Junhao Wen Receives the 2026 Nathan Shock New Investigator Award

We are pleased to congratulate Junhao Wen, PhD, assistant professor of radiological sciences, on being named the recipient of the 2026 Nathan Shock New Investigator Award from the Gerontological Society of America.

The Nathan Shock New Investigator Award recognizes innovative and influential publications that advance the biology of aging. Established in 1986 in honor of Nathan Shock, PhD, the award acknowledges outstanding contributions to new knowledge about aging through basic biological research. Shock, a pioneer in gerontological research at the National Institutes of Health, was a founding member of the Gerontological Society of America.

Wen is a computational neuroscientist whose research uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze large-scale imaging, genetic, proteomic, and other biomedical data to better understand biological aging and age-related diseases. Leading the MULTI Consortium with collaborators around the world, Wen's work has introduced novel AI-based approaches for identifying distinct patterns of brain aging and Alzheimer's disease, revealing how genetic and clinical factors shape aging trajectories and disease risk. His work has also advanced multi-organ and multi-omics biological aging clocks, providing new tools to measure biological aging and improve the prediction of age-related disease and mortality. These studies have appeared in leading journals including Nature, Nature Medicine, Nature Aging, Nature Biomedical Engineering, and Nature Mental Health.

Wen also serves as director of imaging genomic research for Columbia's Center for Innovation in Imaging Biomarkers and Integrated Diagnostics. 

Wen will be formally recognized at the Biological Sciences Presidential Symposia & Recognition Event during the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting on Thursday, November 5, 2026, in National Harbor, Maryland.