Hilal Lashuel wins Kuwait Prize 2018
Professor H. Lashuel © 2018 EPFL - Alain Herzog
Professor Hilal Lashuel at EPFL has been awarded the 2018 Kuwait Prize in Fundamental Sciences (Biological Sciences).
Founded in 1979 by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), the Kuwait Prize is given annually to recognize the “the lifetime achievements of Arab scientists across the globe”. It covers five fields, four of which are competed for annually (Basic Sciences, Applied Sciences, Economics and Social Sciences, Art and literature), while the fifth field (Arabic and Islamic Scientific Heritage) is competed for every third year.
In each field, the winner is awarded a cash prize of 40,000 Kuwait dinar (~CHF130,000), a gold medal, a KFAS shield and a certificate of recognition to one or more of the citizens of Kuwait and other Arab countries.
This year, the 2018 Kuwait Prize in Fundamental Sciences (Biological Sciences) and was awarded to EPFL Professor Hilal Ahmed Lashuel, Director of the Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration. Professor Lashuel was awarded jointly with Professor Mohamed H. Sayegh, Vice President for Scientific Research and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the American University of Beirut (AUB).
The Director-General of KFAS, Dr Adnan Shihab-Eldin, is quoted crediting Professor Lashuel “for his work to elucidate the molecular and structural basis of protein misfolding, aggregation and the mechanisms by which these processes contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease.”
“I am honored to receive this award and join a distinguished group of past recipients," says Lashuel. "I am also grateful to the H.H. Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (The Emir of the State of Kuwait) and the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) for this recognition and for their strong commitment to advancing science and research in the region. This award would have not been possible without the support of my wife and family, friends, great mentors, institutions (TAMU, TSRI, HMS, BWH and the EPFL) and the tremendous contributions of many talented and dedicated students, post-docs and collaborators that I have been honored and privileged to work with over the past two decades."
Professor Lashuel will travel to Kuwait to receive the prize from the Amir of Kuwait on 5 December 2018, when he will also deliver a lecture.