discoveries that improve millions of lives. We’re proud to recognize their work.”
Yuri Milner added: “The brilliant scientists who win the Breakthrough Prize are building a cathedral of knowledge on foundations laid down by the giants who came before them. We owe our civilization — and its future — to them.”
According to organizers, revolutionary scientific advances such as those recognized at this event contribute directly to developments in medicine, national security, technology, job creation across various sectors—and rely heavily on federal investment like that provided by the National Science Foundation.
