Kavli Frontiers of Science

The Frontiers of Science symposium series was created as the first program of the National Academy of Sciences targeted specifically for early career scientists. Frontiers was designed to bridge the boundaries imposed by scientific fields by exposing exceptional young researchers to ideas and research well outside of their chosen fields and to give these researchers access to a network of colleagues from a variety of fields and institutions that will be useful to them as they advance in their careers.

The Frontiers program identifies futures leaders of science, both within the US and abroad, and presents this select group with a valuable network for them to develop their leadership potential. The Frontiers alumni network now contains more than 6,800 past participants, including 20 alumni who have won Nobel Prizes and 364 who have been elected to the NAS (over 11% of the current membership), including 19 who were elected in 2025. The symposia have a lasting impact among their “alumni.” A 2014 survey of symposium participants from 2006 to 2014 found that more than 77% of respondents have maintained connections made at the symposia, more than 19% have submitted joint proposals, and more than 13% have co-authored papers.