70-year-old geneticist and devout Christian Francis Collins is director of the National Institutes of Health.
Collins was awarded the 2020 Templeton Prize on Thursday.
The prize is one of the world's top religious awards.
According to HuffPost, Collins received the award for demonstrating how science and faith are compatible.
He used his acceptance speech to decry the political divide that is causing some Americans to question the science behind climate change and COVID-19.