Marianne Bronner Awarded Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science

Marianne Bronner, Edward B. Lewis Professor of Biology and director of the Beckman Institute, has been named as the recipient of the 2025 Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science. Awarded by the Vilcek Foundation, the prize is given in recognition of immigrant scientists at the forefront of biomedical research in the United States.

Bronner was recognized for her research on neural crest stem cells and their role in the development of the peripheral nervous system, heart, and craniofacial skeleton in vertebrate organisms.

Born in Hungary, Bronner emigrated to the United States with her family as a young child.

“My fascination with biology started as a graduate student, when I learned about the central question in developmental biology: How do complex organisms, including humans, arise from a single cell?” says Bronner. “I’ve been trying to uncover clues to the answer ever since.”

She received her PhD from Johns Hopkins University in 1979, where she established a specialization in developmental biology. After starting her professorial career at UC Irvine, Bronner joined the Caltech faculty in 1996. In 2001, she was the first woman to be named as chair of the faculty. In 2019, she was named as director of the Beckman Institute at Caltech, where she oversees instrumentation for chemical and biological research.

Bronner is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Science, and a recipient of numerous awards for leadership and teaching. Bronner has long worked as an advocate for gender equity in science.

“I’m deeply honored to receive this prestigious award from the Vilcek Foundation,” says Bronner. “And I am grateful that my family was welcomed into the US after escaping from a repressive Communist regime many years ago.”