Marine microbiologist and Distinguished Professor Emeritus Farooq Azam of the University of California San Diego has been named the 2026 laureate of the Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences, one of Japan’s most prestigious international honours.
Azam is widely recognised for proposing the “microbial loop” in 1983, a concept that reshaped scientific understanding of ocean ecosystems by showing that dissolved organic carbon is not lost from the marine food web but is instead recycled by bacteria and microscopic organisms.
The discovery placed marine microbes at the centre of global biogeochemical cycles, particularly the carbon cycle, and significantly advanced research in marine ecology and climate science by explaining how microscopic life regulates ocean health and influences carbon movement between the ocean and atmosphere.
The award is presented annually by Japan’s Inamori Foundation and recognises individuals whose work has contributed to the scientific, cultural and spiritual betterment of humanity.
According to UC San Diego officials, Azam’s research legacy continues through advanced marine-atmosphere simulation work at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where he has contributed to experimental systems designed to replicate real-world ocean conditions.
He will receive a gold medal, diploma and a cash prize of 100 million yen (over $600,000) at a ceremony scheduled in Kyoto in November 2026.
This year’s Kyoto Prize also honours chemist Tsutomu Miyasaka in Advanced Technology and multimedia artist Laurie Anderson in Arts and Philosophy.
Azam is only the second UC San Diego faculty member to receive the award, following oceanographer Walter Munk in 1999.
