The Brown Institute for Basic Sciences at Caltech has announced professor of chemistry and physics Naomi Ginsberg as one of the eight distinguished recipients of the 2026 National Brown Investigator Award. This program honors tenured mid-career faculty members from across the country who are driving curiosity-led, foundational research in the physical sciences. Designed to support bold, high-risk ideas with potential long-term practical applications, the award provides each investigator with up to $2 million over five years in stable funding to independently develop their innovative lines of thinking.
Ginsberg was specifically selected for her groundbreaking work in tracking and optimizing the assembly of complex functional materials. Her research leverages real-time monitoring and adaptive steering to dictate material formation processes as they occur. The National Brown Investigator Award will empower Ginsberg and her cohort to focus entirely on their fundamental research, paving the way for future scientific breakthroughs.
The full list of recipients can be found on the CalTech website.