Peter Wolynes, the D.R. Bullard-Welch Foundation Professor of Science at Rice University, has been named the recipient of the 2025 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Award in Chemical Sciences, one of the highest honors in the field. A trailblazer in theoretical chemical physics, Wolynes’ research has transformed our understanding of quantum dynamics, protein folding, the glassy state and chromosome structure.
The NAS Award in Chemical Sciences is presented annually to recognize innovative research that deepens our understanding of the natural sciences while benefiting humanity. Wolynes will receive the honor for his work in energy landscape theory, which has provided profound insights into the structure, dynamics and function of proteins. His contributions have advanced the fields of biology, chemistry and physics, offering new strategies to address human diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The award includes a medal and a $15,000 prize.
Wolynes has developed mathematical tools that revolutionized the study of complex chemical systems. His statistical framework for energy landscapes resolved long-standing paradoxes about how glasses form and proteins fold — insights that have enhanced our ability to manipulate protein function and are applied to biological problems on a cellular scale, including DNA transcription, gene regulatory dynamics, cytoskeletal structures and chromosome organization.
The NAS will honor Wolynes alongside 19 other distinguished scientists at its 162nd annual meeting April 27.
Established in 1978, the NAS Award in Chemical Sciences has been supported by the Merck Foundation since 1999 and remains a symbol of excellence in chemical research. Founded in 1863 under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln, NAS is a private, nonprofit institution that recognizes scientific achievement and provides policy advice to the federal government and other organizations.