Bassler receives National Medal of Science
Bonnie L. Bassler is one of 14 scientists to receive the 2025 National Medal of Science. She was recognized for her research on the molecular mechanisms that bacteria use for intercellular communication.
Bassler is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and professor and chair of the department of molecular biology at Princeton University. Her lab focuses on quorum sensing, a process that allows bacteria to communicate using chemical signaling. Quorum sensing enables groups of bacteria to regulate gene expression, resulting in changes in behavior on a population-wide scale.
Among her many honors, Bassler is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the Royal Society, the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and she is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
She is a recipient of Princeton University President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, the Canada Gairdner International Award, the Princess of Asturias Award from the Spanish Crown, the Gruber Prize in Genetics, the Albany Prize in Medicine, the L’Oréal–UNESCO Women in Science Award and a MacArthur “genius grant.” Bassler was formerly the President of the American Society for Microbiology and the chair of the American Academy of Microbiology Board of Governors.
“I am delighted and honored to receive the National Medal of Science,” Bassler said. “Most moving and memorable to me were the speeches at the ceremony. They were not about a scientist being the best in a field, nor the first to make a revolutionary finding, but rather, about the importance of the recipients’ research and mentorship of the next generations of scientists to democracy and to the vitality of and possibilities for the nation now and going forward.”
The National Medal of Science was established in 1959 and is administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation. The medal recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to science and engineering.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in People
People highlights or most popular articles
The data that did not fit
Brent Stockwell’s perseverance and work on the small molecule erastin led to the identification of ferroptosis, a regulated form of cell death with implications for cancer, neurodegeneration and infection.
Building a career in nutrition across continents
Driven by past women in science, Kazi Sarjana Safain left Bangladesh and pursued a scientific career in the U.S.
Kiessling wins glycobiology award
She was honored by the Society for Glycobiology for her work on protein–glycan interactions.
2026 ASBMB election results
Meet the new Council members and Nominating Committee member.
Simcox wins SACNAS mentorship award
She was recognized for her sustained excellence in mentorship and was honored at SACNAS’ 2025 National Conference.
From humble beginnings to unlocking lysosomal secrets
Monther Abu–Remaileh will receive the ASBMB’s 2026 Walter A. Shaw Young Investigator Award in Lipid Research at the ASBMB Annual Meeting, March 7-10 in Washington, D.C.