Brian Stoltz, the Victor and Elizabeth Atkins Professor of Chemistry and Heritage Medical Research Institute Investigator, has been awarded this year's Shirley M. Malcom Prize for Excellence in Mentoring.

The annual prize, first established in 2021 and named for Shirley Malcom, a senior trustee at Caltech, was created to recognize and celebrate the important role mentors serve during the education, training, and advancement of promising students and scientists.

Stoltz, whose research group works to advance organic chemistry through the development of new strategies and tactics for the synthesis of complex molecules, is known for creating a nurturing research community. He is the first faculty member to be awarded both the Malcom Prize and the Richard P. Feynman Prize for Excellence in Teaching, Caltech's highest teaching prize, which he received in 2017.

"The 2026 Malcom Prize honors Professor Stoltz's decades of consistent and dedicated mentoring efforts that elevate and inspire those working in his research group, others at Caltech, and beyond," said Provost David A. Tirrell during the presentation of the prize at the Athenaeum on February 11, 2026.

One colleague, writing in a letter of support for his nomination, noted that Stoltz "has an incredible ability to foster creativity in his students and treat ideas from graduate students and postdocs with respect and enthusiasm, giving rise to a truly collaborative and nurturing culture." This individual noted that those new to Stoltz's research group "find that Brian's kindness is not a façade, and instead, that he has a genuine interest in developing the skillset of young scientists and helping others proceed down their intended career paths."

Stoltz's nominations for the prize also highlighted his commitment to broadening participation in STEM, his empathetic approach to mentoring, and the impact he has made on scientists and young scholars that goes beyond campus.

"As I continue my career in academia, mentoring students and postdoctoral scholars of my own, I see Brian's influence reflected daily in my approach to leadership, inclusion, and scientific training," read a supporting letter. "Every student I mentor, every young scientist I help guide, and every effort I make to broaden participation in science is a direct extension of the example Brian set."

Stoltz joined the Caltech faculty in 2000 after earning a PhD in chemistry from Yale and completing postdoctoral work in the chemical synthesis of natural products as a National Institutes of Health fellow at Harvard.

"I am honored and humbled by this incredibly meaningful recognition," says Stoltz. "I have been exceptionally fortunate to work alongside generations of remarkably talented young people. It is such a privilege to help guide their intellectual and experimental adventures during their time at Caltech and to continue to be a mentor long after they have moved on. It is so exciting to see the transformations that take place over the course of a lifetime in science. To play a positive role on someone else's path is one of the greatest joys of my life, and I am so proud of what my students have accomplished!"

Past recipients of the Malcom Prize are Scott Cushing, assistant professor of chemistry; Marianne Bronner, the Edward B. Lewis Professor of Biology and director of the Beckman Institute; Bil Clemons, the Arthur and Marian Hanisch Memorial Professor of Biochemistry; and Michael A. Vicic (PhD '99), teaching professor in chemical engineering.