Farooq Azam, a marine microbiologist at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, has been awarded the 2026 Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences for his discovery of the microbial loop. His 1983 finding showed that dissolved organic carbon in the ocean is recycled by bacteria and protists rather than lost from the food web. That work changed how scientists understand the ocean's role in the global carbon cycle and climate regulation. The Kyoto Prize is Japan's highest private award for global achievement. Azam will receive a diploma, a gold medal, and a monetary award of over US$600,000 at the ceremony on November 10 in Kyoto. Other 2026 laureates include Tsutomu Miyasaka for perovskite solar cells and Laurie Anderson for arts and philosophy. Azam's work has direct relevance to carbon cycle science and marine biogeochemistry, both critical for understanding how oceans absorb and process carbon. The microbial loop concept remains a foundation for research on ocean carbon storage and climate feedbacks.
