The international jury valued his innovative work in the sequential genomes of extinct species and peoples, and his revolutionary contributions in paleogenomics which have revealed genetic connections between modern humans and extinct hominins, transforming our understanding of human evolution. He has received other recognition, such as the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2022 and the Príncipe de Asturias award.

The Hypatia Prize, awarded by Barcelona City Council in collaboration with the Barcelona Knowledge Hub of Academia Europaea, was created in 2018 as one of the measures in the first Barcelona Science Plan. Its goal is to give visibility to excellence in research in Europe and provide a boost for Barcelona as a European Capital of Science and Knowledge.