David Nagib, an organic chemist and a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at The Ohio State University, has been selected as a finalist for the 2024 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists.
The award celebrates exceptional early career scientists under 42 years of age who have sought to innovate their field by pursuing high-risk, high-reward research. On Oct. 1, Nagib was honored in New York City at the American Museum of Natural History during the 2024 Blavatnik Awards Gala ceremony.
Established by the Blavatnik Family Foundation in 2007 and independently administered by The New York Academy, the prize aims to support promising scientists at a time when they most need funding and recognition to continue answering society’s most complex scientific questions.
Independent juries chose the winners and finalists in three categories: life sciences, chemical sciences, and physical sciences and engineering. The 15 finalists in this year’s cohort will receive a $15,000 cash prize.
Nominated by colleagues for the award, Nagib was named a finalist in the chemical science category for his work discovering more effective and previously unknown mechanisms for synthesizing pharmaceuticals. His acknowledgment marks the first time that a faculty member from Ohio State has been honored with the award.
“What we do at Ohio State is develop new ways to put molecules together so we can make medicines better, faster and more potent,” he said. “So this is a decade’s worth of my students’ creative efforts being recognized by this award, too.”
The chemical tools Nagib’s lab creates provide better access to crucial molecules pharmaceutical and biotech companies use to create life-saving drugs, like those that treat infectious diseases, cancer or obesity.
Currently, their work revolves around developing a new class of chemical catalysts to harness even more reactive chemistry to make novel drug molecules.
“Some chemical reagents are unstable or too unsafe to use in drug development, so we’re very passionate and excited about trying to address that right now,” Nagib said.
To that end, Nagib noted that the award’s unexpected gift will likely be used to bolster lab activities, acquire new high-tech equipment and pursue more ambitious experiments. “It’s icing on the cake that’s going to allow us to test some pie-in-the-sky ideas,” he said.
By the end of 2024, the Blavatnik Awards will have awarded prizes totaling $17.4 million and, to date, honored over 470 scientists.
“We couldn’t have done any of this without Ohio State’s support,” Nagib said. “I love opportunities that push us to keep innovating, and here we have the resources and people to help do that.”
