Professor Dick van Soolingen is in charge of research on tuberculosis and nontuberculous mycobacterial infections at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Centre for Infectious Diseases Research, Diagnostics and Screening and is an associated professor at the Radboud University, teaching Translational Tuberculosis Research, commissioned by the KNCV tuberculosis foundation. He received the award for his contributions to the molecular epidemiology of tuberculosis, the taxonomy of mycobacteria, insight into the clinical relevance of nontuberculous mycobacteria, research on resistance against antibiotics, capacity building etc.

The Gardner Middlebrook award honors scientists who have made significant lifetime contributions to improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of mycobacterial disease. Only a small cadre of microbiologists is selected by their peers to receive this international award.