Microbiology Society honors Rich Lenski

Professor Richard Lenski, a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, and a member and former director of EEB, has been awarded the Microbiology Society Prize Medal, which is given to an outstanding microbiologist who is a global leader in their field and whose work has had a far-reaching impact beyond the discipline of microbiology.

He will receive an engraved medal and £1,000 at the Society’s Annual Conference.

He did his undergraduate studies at Oberlin College, Ohio, and received his PhD from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he conducted ecological research on insects.

Wanting a system where he could see evolution in action, he switched to microbiology for a postdoc at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and studied the coevolution of bacteria and phages. Professor Lenski joined the faculty at the University of California, Irvine, in 1985, before moving to Michigan State University in 1991.

Professor Lenski is best known for his Long-Term Evolution Experiment, or LTEE, which he started in 1988, and which continues to this day. He and his team have maintained and studied 12 populations of E. coli for 75,000 generations. The LTEE offers a unique record of evolution, providing insights into the dynamics of adaptation by natural selection, the mechanisms of genome evolution, the repeatability of evolutionary changes, and even the origin of new functions.

With an interdisciplinary team, Professor Lenski has also led pioneering research on the evolution of digital organisms—computer programs that replicate, mutate, compete, and evolve to perform new functions. He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.  Professor Lenski has served as President of the Society for the Study of Evolution, and he received a Friend of Darwin Award from the National Center for Science Education for his public-facing work discussing evolution and its importance. Last, but not least, Professor Lenski has mentored some 30 graduate students and postdoctoral scientists who are now on the faculties of universities around the world.

Commenting on receiving the Microbiology Society Prize Medal 2025, Professor Lenski said: “I’m deeply honoured to receive the Prize Medal from the Microbiology Society. Like most awards in science, it reflects the work of many talented people – the students, postdocs, and colleagues who’ve worked with me to ask and answer questions, and my mentors who helped me learn how to do science and mentor others. I’d also like to thank my family for tolerating my scientific obsessions for all these years.”

The Prize Medal is awarded to an outstanding microbiologist who is a global leader in their field and whose work has had a far-reaching impact beyond the discipline of microbiology. The recipient is awarded an engraved medal and £1,000 at the Society’s Annual Conference 2025 in Liverpool March 31 - April 3, where the winners will present their Prize Lectures.

The Microbiology Society’s Prizes recognise excellence and are awarded to those making significant contributions in the field of microbiology, based on nominations received from the membership. Winners are selected for their work to advance understanding of microbiology and champion the contribution made by microbiology, our members and their work in addressing global challenges.

Read the full story on the Microbiology Society website.