UC Berkeley professor wins a Kyoto Prize

A Berkeley-based computer scientist, a philosophy professor and a molecular biologist will each receive $460,000 as winners of this year’s Kyoto Prizes for achievement in the arts and sciences. The awards were announced Friday.

Computer scientist Richard Karp, a professor at UC Berkeley, won the prize in advanced technology for his work in measuring how difficult certain computational problems are to solve -- a fundamental step in designing computer algorithms.

The award in arts and philosophy goes to Charles Taylor, professor emeritus at Canada’s McGill University, for developing a social philosophy intended to help individuals from diverse backgrounds keep their identities and still live peacefully together.

Canadian molecular biologist Anthony Pawson was picked in the basic sciences category for research that deepened understanding of how cells communicate. The University of Toronto professor’s discoveries spurred development of anti-cancer drugs.

The Inamori Foundation will present each laureate with a gold medal and a cash gift of 50 million yen (about U.S. $460,000) at a ceremony in Kyoto in November.