From bringing back the woolly mammoth to a lifetime of generosity and giving, Liberty Science Center’s 14th annual Genius Gala on May 18, 2026, celebrated some of the great minds shaping our future. The newest addition to the Liberty Science Center Genius Award honorees include de-extinction paleogenomicist Beth Shapiro, artificial intelligence pioneer Yann LeCun, and conqueror of rare diseases Dr. David Fajgenbaum. Longtime board member, STEM Advocate, and business innovator Josh Weston was also honored with LSC’s Icon Award.

This year's Genius Gala raised a record $3.2 million in support of LSC's STEM education programs for students, teachers, and families—particularly in underserved communities. Donations directly support LSC's mission, inspiring future scientists and engineers.

There is still time to make a donation of any amount to support our education mission. 100% of your donation will directly support LSC programs that are inspiring future scientists and engineers.

Genius Award honorees Yann LeCun, Beth Shapiro, Dr. David Fajgenbaum, and LSC CEO and President Paul Hoffman

To start the evening, guests were welcomed to Liberty Science Center with various photo-ops, including outdoor drone photography and a glamorous red carpet right as they entered the building. Special guests on the red carpet included L5-C1, LSC’s very own droid, and Laser Show USA’s Mega Robot, as seen on “America’s Got Talent.”

Genius Gala red carpet, featuring L5-C1

As attendees took their seats in the main event space on the second floor, they found each table adorned with hand-crafted, 3D printed centerpieces, created in-house by LSC’s STEM Innovation team. These 75 backlit centerpieces were designed to represent each honoree through lithophanes— a surface that reveals an image when it is backlit.

Lithophane centerpieces created by LSC’s STEM Innovation Team

Opening remarks were made by Mayor James Solomon to kick off the main program of the night. “As the Mayor of Jersey City, I appreciate the not-for-profit Liberty Science Center and the brilliant scientists and tens of thousands of tourists that LSC draws to our city,” he said. “This evening, LSC will bestow its highest honor, the Genius Award, on three pioneers in the fields of medicine, evolutionary biology, and machine learning.”

Mayor James Solomon's opening remarks

LSC Board Member, Chief Scientific Officer at Kenvue, and Corporate Chair of the Genius Gala, Caroline Tillett, then joined the stage. “Companies like my employer, Kenvue, depend on a science-educated workforce. Liberty Science Center plays an important role in New Jersey in turning children on to science and getting them interested in STEM careers,” said Caroline, highlighting the importance of the funds raised by the Genius Gala in helping Liberty Science Center continue to inspire the minds of tomorrow.

LSC Board Member and Chief Scientific Officer of Kenvue Caroline Tillett

Welcomed on stage by Tillett was LSC’s President and CEO, Paul Hoffman. Hoffman shared Liberty Science Center’s extensive plans for expansion after the $40 million “Project Supernova” was approved in November of 2025. This expansion includes an 18-hole “principles of physics” miniature golf course, a river otter habitat, reimagining of key indoor LSC spaces, and much more. “Project Supernova is a game changer. It’s the biggest expansion of LSC since 2007, and I believe it will make us the most engaging, the most impactful, and the very best science learning center in the world,” Hoffman stated.

Hoffman went on to share more exciting updates coming soon to Liberty Science Center, as well as some that have already made their way on site. An exciting upgrade to the Energy Quest exhibition, Energy Quest 2.0, a reimagining of Dream Machine, and an interactive sculpture, Monuments to Motherhood, right outside the front door.

LSC President and CEO Paul Hoffman

As the time came to present the first award of the evening, LSC Board of Trustees Co-Chair Elect Ralph Izzo took the stage to share the lifetime accomplishments of Josh Weston. “Josh is the Chairman Emeritus of ADP and former STEM-focused CEO whose personal philanthropy has touched individuals and institutions around the world,” said Izzo. For his lifelong commitment to education and human rights, LSC honored Weston with an Icon Award.

Josh & Ron Weston at the Genius Gala

Presenting the first Genius Award of the night, Dr. Richard Hodosh introduced Dr. David Fajgenbaum, a physician, immunologist, and author of the bestselling memoir Chasing My Cure. Dr. Fajgenbaum was presented with this Genius Award for utilizing AI to identify existing drugs that might prove to be “off-label” therapies for diseases with no previous existing treatment.

Dr. David Fajgenbaum accepting the Genius Award

In true Genius Gala fashion, the night included two special guests: Sean Atitsogbe, also known as Sean the Science Kid, and Shoji Naruishi, also known as The Amazing Shoji.

“Sean is an amazing 11-year-old Ghanaian-American who has been a member of Mensa, the high IQ society, since the age of 4,” said Hoffman, welcoming Sean. Sean aspires to become the world’s first neurocardio surgeon, a term he coined himself by combining “neurologist” and “cardiologist.”

Sean the Science Kid

Shoji, now 14 years old, started performing magic at the age of 7. Having appeared on “America’s Got Talent,” “Penn and Teller Fool Us,” and “Tamron Hall,” Shoji brought his magical talents to Liberty Science Center. Reducing coins down to atoms, having them reappear, and correctly predicting randomly selected cards represent only part of his incredible skill set of close-up magic.

The Amazing Shoji

David Barry, board Co-Chair, had the pleasure of presenting the next Genius Award to de-extinction paleogenomicist, Beth Shapiro. She is the Chief Science Officer at Colossal Biosciences, the de-extinction company with a ground-breaking and controversial approach to promoting biodiversity: Reverse and curtail extinction by bioengineering charismatic megafauna and other animals with genes that better enable them to survive a warming, less hospitable planet.

Beth Shapiro accepting the Genius Award

As the Genius Gala program was coming to an end, it was time to present the final Genius Award of the evening. LSC trustee Lindsay Hans introduced Yann LeCun, who is regarded as one of “the three godfathers of AI.” LeCun was honored with this award for his pioneering work in machine learning, computer vision, robotics, and computational neuroscience.

Yann LeCun accepting the Genius Award

Though the award ceremony had come to a close, the night was not over yet, as guests were encouraged to head downstairs for dessert, dancing, speed chess, and more. Complete with a DJ and a light-up dance floor, the first floor invited attendees to finish off their night in style.

You can find videos from Liberty Science Center’s 14th annual Genius Gala below:

Dr. David Fajgenbaum Accepts Genius Award at Genius Gala 14
Beth Shapiro Accepts Genius Award at Genius Gala 14
Yann LeCun Accepts Genius Award at Genius Gala 1

Liberty Science Center extends special thanks to the Genius Gala Chairs for their hard work and dedication to the Gala. Caroline Tillett, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Kenvue, was the Corporate Chair of the event. The Innovation Chairs were Bruce L. Levy, President and CEO, BMR Energy; Timothy Tracy, Global Client Service Partner, Americas Private Equity Leader, EY; Gregory Tusar, Head of Institutional Product, Coinbase; and Mr. Weston, Honorary Chairman, ADP.

The Co-Chairs were David Barry, Founder and CEO, Urby; Lindsay Hans, President and Co-Head, Merrill Wealth Management; Richard Hodosh, MD, and Lisa Brooking; Chirag Patel, Co-CEO and President, Amneal Pharmaceuticals; Al Reba, SVP, Immunology & Cardiovascular Commercialization, Bristol Myers Squibb; Anthony T. Skiadas, EVP, CFO, Verizon Communications; Clarissa Weber, CFO, Global Product & Technology, Global Security, Strategy and Procurement, ADP; and Jennifer Yettke & Alex Haro.