Bangladeshi Scientist Senjuti Saha Among Three Honored at 2026 Sabin Awards

Three scientists, including Bangladesh’s Senjuti Saha, are set to be honored at the 2026 Sabin Awards for their outstanding contributions to global public health through vaccines.

The scientists have played critical roles in improving global health—ranging from combating the COVID-19 pandemic to strengthening childhood disease prevention efforts.

Professors Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci will receive the prestigious Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal for their tireless work in changing the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and expanding global access to innovative medicines. The award recognizes their groundbreaking development of a COVID-19 vaccine and decades of pioneering work in medical technology.

During the early stages of the pandemic, Sahin and Tureci rapidly pivoted their cancer research technology to develop an effective COVID-19 vaccine in record time. Their work has helped save millions of lives worldwide. They are currently continuing efforts to develop new vaccines for diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, and malaria, while also working to establish sustainable vaccine production systems in Africa.

Meanwhile, Bangladeshi scientist Senjuti Saha has been awarded the Rising Star Award for her contributions to vaccine implementation and public health research. Using genomic analysis, she supported the rollout of the world’s largest typhoid vaccination campaign, helping protect millions of children.

Saha has played a key role in Bangladesh’s 2025 Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV) campaign, which has already reached over 40 million children. As Associate Executive Director of the Child Health Research Foundation (CHRF), she has also helped establish an advanced genomics laboratory in Bangladesh. This facility has sequenced thousands of pathogen genomes, aiding in rapid disease detection and vaccine development for infections such as Klebsiella and RSV.

Beyond research, Saha is also recognized for fostering scientific leadership and mentoring the next generation of researchers in Bangladesh.

The awards will be formally presented on May 12 at the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, D.C., with the ceremony also streamed live online.

The Sabin Vaccine Institute has been awarding the Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal since 1993 and the Rising Star Award since 2020.

In a joint statement, Sahin and Tureci said they were deeply honored to receive the award, citing Albert Sabin’s belief that scientific discoveries achieve their true value only when they benefit humanity. They emphasized their commitment to ensuring equitable access to modern medicines worldwide.

Senjuti Saha described the recognition as a reflection of years of collective effort in Bangladesh, highlighting the power of collaboration in advancing high-quality scientific research anywhere in the world.

Amy Finan, CEO of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, praised all three awardees, stating that their work demonstrates how scientific innovation can be translated into life-saving solutions and made accessible to people globally.