2024 Magellanic Premium Medal

The recipient of the 2024 Magellanic Premium Medal is Barbara J. Wold. The full citation and medal inscription will be posted after the medal is presented at the November 2024 meeting of the Society.

Barbara J. Wold, Bren Professor of Molecular Biology at Caltech, has been selected for the 2024 Magellanic Premium Medal in recognition of her central role in the development of methods and insights that have transformed our understanding of gene expression in biological systems. 

The award was established from a gift of 200 guineas by John Hyacinth de Magellan, of London, in 1786, “for a gold medal to be awarded from time to time under prescribed terms, to the author of the best discovery or most useful invention relating to navigation, astronomy, or natural philosophy (mere natural history only excepted).”  The medal, named the Magellanic Premium, was first awarded in 1790.   It is the oldest medal recognizing scientific achievements given by a North American institution.

The selection committee:  Helen Quinn (chair), Professor of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Emerita, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University; Vicki L. Chandler, Provost and Chief Executive Officer, Minerva University; Sandra Faber, Professor Emerita, University of California, Santa Cruz, Astronomer Emerita, University of California  Observatories; Eric Horvitz, Chief Scientific Officer, Microsoft, Affiliate Associate Professor, Departments of Computer Science and Engineering, and of Biomedical and Health Informatics, University of Washington; Sara Seager, Professor of Planetary Science, Professor of Physics, Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Class of 1941 Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; David Tirrell, Provost, Carl and Shirley Larson Provostial Chair, Ross McCollum-William H. Corcoran Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology.