Associate Professor Hernan Garcia. Photo by Johnny Gan Chong
September 22, 2026
Hernan Garcia, associate professor of molecular & cell biology and physics at UC Berkeley is among the eight 2026 Schmidt Polymaths who will receive a combined total of up to $20 million to take their research in ambitious new directions. Dr. Garcia will adapt rapid gene-editing and screening methods for use in plants to develop more climate-resilient crops.
The Schmidt Polymaths award recognizes proven records of bold scientific achievement and willingness to tackle complex questions beyond their established areas of expertise. This year’s Polymaths will explore how the immune systems of invertebrates could reveal new therapies for humans, how food crops could become more resilient as the climate changes and how AI models trained on human behavior could deepen our understanding of the mind.
“Each of these researchers has already shown real range and originality in their work. Now they’re ready to bring that to an entirely new set of questions,” said James Ricci, director at Schmidt Sciences. “The award gives them the freedom and runway to make that leap and see where it leads.”
This marks the sixth cohort of Schmidt Polymaths.
This year’s cohort joins a community of 35 Schmidt Polymaths, drawn from 31 universities globally. The 2026 cohort includes first-time Polymaths awardees from the University of Maryland, Pennsylvania State University and McGill University. Each Polymath will receive up to $2.5 million over five years in flexible funding, giving them the freedom to experiment with methods and approaches that conventional grants may not support. To qualify, researchers must have reached tenure, or an equivalent milestone, within the prior three years, alongside a track record that already spans more than one area of expertise. Nominated by universities worldwide, applicants are evaluated on both past accomplishments and future ambitions.