Karolin Luger, a distinguished professor of biochemistry and the Jennie Smoly Caruthers Endowed Chair of Biochemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder, has been awarded the 2026 Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science. The annual award honors immigrants who are leading advancements in biomedical research in the United States.
Dr. Luger, a native of Austria who has lived in the United States since 1990, was honored for her career dedication to the study of nucleosomes. Her research has greatly advanced the understanding of the fundamental aspects of the human genome, resulting in the development of novel drug treatments for various diseases.
While completing postdoctoral studies at ETH Zürich in Switzerland, Dr. Luger began her research on the atomic structure of nucleosomes. Several years later, that research led to a groundbreaking paper regarding the interactions of proteins within the nucleosome, how proteins are modified, and how this controls gene activity. Since its publication 28 years ago, the paper has been cited more than 12,000 times and is included in several biology textbooks.
In addition to her work at the University of Colorado Boulder, Dr. Luger is an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Innsbruck in Austria and her Ph.D. in biochemistry and biophysics from the University of Basel in Switzerland.