Flint water researcher Siddhartha Roy receives Maddox prize amid scientific disputes

Dr Siddhartha Roy has won the 2026 Maddox prize, which honours people who defend science and evidence in the face of hostility or other challenges. In a Guardian podcast interview with Ian Sample, he discusses his involvement in the Flint, Michigan, water crisis and the friendships he says his work cost him.

Roy was a third-year PhD student when he joined scientists challenging state and federal assertions that Flint’s water was safe despite dangerous lead contamination. The Guardian’s account describes him becoming a local hero before subsequent research challenged the idea that the crisis had left Flint children permanently brain damaged, bringing a change in how his work was received.

The account highlights tensions around scientific evidence in a community affected by lead-contaminated water: researchers challenged official safety assurances, while later findings disputed claims about lasting harm. However, the podcast description provides no study methods, figures or detailed findings, so it does not establish the extent of children’s long-term health effects.