Biology professor Marcus Feldman Ph.D ’69 won a $1 million prize from the Dan David Foundation for his work in evolution. Past honorees include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Vice President Al Gore.

The Dan David Foundation awards three $1 million prizes each year to recognize achievements that have “outstanding” scientific, technological, cultural or social impact on the world. The honors are divided into three categories: past, present and future. Feldman’s work won him the “past” award; Joel and Ethan Coen won the “present” award for their films; and U.C. San Francisco biochemistry professor Cynthia Kenyon and Harvard molecular biology professor Gary Ruvkun won the “future” award for their research on aging.

Feldman’s research focuses on using applied mathematics and computer modeling to “simulate and analyze the process of evolution,” according to his profile on the Stanford Center for Health Policy website. This work encompasses four categories, including human immune response to disease, the evolution of learning, the interaction of biological and cultural evolution and computer analysis of molecular evolution. His research provides further insight into problems such as the origin of genes and disease control.

The honorees will receive their award in May at Tel Aviv University, where the foundation is based.

–Ivy Nguyen