By Andi Anderson
The Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences name 18 finalists for the 2025 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists. Among them is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor Kaiyu Guan, recognized in the life sciences category for the third time.
Guan earns this honor for creating advanced tools in remote sensing, computer modeling, and artificial intelligence to support sustainable farming and reduce carbon emissions in agriculture.
His research combines satellite data, field studies, and computational models to understand how climate and human practices affect crop productivity, water resources, and ecosystems. The work helps improve food security and protect water supplies while shaping national policies.
Guan serves as a professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences and holds the titles of Levenick ACES Professor and Blue Waters Professor for supercomputing.
He is the founding director of the Agroecosystem Sustainability Center and the chief scientist for the NASA Acres Program. He is also affiliated with several other University of Illinois research institutes.
Honored globally, Guan has written more than 180 scientific papers and leads major federal research projects funded by NASA, the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
His awards include the AGU James Macelwane Medal, NSF CAREER Award, and the FoodShot Global GroundBreaker Prize.
The Blavatnik Awards, launched in 2014, highlight early-career scientists making bold discoveries. Winners receive significant funding to expand their research. Three laureates will be announced on October 7 at the American Museum of Natural History, each receiving $250,000, while the other finalists will each receive $15,000.
Photo Credit: istock-pkujiahe
Categories: Illinois, Sustainable Agriculture