The Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission has announced 12 May that it has awarded a prestigious Marshall Medal to Dr John Jumper – a 2007 Marshall Scholar, distinguished scientist at Google DeepMind and co-recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize for Chemistry – on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Marshall Scholarship programme.
The Marshall Medal is awarded on significant anniversaries of the Marshall Scholarship programme and the Marshall Plan to people whose outstanding achievements and contributions to British-American understanding, distinguished role in public life, or creative energy, reflect the legacy of former US Army General and Secretary of State George C. Marshall – the architect of the Marshall Plan. The Marshall Scholarship programme was established by the British Government in enduring gratitude for the post-war economic aid provided by the United States under his leadership. Marshall Scholarships are awarded each year to distinguished young Americans who show exceptional promise as future scholars, leaders and ambassadors for UK-US understanding, to undertake postgraduate study at any UK university.
Upon making this award the Marshall Commission released its citation:
As a trailblazing scientist whose research has advanced the frontiers of human understanding in medicine, biotechnology and Artificial Intelligence, and whose transatlantic career and commitments exemplify the aims and values of the Marshall Scholarship programme in developing connections between the United Kingdom and the United States across all fields of endeavour; supporting our mutual values, security and economic vitality; and strengthening the special relationship between our two nations, the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission is delighted to award a Marshall Medal to Dr John Jumper.
“John Jumper’s journey from Marshall Scholar at Cambridge to distinguished scientist at Google DeepMind – returning to the UK to undertake Nobel prize-winning research – demonstrates the enduring transatlantic connections and collaboration the Marshall Scholarship programme helps to forge,” said John Raine CMG OBE, Chair of the Marshall Commission. “It is with immense pleasure that we recognise his achievements with the Marshall Medal.”
The Medal was presented at an event celebrating departing Marshall Scholars who have completed their degrees. The Commissioners were also delighted to host the Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories, Stephen Doughty MP, who congratulated Dr Jumper and the departing Scholars.
In his remarks, Dr Jumper thanked the Commission and encouraged the students to maximise their impact by focusing on the problems of tomorrow rather than replicating the approaches of the past, but also to recognise that progress is not always linear.
Only 23 Marshall Medals have been awarded in the programme’s 70-year history. Past awardees include US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, former US Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell, former CIA Director Bill Burns, and most recently, Dr Lisa Cook – Governor of the US Federal Reserve, among others. A full list of recipients is available on the Commission’s website: https://www.marshallscholarship.org/about/the-marshall-medal
About the Marshall Scholarship
Named for US Army General and Secretary of State George C. Marshall, the Marshall Scholarship programme began in 1953 as a gesture of gratitude to the people of the United States for the post-World War II economic assistance the UK received under the Marshall Plan. Since that time, it has remained uniquely positioned among international scholarships for its prestige and scope: offering talented young Americans the chance to study any academic subject at UK universities of their choice for up to three years. This has given rise to an unprecedented breadth of expertise in almost every academic field, producing numerous university presidents, six Pulitzer Prize winners, two Nobel Laureates, fourteen MacArthur Fellows, two-academy-Award nominees, two US Supreme Court Justices and a NASA Astronaut.
With over 2,200 scholarships awarded to date, Marshall Scholars are leading the conversation and direction of some of the most critical issues of our time.
Notable winners of the Marshall Scholarship include:
Supreme Court Associate Justices Stephen Breyer (ret.) and Neil Gorsuch
William Burns, former Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
Pulitzer Prize Winners Anne Applebaum, Tom Friedman, Jeffrey Gettleman, Sarah Stillman and Dan Yergin
Nobel Prize Winners in Chemistry Dr. John Jumper (2024) and Prof. Roger Tsien (2008).
Dr. Dan Barouch, Leading COVID-19 vaccine researcher and William Bosworth Castle Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School
Kurt Campbell, former Deputy Secretary of State, United States Department of State.
Reid Hoffman, Philanthropist and founder of social networking platform LinkedIn
Lisa Cook, Economist and currently the first African-American woman and first person of colour to sit on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors
Rep. Gabe Amo, Congressman representing Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District
Kris Kobach, Attorney General of the State of Kansas
Jocelyn Benson, Secretary of State for the State of Michigan
Col. Anne McClain, NASA Astronaut and U.S. Army Colonel who recently commanded NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station.
Dr. Ray Dolby, Founder of Dolby Laboratories and 1997 winner of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation
Rebecca F. Kuang, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel and The Poppy War book trilogy
