The Future of Life Institute has named MCB faculty Matthew Meselson as the recipient of the 2019 Future of Life Award in recognition of his work on bioweapons policy and control.
The award announcement took place at the Conference of World Affairs in Boulder, Colorado.
“Thanks in significant part to Professor Matthew Meselson’s tireless work, the world came together and banned biological weapons, ensuring that the ever more powerful science of biology helps rather than harms humankind,” former UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon said in a press release. “For this, he deserves humanity’s profound gratitude.”
The Future of Life Award celebrates individuals whose courageous actions benefited humankind. The award’s two previous recipients, Vasili Arkhipov and Stanislav Petrov, are credited with averting nuclear catastrophes in 1962 and 1983, respectively.
“In addition to being a towering giant as a life scientist, Matt [Meselson] has had a profound impact on policy – especially that involving biological weapons,” says MCB chair Venkatesh Murthy. “Matt is an extraordinary human being, who has committed so much of his time outside of ‘lab science’ because of his care for this world. We are proud and fortunate to have him as a colleague in MCB!”
FLI Podcast (Part 1): From DNA to Banning Biological Weapons with Matthew Meselson and Max Tegmark
by Diana Crow
