Professor Stephen Obaro, Professor of Pediatrics and Senior Scientist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA , has been named as the winner of the Christiana Figueres Policy to Practice Award.
The prize is part of the Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards 2026, which celebrate the brightest minds in the field and promote the research, groups, projects, products and individuals who continue to help shape the future of applied microbiology.
The Christiana Figueres Policy to Practice Award recognises outstanding individuals who bridge the gap between applied microbiology, policy, and real-world implementation.
Named in honour of Christiana Figueres’ global leadership in translating evidence into action, this award celebrates those who have gone beyond research to ensure microbiological insights meaningfully inform policy, practice, and decision-making. It recognises work that has shaped effective strategies, driven systemic change, and delivered measurable impact in addressing one or more of today’s most pressing global challenges.
The award is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and highlights the vital role of applied microbiology in informing sustainable development policy and turning scientific evidence into practical, scalable solutions.
A global health researcher, and founder of the International Foundation Against Infectious Diseases in Nigeria (IFAIN), Professor Obaro’s work is driven by a simple mission: to reduce preventable childhood deaths from infectious diseases and strengthen health systems where the burden is highest.
For more than two decades, his research has focused on pneumonia, typhoid fever, antimicrobial resistance, sickle cell disease, and emerging infectious threats affecting children particularly in Africa. Evidence generated from his studies in West Africa has helped inform global vaccine development, disease surveillance strategies, and clinical guidelines.
Professor Obaro said: "Throughout my career, one conviction has remained constant: science finds its greatest purpose when it improves lives.
“As a paediatrician and infectious disease researcher, I have had the privilege of working across Africa, Europe and the United States. Along that journey, I have observed the power of scientific discovery and the critical role of effectively communicating and translating knowledge into practice."
“Those experiences have shaped not only my research, but my sense of responsibility. Science cannot end with a publication or presentation. It must travel further, into hospitals, communities and places where decisions are made.
“Through the International Foundation Against Infectious Disease in Nigeria, I have worked alongside dedicated colleagues to strengthen research capacity, nurture young scientists and help transform evidence into solutions that respond to real human needs.
“The Christiana Figueres Policy to Practice Award therefore resonates deeply with me and I am most humbled and honored for this award. It reflects a principle I have tried to carry throughout my career: discovery is only the beginning. Our greater responsibility is to ensure that knowledge becomes action, action strengthens systems, and stronger systems give people hope.
“For me, the most meaningful legacy is not simply what we discover, but the people we empower and the lives made better because we chose to make that knowledge matter.”
Nominations are now open for the 2027 Horizon Awards, celebrating outstanding achievement and impact across applied microbiology.
For 2027, the Horizon Awards portfolio is expanding with three new Early Career Excellence Awards, recognising emerging researchers making an impact in environmental conservation, food security and innovation, and public health. The established WH Pierce Prize, the Christiana Figueres Policy to Practice Award, and the Dorothy Jones Diversity and Inclusion Achievement Award remain open to researchers across career stages, with criteria that allow early career researchers to compete on an equal footing.
The winners of all 12 Horizon Awards will be announced and celebrated at the LAM ECR Symposium at Queen Mary University of London in June 2027, bringing together established leaders and the next generation of applied microbiologists for a celebration of achievement across our community.
Know someone whose work deserves recognition? Nominate them for a 2027 Horizon Award.
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