Northwestern University's International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN) has announced the recipients of the 2025 international Kabiller awards. The biennial awards recognize three top scholars - one pioneer and two rising stars - at the cross-section of nanoscience, technology, biology and medicine.
Nicholas Peppas, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, will receive the $250,000 Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine, the world's largest monetary award in the field.
Nathan Gianneschi, a professor at Northwestern, will receive the $10,000 Kabiller Young Investigator's Award in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine for recent groundbreaking discoveries that have potential to make a lasting effect in nanoscience and nanomedicine.
Michael Mitchell, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania, will receive the $3,000 Kabiller Rising Star Award.
The awardees will be honored at the Kabiller Prize Dinner on Oct. 14, 2025, in Chicago, and will present their work as keynote speakers at the 2025 IIN Rosemary Schnell Symposium on Oct. 15 in Evanston, Illinois. The symposium unites researchers, students and industry leaders to explore the latest advances in nanoscience and nanomedicine.
Honoring a decade of excellence
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Kabiller Prize and the Kabiller Young Investigator Award - both were established in 2015, through the generosity of Northwestern trustee and alumnus David Kabiller'85, '87 MBA, to honor extraordinary achievements in nanotechnology applied to medicine and biology. In 2021, IIN introduced the Kabiller Rising Star Award to highlight the promise and innovation of early-career faculty. Together, these awards highlight some of the most significant scientific contributions to nanotechnology and help accelerate discoveries that enhance human health worldwide.
"When we launched the awards a decade ago, we set out to encourage bold, cross-disciplinary thinking in nanoscience and nanomedicine," Kabiller said. "What I see today, in these winners and the growing global community, exceeds anything I imagined. These awards amplify the breakthroughs that matter and remind us that the future of science depends on people who dare to explore the unknown."
"It's been remarkable to watch the Kabiller awards evolve into a global symbol of excellence and innovation in nanotechnology," said Chad A. Mirkin, the George B. Rathmann Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern and founding director of the IIN. "This year's honorees show us that great science doesn't just transform labs, it transforms lives, industries and the way we understand the world. Their achievements are setting the course for the future of medicine and human health."
Transforming drug delivery: Kabiller Prize winner Nicholas Peppas
Peppas is the Cockrell Family Regents Chair in Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Widely recognized as a leader in modern drug delivery, Peppas is a pioneering figure in molecular structures, biomaterials and diffusion phenomena. Among his accomplishments, he developed nanoscale, imprinted polymer delivery systems and foundational theoretical models, which have enabled major therapeutic discoveries, particularly in the delivery of complex and fragile biologics.
In a landmark achievement, Peppas created a nanotechnology-based oral drug carrier that makes it possible to deliver protein-based therapeutics - such as insulin for diabetes, calcitonin for osteoporosis and interferon-alpha for cancer - safely through the gastrointestinal tract. His work on biomolecularly responsive materials, including devices for glucose monitoring and fever-triggered drug release, has further expanded the possibilities for targeted treatments. Peppas also has championed interdisciplinary collaboration, translating research into effective medical solutions, and advanced education in biomedical nanotechnology, cementing his global influence on science and medicine.
"I am honored to receive the 2025 Kabiller Award for our work in medical nanotechnology," Peppas said. "This award recognizes all the great fundamental and translational research conducted with my postdocs and graduate and undergraduate students. I thank them all for their innovative and imaginative research. This is my 50th year of independent research, and I am glad we have succeeded to contribute to the betterment of the quality of life of our patients."
"Nicholas Peppas has helped shape the very foundations of modern drug delivery, fundamentally changing how we deliver life-saving treatments," Kabiller said. "His career is a masterclass in how deep scientific insight, creativity, scientific mentoring and perseverance can translate into breakthroughs that impact an entire field. Professor Peppas exemplifies the spirit of the prize - bold science that has the potential to transform human health on a global scale."
Redefining biomaterials and nanoscopic imaging: Kabiller Young Investigator Nathan Gianneschi
Gianneschi is the Jacob & Rosaline Cohn Professor of Chemistry, and a professor of materials science and engineering, biomedical engineering and pharmacology at Northwestern, where he has appointments in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, McCormick School of Engineering and Feinberg School of Medicine. Gianneschi is being recognized for his groundbreaking work in enzyme-directed biomaterials assembly, which has redefined targeted therapeutic strategies for cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and cardiovascular repair.
Gianneschi's innovative development of proteomimetic peptide-brush polymers is opening entirely new avenues for drug discovery. At the same time, his transformative contributions to liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy (LPTEM) have revolutionized how researchers visualize nanoscale transformations in real-time, providing unprecedented insights into dynamic biological and chemical processes.
"The support of David Kabiller for nanoscience at Northwestern has been extraordinary, and I'm honored to have been selected to be a part of that through the Kabiller Young Investigator Award," Gianneschi said. "I'm grateful to those within the nanoscience ecosystem at Northwestern - supporters, staff, IIN director Chad Mirkin and many other IIN-affiliated faculty - who have contributed so much to me and my team as we have accelerated toward truly transformational work and built new basic science programs. I accept this award on behalf of my team, especially the students and postdocs, who have committed their time, effort, inventiveness and creativity to the science that led to this award."
Driving innovation in targeted therapeutics: Kabiller Rising Star Michael Mitchell
Mitchell is an associate professor of bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania. He is being honored for his outstanding contributions to nanotechnology and nanomedicine, particularly for developing cutting-edge lipid nanoparticle platforms that deliver mRNA to specific cells, tissues and organs - including the liver, heart, kidneys, placenta and immune cells - thereby advancing the field of cancer immunotherapy.
Mitchell also is being recognized for creating a polymer-based chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell "suit of armor." The protective coating is designed to reduce harmful inflammatory side effects and enhance the precision and effectiveness of CAR T cells in targeting and destroying cancer cells. His innovative work is pushing the boundaries of precision medicine, with the potential to reshape the future of therapeutic design.
"Receiving the Kabiller Rising Star Award is a true honor," Mitchell said. "My lab designs new materials for drug delivery, with a major focus on next-generation lipid nanoparticles for nucleic acid delivery. Together with my colleagues and students, our goal is to engineer new mRNA lipid nanoparticle platform technologies beyond vaccines to enable therapeutic breakthroughs in areas including cancer immunotherapy, autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders and fetal and maternal health."
