King Faisal Prize announces the names of 2023 laureates

The advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Governor of Makkah Al-Mukarramah Region, and Chairman of the King Faisal International Prize Authority, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, witnessed on Wednesday, the ceremony of announcing the names of the winners of the King Faisal Prize for the year 1444/2023.

The Secretary-General of the King Faisal International Prize, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Muhammad Al-Sabil, stated that the selection committees for the King Faisal Prize with its five branches “Service to Islam, Islamic Studies, Arabic Language and Literature, Medicine, and Science,” held a series of sessions, during which they reviewed the nominated works and the reports of the arbitrators.

The award in the service of Islam branch for this year was jointly awarded to each of the “former” professors of Islamic studies at the Universities of Myung and Hankook for Foreign Studies in the Republic of South Korea, the head of the Korean Islamic Hiba Fund, Prof. Dr. Choi Young Kil Hamed, the head of the Permanent Council of the Islamic Solidarity Fund, and the head of The Board of Trustees of the Islamic University of Niger, Ambassador Nasser bin Abdullah Al Zaabi.

Dr. Al-Sabil added: Ambassador Al-Zaabi was granted the award for his efforts in charitable and relief work through his membership in several charitable associations and institutions.

Dr. Al-Sabil stated that the King Faisal Prize for Islamic Studies and its subject “Islamic Architecture” was awarded to Professor Robert Hillenbrand, a British national, and professor at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

He indicated that the King Faisal Prize for Arabic Language and Literature, whose theme is “Ancient Arabic Narrative and Modern Theories,” was awarded to Professor Abdel Fattah Kilito, a Moroccan national, and a professor at Mohammed V University in Rabat.

The King Faisal Prize for Medicine, whose topic is “epidemics and vaccine development”, was jointly awarded to Professor Dan Hoon Borok, an American, professor at Harvard University in America, and Professor Sarah Catherine Gilbert, a British national, professor at the University of Oxford in Britain, where they made significant contributions to the study and development of vaccines that are critical to controlling epidemics in the present and the future.

As for Professor Sarah Catherine Gilbert, the award was given for her development of innovative vaccine technologies. These vaccine technologies were applied to malaria, Ebola, influenza, Middle East respiratory syndrome, and most recently, Covid 19.

As for the King Faisal Prize for Science and its subject “Chemistry”, it was awarded jointly to Professor Jackie Yi Roying, an American professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in America, and Professor Chad Alexander Merkin, an American national, a professor at Northwestern University in America.

Professor Chad Alexander Merkin was awarded the prize for his outstanding efforts in introducing the concept of nanoparticles of atoms and DNA forming bonds. This concept was introduced to the creation and design of crystal and macrocrystalline materials.

After the announcement of the results, the General Secretariat of the King Faisal Prize extended its sincere congratulations to the winners. It praised the efforts of the members of the selection committees, experts, and award judges.