Jun Ye, fellow of NIST and JILA and Monroe Endowed Professor of Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder, has won the 2026 Wolf Prize in Physics along with Immanuel Bloch (Max Planck Institute), the Wolf Foundation announced on October 1.
Ye and Bloch were selected for “transformative, widely applicable advances in the control of ultracold atomic systems,” the award citation reads.
Ye has led the development of the world’s most accurate and stable atomic clocks, timekeepers so precise they neither gain nor lose a second over billions of years. His work has revolutionized precision timekeeping, redefining international standards for time and frequency measurement.
“Working with lasers and atoms to create precisely controlled quantum systems opens opportunities for many scientific and technological applications,” said Ye. “Building the next generation of atomic clocks is a compelling example of this scientific confluence.”
The Wolf Prize is awarded annually and acknowledges scientists and artists worldwide for their outstanding achievements in advancing science and the arts for the betterment of humanity, according to the foundation’s website. Awards in the sciences are presented in medicine, agriculture, mathematics, chemistry and physics.
Now in its 47th year, the Wolf Prize has been awarded to 391 scientists and artists to date, with a monetary award of $100,000.
