Overview
GSA awards the Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal to individual GSA members for lifetime achievement in the field of genetics, recognizing the full body of work of exceptional geneticists. Recipients will have made substantial contributions to genetics throughout their careers and will have a strong history as a mentor to fellow geneticists.
GSA established the Medal in 1981 and named it in honor of Thomas Hunt Morgan (1866-1945). Morgan received the Nobel Prize in 1933 for his work with Drosophila and his “discoveries concerning the role played by the chromosome in heredity.” Morgan’s studies of the white mutation and discovery of sex-linked inheritance provided the first experimental evidence that chromosomes are the carriers of genetic information. Subsequent studies in his laboratory led to the discovery of recombination and the first genetic maps.
Nomination Process
When the nomination period is open, you will find a link to the nomination form at the top of this page. Using the form:
- Describe the candidate’s research over the course of their career, highlighting the candidate’s major contributions to the field of genetics. Detail why these accomplishments make the candidate deserving of an award for lifetime achievement (word limit for this section: 500).
- Describe the candidate’s record as a mentor to other accomplished scientists (word limit for this section: 350).
- List the name of the candidate, their current institution, their email address, and phone number.
- Upload the candidate’s CV.
- Provide a secondary nominator’s name and email address. The secondary nominator will receive an email allowing them to log in and upload their letter of support.
- Once the secondary nominator has successfully uploaded their letter of support, you will receive an email to remind you to submit the completed nomination.
Once GSA receives all the necessary materials, the Awards Committee and the Board of Directors will review the nominations and select a recipient.
All nominations will remain active for three years. That means the nominee will be considered for the Medal in the year you nominate them and also in the following two years.
Eligibility
To be considered for the Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal, both the nominator and the nominee must be members of GSA. Nominees must have made a substantial contribution to the genetics field, and they must have a strong history as a mentor to fellow geneticists.
Selection Criteria
Reviewers consider the following criteria when selecting a recipient:
- Has the applicant or nominee made significant contributions to the field of genetics throughout a full career?
- Does the applicant or nominee have a strong history of mentorship?
Important Dates
Nominations are due October 18, 2021. Letters of recommendation are due October 20, 2021.
Past Recipients
| 2022 | Michael Lynch, Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, Arizona State University |
| 2021 | Ruth Lehmann, Whitehead Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 2020 | Gerald Fink, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| David Botstein, Calico Life Sciences | |
| 2019 | Daniel Hartl, Harvard University |
| 2018 | Barbara Meyer, University of California, Berkeley |
| 2017 | Richard C. Lewontin, Harvard University |
| 2016 | Nancy Kleckner, Harvard University |
| 2015 | Brian Charlesworth, University of Edinburgh, UK |
| 2014 | Frederick M. Ausubel, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital |
| 2013 | Thomas Petes, Duke University |
| 2012 | Kathryn V. Anderson, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center |
| 2011 | James E. Haber, Brandeis University |
| 2010 | Alexander Tzagoloff, Columbia University |
| 2009 | John Roth, University of California, Davis |
| 2008 | Michael Ashburner, Cambridge University, UK |
| 2007 | Oliver Smithies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| 2006 | Masatoshi Nei, Penn State University |
| 2005 | Robert L. Metzenberg, University of California, Los Angeles |
| 2004 | Bruce N. Ames, University of California, Berkeley |
| 2003 | David S. Hogness, Stanford University School of Medicine |
| 2002 | Ira Herskowitz, University of California, San Francisco |
| 2001 | Yasuji Oshima, Kansai University, Osaka, Japan |
| 2000 | Evelyn M. Witkin, Rutgers University |
| 1999 | Salome Waelsch, Albert Einstein College of Medicine |
| 1998 | Norman H. Horowitz, California Institute of Technology |
| 1997 | Oliver E. Nelson, University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| 1996 | Franklin W. Stahl, University of Oregon |
| 1995 | Matthew Meselson, Harvard University |
| 1994 | David D. Perkins, Stanford University |
| 1993 | Ray D. Owen, California Institute of Technology |
| 1992 | Edward H. Coe, Jr., University of Missouri |
| 1991 | Armin Dale Kaiser, Stanford University |
| 1990 | Charles Yanofsky, Stanford University |
| 1989 | Dan L. Lindsley, University of California, San Diego |
| 1988 | Norman H. Giles, University of Georgia |
| 1987 | James F. Crow, University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| 1986 | Seymour Benzer, California Institute of Technology |
| 1985 | Herschel Roman, University of Washington |
| 1984 | George W. Beadle, University of Chicago |
| 1984 | R. Alexander Brink, University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| 1983 | Edward B. Lewis, California Institute of Technology |
| 1982 | Sewall Wright, University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| 1981 | Barbara McClintock, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory |
| 1981 | Marcus M. Rhoades, Indiana University |