Demis Hassabis and John Jumper to Received 2026 Distinguished Medical Science Award
Washington, DC – The Friends of the National Library of Medicine (FNLM) is honored to announce that Demis Hassabis, PhD, CEO and co-founder of Google DeepMind, and John Jumper, PhD, Director at Google DeepMind, have been selected as recipients of the FNLM Distinguished Medical Science Award. Both Nobel Laureates, they are recognized for their groundbreaking leadership in applying artificial intelligence to advance biomedical discovery and expand global access to scientific knowledge.
Through their work on AlphaFold, Hassabis and Jumper have led one of the most significant scientific breakthroughs of the modern era: accurately predicting the three-dimensional structure of proteins. This long-standing challenge in biology—often referred to as the “protein folding problem”—has historically required years of experimental effort. AlphaFold has transformed this process, enabling researchers to generate highly accurate protein structure predictions in a fraction of the time. Hassabis and Jumper were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2024 for this groundbreaking work.
The impact of this innovation is profound. By making millions of protein structure predictions freely available to the global scientific community, their work has accelerated research across fields including drug discovery, disease biology, and molecular medicine. Scientists worldwide are now able to explore biological mechanisms and therapeutic targets with unprecedented speed and precision.
“Dr. Hassabis and Dr. Jumper have fundamentally reshaped the landscape of biomedical research,” said Dr. Andrew Balas, Friends of the NLM President. “Their work exemplifies how advances in artificial intelligence can expand access to knowledge, catalyze discovery, and ultimately improve human health on a global scale.”
The FNLM Distinguished Medical Science Award honors individuals whose contributions advance medical knowledge, improve access to information, and drive innovation in service of better health outcomes. The work of Hassabis and Jumper reflects a deep commitment to open science and collaboration—principles that are central to both the mission of the National Library of Medicine and the Friends organization.
FNLM will formally present this honor at the 2026 Friends of the NLM Awards Gala, to be held on September 16, 2026, at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington, DC. The gala convenes leaders from medicine, research, public health, government, and philanthropy to celebrate exceptional contributions to medical science and public service.
For more information about the Friends of the NLM and the 2026 Awards Gala, please visit www.fnlm.org.
About the Friends of the National Library of Medicine
Established in 1986, the Friends of the National Library of Medicine is a coalition devoted to increasing public awareness and use of the National Library of Medicine (NLM). As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, the Friends also calls attention to the NLM’s many programs in research, education, and public service.
Media Contact:
Sharon Watts
Director of Communications and Operations
Friends of the National Library of Medicine
Sharon_Watts@fnlm.org
202.213.7919
For Media Use, a headshot of Drs. Hassabis and Jumper are available upon request.
You must be logged in to post a comment.