The Philomathia Foundation is delighted to announce that Jonathan Weigel, an assistant professor of business and public policy at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Philomathia Prize.

The prize, established in 2021 through an endowment gift from the Philomathia Foundation, is presented annually to an early-career UC Berkeley faculty member who demonstrates great distinction and promise in their field. The award includes a $200,000 prize, which Dr. Weigel can use at his discretion to support his research.

Dr. Weigel’s research focuses on the challenging question of how a fragile state, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), can build its capacity to better serve its citizens. He works directly with local governments, using innovative methods like drone imagery and AI to assess properties and build transparent, accountable tax systems. His work aims to break the “low revenue, low performance” trap that many fragile states face, where citizens do not trust their governments enough to pay taxes.

This prize will provide crucial funding for his work, especially as he seeks to scale up his projects. The award will be formally presented on October 15, 2025, at Philomathia Day.

To learn more about Jonathan Weigel’s research and the 2025 Philomathia Prize, please read the full announcement on the UC Berkeley Inspire website.