The 2026 Chu Lectureship will welcome Dr. Kevan Shokat to the podium. A highly decorated scientist, Dr. Shokat is a professor and chair in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco, a professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He frequently is mentioned as a potential laureate due to his groundbreaking work on making the previously "undruggable" KRAS cancer gene treatable, leading to the first FDA-approved KRAS drug (Sotorasib)). He has received major accolades such as the prestigious Sjoberg Prize (from the same academy awarding Nobels) in 2023 for his discoveries, solidifying his impact on cancer therapy.