The Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance is dedicated to playing a catalytic role in accelerating cures for cancer by enabling the pursuit of the most innovative and advanced cancer research and by facilitating collaborations between science and business.
The Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Prize provides early-stage funding opportunities to New York scientists with innovative ideas in cancer research. The program surrounding the Prize is a catalyst in bridging the gap between the academic scientific community and the business community.
ASHLEY LAUGHNEY, PHD
JUAN PABLO MAIANTI, PHD
SAM BAKHOUM, MD, PHD
SANTOSHA VARDHANA, MD, PHD
TERESA DAVOLI, PHD
(The Pershing Square Foundation, Business Wire) — The Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance (PSSCRA) today announced the opening of applications for the 2025 Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Prize (formerly known as the Pershing Square Sohn Prize for Young Investigators in Cancer Research). The prize of $250,000 per year for three years is awarded annually to approximately six greater New York City area-based scientists. The Prize empowers researchers to pursue novel, high-risk/high-reward cancer research at a stage when traditional funding is lacking.
“We are thrilled to open the application process for the 12th year of the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Prize,” said Pershing Square Foundation Trustee Bill Ackman. “Past Prize winners have changed the field of cancer research and that makes the process of reviewing the new, innovative and bold proposals each year even more inspiring. We are proud to continue to support the best and brightest rising stars as they work to cure cancer.”
Applicants must have between two and six years of experience running their own laboratories by the award start date (July 2025), hold a PhD, MD, or MD-PhD (or degree equivalent), and be affiliated with a research institution in the greater New York City area. The greater New York City area includes New York City’s five boroughs, Long Island, Westchester County, New Jersey, Western Connecticut (Fairfield and New Haven Counties), and Philadelphia, PA. The deadline to submit a Letter of Intent is October 28, 2024 at 5:00pm ET. For more details on PSSCRA and the application process, including the full eligibility criteria, please visit the application submission portal: https://prizeapplication.smapply.io/.
On Thursday, May 18th the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance held its 2023 Prize Dinner and Tenth Anniversary celebration at Manhatta in New York, awarding its 2023 Pershing Square Sohn Prize for Young Investigators in Cancer Research to seven early-career pioneers in cancer research in the greater New York City area. It was a beautiful celebration welcoming our new cohort to the supportive and lively community that has grown over the past ten years.
The evening featured special guest speakers, George Yancopoulos, MD, PhD, Co-Founder, President, and CSO of Regeneron, and Deborah Birx, MD, Senior Fellow at the George W. Bush Institute and former White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, who spoke candidly on a panel about their work and the future of innovation and technology.
The Pershing Square Sohn Prize was created in 2013 to empower young scientists to take risks, explore bold ideas, and pursue their most pioneering research. Since 2013, the Prize has funded 66 early career investigators at 13 institutions across the greater New York City area and has built a community of researchers and mentors that learn from one another.
Bill Ackman, Co-Founder. The Pershing Square Foundation