The Dickson Prize in Medicine
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Most Prestigious Awards
The 2026 Dickson Prize in Medicine Winner Is Xiaowei Zhuang
Xiaowei Zhuang, David B. Arnold Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, has developed transformational technologies that have impacted multiple fields, especially neuroscience and cancer research, and are now widely used to study tissue organization in health, aging and disease.
A pioneer in super-resolution imaging and genome-scale imaging methods, Zhuang invented stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM). STORM is a super-resolution imaging method that broke the diffraction limit and allowed light microscopy with nanometer-scale resolution. Using STORM, Zhuang discovered novel molecular structures in cells. She invented a genome-scale imaging method, multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization (MERFISH), which enabled spatially resolved single-cell transcriptomics, 3D genomics, epigenomics and functional genomics. Using MERFISH, she made discoveries in areas ranging from molecular signatures, spatial organization and functions of cells in complex tissues to the 3D genome organization and gene regulation in cells.
Zhuang will present her lecture, “Spatially Resolved Single-Cell Genomics and Functional Genomics,” in person on July 16, 2026, at 2:30 p.m. in the Alan Magee Scaife Hall West Wing Auditorium on the Pittsburgh campus. A panel discussion will follow with a reception at 5 p.m.
About the Prize
The Dickson Prize in Medicine is the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s most prestigious award. Given annually to a leading U.S. investigator engaged in innovative, paradigm-shifting biomedical research, the winner of the Dickson Prize in Medicine receives a $50,000 award with a medallion and presents the Dickson Prize in Medicine Lecture at Pitt.
The Dickson Prize is often a precursor to other major recognitions and awards. Since 1970–71, the first year the prize was awarded, 17 Dickson Prize recipients have gone on to win Nobel Prizes. Twenty-four Dickson Prize winners also hold Lasker Awards, among the most prestigious accolades for biomedical research.