PAN JIANWEI: Father of quantum
A physicist took quantum communication to space and back.
MARICA BRANCHESI: Merger maker
An astronomer helped scientists make the most of a historic gravitational-wave event.
DAVID LIU: Gene corrector
A biologist developed gene-editing tools that are new to nature, and that could one day save lives.
EMILY WHITEHEAD: Living testimonial
A young girl’s battle against leukaemia inspired a new generation of cancer therapy.
SCOTT PRUITT: Agency dismantler
A political appointee chipped away at the US Environmental Protection Agency — and science — with ruthless efficiency.
JENNIFER BYRNE: Error sleuth
A researcher on a mission to expose flawed papers helped build a tool to detect them.
LASSINA ZERBO: Test-ban tracker
In the face of destabilizing threats, a geophysicist fights for nuclear non-proliferation.
VÍCTOR CRUZ-ATIENZA: Quake chaser
When a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Mexico City in September, a seismologist’s predictions came true.
ANN OLIVARIUS: Legal champion
As sexual-harassment cases surged, a lawyer worked to hold academic institutions accountable.
KHALED TOUKAN: Opening SESAME
Through twists, turns and setbacks, a physicist kept the Middle East’s first synchrotron light source on track.
