Bodossaki Excellence Award 2026: From expanding the frontiers of computational thinking to the impacts of globalisation on social well-being. The preeminent theoretical computer scientist, Christos Papadimitriou and the internationally renowned economist, Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg, are honoured for their decisive contributions to science.
The
Bodossaki Foundation announces the two distinguished Greek scientists
who are being honoured with the Bodossaki Excellence Award 2026 for
their pioneering and internationally recognised life’s work, which
contributes decisively to the advancement of science.
In the
field of Technological Sciences, the 2026 Bodossaki Excellence Award
is presented to Christos Papadimitriou, Donovan Family
Professor of Computer Science, Columbia University, USA.
In the
field of Social Sciences, the 2026 Bodossaki Excellence Award is
presented to Penelope Koujianou Goldberg, William Nordhaus
Professor of Economics and Global Affairs at Yale University, USA.
The
Bodossaki Excellence Awards will be presented by the President of the
Republic, Mr Konstantinos An. Tasoulas, at the Award Ceremony to be
held on Thursday 25 June 2026 at Megaron the Athens Concert Hall.
The
Bodossaki Excellence Award is awarded biennially to Greeks who have
dedicated their lives to science, and is accompanied by a cash prize
of €100,000. The Excellence
Award Committee is
responsible for evaluating nominations and selecting the laureates.
The Committee is composed of eight internationally renowned foreign
scientists who hold top scientific distinctions, including the Nobel
Prize in Economics, the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Prize,
the Boltzmann Medal, the Lorentz Medal, the Spinoza Prize and the NIH
Director’s Pioneer Award, as well as being distinguished members of
scientific academies.
“The
objective of the Bodossaki Excellence Award is twofold: on the one
hand, to serve as our country’s most elevated scientific
recognition for Greek scientists who, through their dedication to
science, their integrity and creative spirit, have expanded the
frontiers of knowledge and left their mark on the advancement of
science; on the other hand, the Award showcases crucial role models
for the generations to come,” notes Athina Dessypri, President of
the Board of Trustees of the Bodossaki Foundation. “The institution
relies on a rigorous and impartial evaluation process, with the
contribution of an Excellence Award Committee composed of foreign
scientists of international standing who have themselves made a
profound scientific impact. It is with great pleasure that we welcome
Ms Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg and Mr Christos Papadimitriou into the
prestigious circle of the institution’s laureates.”
The
laureates’ lifelong scientific contributions
Christos
Papadimitriou: The limits of computation
Christos
Papadimitriou has had a decisive influence on theoretical computer
science.
His
early research laid the mathematical foundations of computational
complexity theory—the rigorous study of what computers can and
cannot solve efficiently. His contribution to the theory of
approximation algorithms demonstrated not only that intractable
optimisation problems can be tackled through algorithms that provably
approach the optimal solution, but also when even approximation lies
beyond the limits of feasibility. He also pioneered the study
of problems—such as finding equilibrium points in games—where
mathematical theory guarantees the existence of a solution, yet the
solution remains computationally intractable. This body of work
provides the language and the tools on which much of modern
algorithmic design is based.
Over
the last three decades, Christos Papadimitriou has pursued an
ambitious research agenda: the use of computational theory as an
interpretative tool for understanding other sciences. He is one of
the founders of algorithmic game theory, which introduced rigorous
computational thinking into economics and strategic
behaviour—contributions that proved instrumental to our
understanding of the Internet. Since 2005, his interests have
expanded into biology and evolutionary theory, and more recently,
into the study of the brain and artificial intelligence, where his
investigations have focused on the computational and biological
foundations of intelligence and language.
Christos
Papadimitriou has played a decisive role in popularising modern
computational theory among students and the broader public alike,
through textbooks but also through novels in which mathematics and
computer science serve as the structural backbone of the narrative.
He
studied at the National Technical University of Athens and at
Princeton, and has taught at Harvard, MIT, Stanford, UCSD, the
National Technical University of Athens, and—for 22 years—at UC
Berkeley. Since 2017, he has been a professor at Columbia
University and co-founder of “Archimedes”, the Greek AI research
institute.
Christos
Papadimitriou has been a full member of the Academy of Athens since
2024. He is also a member of the United States National Academy of
Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the American
Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Pinelopi
Koujianou Goldberg: An empirical analysis of global trade and
development
Pinelopi
Koujianou Goldberg is a leading researcher in the empirical analysis
of global trade policy, with a focus on international trade and
development issues. By combining microeconomic data with
structural economic models, she has produced critical estimates
regarding the impact of globalisation on social well-being and the
unequal distribution of its benefits both between and within
countries.
She
studied economics at the University of Freiburg and went on to
complete her graduate studies and Ph.D. at Stanford. She has
held tenured professorships at Princeton and Columbia, as well as at
Yale, where she currently serves as the William Nordhaus Professor of
Economics and Global Affairs.
Her
work has highlighted the impact of trade policies on productivity and
consumer welfare, as well as on poverty, inequality and economic
growth, particularly in developing nations. Her research has
also demonstrated that the effects of trade liberalisation are not
uniform; rather, they depend on market structures, the degree of
competition, institutional conditions, and domestic policies and
economic frictions.
During
her tenure as Chief Economist of the World Bank, 2018–2020, she
enhanced research transparency standards and promoted evidence-based
policy design, extending the impact of her academic work into the
policy sphere. She has also served in top leadership positions
within her discipline, notably as Editor-in-Chief of the American
Economic Review and
President of the Econometric Society.
In her
recent work, she analyses the shifts in globalisation—including the
US-China trade war and the resurgence of industrial policy—as well
as the role of gender-based distortions in restricting economic
participation and growth.
Pinelopi
Koujianou Goldberg is a member of the United States National Academy
of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an
International Fellow of the British Academy.
Excellence
Award winners:
The
following professors have received the Bodossaki Excellence Award:
Ioannis Iliopoulos (2002), Kyriacos Nicolaou (2004), Athanassios
Fokas (2006), Demetrios Christodoulou (2006), Evangelos Moudrianakis
(2009), Charalampos Moutsopoulos (2011), George Chrousos (2011),
Chryssa Kouveliotou (2024), and Nektarios Tavernarakis (2024).
In the field of Technological Sciences, the 2026 Bodossaki Excellence Award is presented to Christos Papadimitriou, Donovan Family Professor of Computer Science, Columbia University, USA.
In the field of Social Sciences, the 2026 Bodossaki Excellence Award is presented to Penelope Koujianou Goldberg, William Nordhaus Professor of Economics and Global Affairs at Yale University, USA.
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