HOUSTON, TX – May 15, 2025 – The Welch Foundation, a leading source of private funding for basic chemical research, has named Stuart L. Schreiber and Peter G. Schultz co-recipients of the 2025 Welch Award in Chemistry for their groundbreaking research in the field of chemical biology.
Dr. Schreiber, of Harvard University and Arena BioWorks, is honored for his profound discoveries using chemical probes to understand the chemical machinery of the cell and for developing therapies based on this knowledge. Dr. Schultz, from Scripps Research, is recognized for his pioneering contributions to creating new letters in the alphabet of life, and the leveraging of chemical diversity to discover novel therapeutics and materials. The $500,000 award will be presented to each of them in October.
“These two remarkable scientists have significantly advanced our ability to leverage chemical tools to affect biological systems, thus improving both health outcomes and materials science,” said Fred Brazelton, Chair and Director of The Welch Foundation. “With their broad and deep contributions to scientific knowledge and education of new generations of researchers, both are towering figures in chemistry and stellar recipients of the Welch Award.”
Dr. Schreiber’s chemical innovations, including molecular glues and chemical inducers of proximity, have made it possible to understand and chemically modulate living systems. He transformed the field of chemical biology by creating and implementing broadly applicable approaches to probe, understand and ultimately control signaling pathways and gene expression in human cells. His work has had a profound impact on both basic and translational research. Dr. Schreiber is the Morris Loeb Research Professor at Harvard and currently leads Arena BioWorks, dedicated to streamlining drug development.
Dr. Schultz, Skaggs Presidential Chair and Professor of Chemistry at Scripps Research, is a true pioneer in the field of chemical biology. His work seamlessly combines the tools of both chemistry and biology to create new biomolecules and molecular systems with novel properties. He discovered how to create “synthetic” organisms with additional amino acids beyond the 20 conserved building blocks of the genetic code. He also pioneered the development and application of large scale “diversity-based” approaches to the discovery of novel proteins, drugs and modern materials.
“These two Welch Awardees have pursued distinct yet complementary paths in their research,” said Catherine J. Murphy, Chair of The Welch Foundation Scientific Advisory Board. “Together, Dr. Schreiber’s and Dr. Schultz’s contributions have revolutionized the field and launched the modern era of chemical biology. We see their impact in our now much deeper understanding of how biological systems function and how we can influence those systems, leading to new drugs to treat disease and new materials that benefit society.”
Dr. Schreiber earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry at the University of Virginia and his Ph.D. at Harvard. His first faculty appointment was at Yale University before joining Harvard in 1988. He has founded or co-founded Harvard Institute for Chemistry and Cell Biology, the Broad Institute in 2004 and most recently, Arena BioWorks, all with the goal of creating a community of chemistry and biologists working together to advance science. He also is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator Emeritus.
Dr. Schultz earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees at California Institute of Technology and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology before joining the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley. He has founded nine companies and/or research institutes focused on developing and applying innovative technologies to human health. Schultz joined Scripps Research in 1999 and now serves as its CEO and president where he leads both its basic and translational research activities.
Since 1954, the Houston-based Welch Foundation has contributed more than $1.1 billion to the advancement of chemistry through individual research grants, departmental research and equipment grants, endowed chairs, Catalyst program grants, WelchX collaborative pilot grants, Postdoctoral Fellows grants and support for other chemistry-related programs in Texas. In addition to the Welch Award in Chemistry, which has celebrated achievements in basic research internationally since 1972, the Foundation also bestows the annual Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research to early-career Texas scientists.
For more information, visit www.welch1.org