The Ecological Society of America on Wednesday awards. , a 天美影视传媒 assistant professor of environmental and forest science, was named an Early Career Fellow, which recognizes scientists for contributions to advancing and applying ecological knowledge within eight years of completing a doctorate.

Willing studies how microbes respond, and help plants cope with, environmental change. focuses on fungi and other microbes living near plant roots. Much like the gut microbiome, these communities play a critical role in plant nutrition, immune function and overall forest health.

Willing鈥檚 lab focuses on understanding these communities and how they are shifting with climate change. Her research integrates methods from various scientific disciplines to gain insight into the ecosystem-wide impact of fungi.

鈥淚 work across pretty diverse fields, from fungal ecology to plant and forest ecology,鈥� Willing said. 鈥淚ntegrating everything together is challenging, but I think it’s a critical intersection to study right now and this award is a nice acknowledgement of that.鈥�

As a Faculty Fellow, Willing also collaborates with federal, state and tribal agencies to incorporate fungi into climate adaptation planning.

Many of her lab鈥檚 projects examine responses to climate change. For example, one of Willing鈥檚 current grad students is studying fungi in post-fire ecosystems.

Some fungal groups are fire-adapted, meaning that they can withstand wildfire better than others. After wildfire, the soil often becomes hydrophobic, which causes water to run off the surface instead of soaking in. This increases the risk of erosion, among other consequences. Fungi help seedlings to establish and stabilize the soil by helping it retain water.

Early findings from her lab indicate that prolonged fire suppression, a stewardship strategy intended to minimize wildfire impacts, can limit microorganisms fire tolerance, which then exacerbates the damage caused by a fire.

鈥淭here are lots of different nuances that we鈥檙e really just starting to understand,鈥� Willing said.

She hopes this work can help inform future forest management practices. Although there are many mushroom enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest, Willing is one of few scientists in the region studying how these organisms fold into broader ecosystems.

Most of the data on microbial communities was collected within the past 20 years or so, which makes it difficult to gauge how these organisms are responding to climate change. Another project in Willing鈥檚 lab involves conducting genetic analyses on preserved plant specimens to establish a baseline for fungal health.

鈥淥ur understanding of what fungal and bacterial communities were like before the onset of rapid warming is really limited,鈥� Willing said.

Building this baseline will help researchers see how microbial communities are evolving and reveal management opportunities.

Without fungi, life on Earth couldn鈥檛 exist as we know it. Dead logs and fallen leaves would simply accumulate, with nothing to break them down and return their nutrients to the soil.

鈥淔ungi are involved in everything,鈥� Willing said. 鈥淚n the cycle of life, they are at the beginning, helping plants to take root across every ecosystem on Earth, and at the end, helping to create lush soils for future life to flourish.鈥�

ESA will acknowledge and celebrate fellows during a ceremony on July 27 at the annual meeting in Salt Lake City. Early Career Fellows are elected for five years.

For more information about her work, contact Willing at willingc@uw.edu.

Affiliate professor of biology receives 2026 Kenneth S. Norris Lifetime Achievement Award听

, a research scientist and affiliate professor in the in the Department of Biology at the 天美影视传媒, was honored with the 听from the听. The award recognizes exemplary lifetime contributions to science and society through research, teaching, and service in marine mammalogy.听

Over a 40-year career, Moore鈥檚 research has focused on cetacean ecology, acoustics, and natural history, particularly in the Arctic. A prolific researcher, she is widely recognized as a pioneer in using marine mammals as ecosystem sentinels in this rapidly changing region. Over decades of studying whales, Moore has helped scientists understand the health of ocean environments and how they are changing over time. Her work provides critical insight into the impacts of climate change in the Arctic and how marine ecosystems are responding. Her contributions to Arctic science have also been recognized with the听听from the International Arctic Science Committee and the 2023听听from the Alaska SeaLife Center; she is also a science adviser to the Washington State Academy of听Sciences,听and was appointed Commissioner听of the听 in 2022.

Natt-Lingafelter professor of chemistry awarded 2026 Earle K. Plyler Prize听

,听professor of chemistry at the UW,听was听awarded the 2026听 from the American Physical Society for her impactful contributions to the anharmonic vibrational spectroscopy and dynamics of molecular radicals, ions, and clusters. Established in 1976, the prize honors pioneering spectroscopist Earle K. Plyler and is sponsored by the Journal of Chemical Physics. The prize will be presented at the APS Global Physics Summit, the world鈥檚 largest physics research conference, in March 2026.

McCoy鈥檚 research focuses on theoretical chemistry, where she develops methods to understand how molecules move, vibrate, and exchange energy. Her work has helped scientists better understand the fundamental behavior of molecules鈥攑roviding insight into how chemical reactions occur and how energy flows through molecular systems. Much of her recent work has focused on hydrogen-bonded systems and, specifically, proton transport. She is also interested in exotic molecules, like CH5+ and H5+, which have been proposed to exist in the interstellar medium. These advances help lay the groundwork for progress in areas ranging from atmospheric chemistry to materials science.

UW joint professor of mathematics and computer science awarded inaugural Trevisan Prize听

天美影视传媒 professor 听has received the听 for his breakthrough contributions to the study of optimization problems.听Rothvoss听holds joint appointments in the Department of Mathematics and the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering and was honored in the mid-career category鈥攁 recognition of his impactful work over the course of his career.

for outstanding work in the theory of computing is sponsored by the Department of Computing Sciences at Bocconi University and the Italian Academy of Sciences. Awardees receive a one-time monetary prize and a medal and are invited to give public lectures at Bocconi University. The award ceremony and lectures took place in January 2026.

Rothvoss听has built a distinguished record of contributions to theoretical computer science and discrete optimization. He shares that 鈥渙ver the years my focus has changed a bit…I worked on approximation algorithms, which deal with finding provably good solutions to NP-hard problems in polynomial time.鈥� His work has since shifted toward discrepancy theory and the theoretical foundations of linear and integer programming.听In simple terms,听Rothvoss听studies听the mathematics听behind making听optimal听decisions听in听highly complex听systems. His research helps reveal when efficient solutions are听possible and optimization problems can be solved.听

Political听science听professor听receives John Gaus Award听

,听professor of听political听science at the UW,听received the听听from the American Political Science Association听(APSA).听

The John Gaus Award is presented annually to honor a lifetime of exemplary scholarship in the joint tradition of political science and public administration. Prakash was selected unanimously for the award in recognition of a career devoted to advancing scholarship at the intersection of political science and public administration. A nomination letter noted that Prakash鈥檚 research, particularly on environmental issues, has helped bring environmental concerns into public administration in a variety of ways, including examining how businesses and NGOs can fill governance gaps. At the same time, the letter highlighted how his work explores the risks of these nontraditional governance mechanisms, including potential issues such as regulatory capture and accountability deficits.听

Prakash鈥檚 research spans environmental governance, public policy, and global political economy. Over the course of his career, he has published eight scholarly books and more than 130 articles in peer-reviewed journals, with his work cited more than 18,000 times across the field. As part of the honor, Prakash presented the Gaus Lecture at the APSA Annual Meeting in September 2025.

Washington Sea Grant听interim听director听receives听governor鈥檚听leadership听award听

, interim director of Washington Sea Grant, received the听, which recognizes exemplary leadership and service to the state of Washington.

Little was honored for her work supporting the state鈥檚 coastal communities through Washington Sea Grant鈥檚 research, outreach, and partnership-driven initiatives.听

Little has dedicated more than 15 years to strengthening Washington鈥檚 coast through strategic vision, inclusive practices, and sustained investment in community-centered programs. Under her leadership, Washington Sea Grant delivered nearly $250 million in services and economic benefits statewide between 2021 and 2024, reflecting the program鈥檚 broad impact across coastal and maritime communities.听

鈥淎 big thank you to the team at Washington Sea Grant for the nomination,鈥� Little said.听鈥淚鈥檓听deeply grateful to work alongside such thoughtful colleagues, who are so dedicated to our shared work.听I鈥檓听so honored by this recognition from the听governor. This award really is a testament to the impact of Washington Sea Grant鈥檚 work in serving the state鈥檚 coastal communities.鈥�

Biology听professor听awarded Rome Prize Fellowship in Environmental Arts & Humanities听

, professor of biology听at听the UW,听was awarded听the prestigious in the new Environmental Arts & Humanities category by the听. This pilot fellowship supports collaborative projects that explore how human beings relate to, experience, and interpret the natural world.

In partnership with Katharine Ogle, lecturer听of听English at听the University听of Southern California, Summers will pursue a project titled听鈥淧iscis Romana.鈥�听Their work draws on听natural history听research conducted at the Friday Harbor Laboratories to investigate the links between marine life,听ecology,听and poetic expression.听

鈥淭his听award will allow听Katie Ogle and听me to听further explore the links between poetry and natural history that have been developed by a group of us at Friday Harbor Labs,鈥澨齋ummers said.听

Summers鈥� biological research spans marine and aquatic systems with a strong emphasis on understanding organismal form,听function,听and the broader natural-history context in which听species听evolve and interact. Partnering听with Ogle, he will extend that scientific inquiry into the realm of arts and humanities, looking at how the natural world inspires literary forms,听metaphors,听and cultural narratives.听

With this Rome Prize fellowship, Summers joins a competitive cohort selected from听nearly 1,000听applicants and will spend several听months in听residence at the Academy in Rome, working among scholars and artists from around the world.听

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Oct. 8 to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi “for the development of metal鈥搊rganic frameworks,” or MOFs.

These materials are made up of a repeated network of molecular building blocks that form a crystalline structure that has large pores in it. MOFs are incredibly modular, which means they can be used for a seemingly endless variety of applications, including harvesting water from desert air or removing toxic chemicals from a solution.

Both , a 天美影视传媒 associate professor of chemistry, and , a UW assistant professor of chemistry, use MOFs in their research at the UW. UW News reached out to them to learn more about the significance of these structures and how researchers use them.

Can you explain what a MOF is?

Dianne Xiao: MOFs are materials composed of metal ions 鈥� we call these the “nodes” 鈥� connected by rigid organic bridging groups 鈥� we call these the “struts.”听 Together they make an extended, crystalline porous network.

There are many different analogies that people have used to explain MOFs to a general audience. One common description is a “crystalline sponge,” which highlights how MOFs have very large interior surface areas and void spaces that can be used to bind and store specific molecules, what we call “guests.”

Another phrase people have used is “molecular tinker toys,” which highlights how tunable and modular the synthesis is: You can pair virtually any metal ion on the periodic table with hundreds, if not thousands, of different organic bridging groups, and obtain a MOF with properties tailored to your specific application.

What kind of chemistry do they help facilitate?

Douglas Reed: The modularity of MOFs allows researchers to design materials to soak up a specific guest molecule, and the immensely high surface areas enable MOFs to remove large quantities of these guest molecules very quickly. One example is removing carbon dioxide from industrial waste streams: This application requires a material that can selectively soak up carbon dioxide, but leave behind benign molecules, such as nitrogen and water. MOFs can do this with greater selectivity, higher carbon dioxide removal capacity and lower energy penalties than traditional technologies.

In another example, MOFs with different organic struts and metal nodes can be used to remove forever chemicals, such as PFAS, or toxic chemicals, such as heavy metals, from water.

Other researchers use the high surface area of the pore to more effectively store large quantities of gasses, such as hydrogen, that can be used as clean fuels. People can even place catalytic sites within the pores to perform challenging chemical reactions.

What is the significance of the discovery that was awarded this year?

DX: We already have some porous materials, such as activated carbon, mesoporous silica and zeolites, which play incredibly important roles in industry and in our daily lives. But compared to these traditional porous materials, what makes MOFs distinct and significant is their molecular tunability and structural diversity.

As the , since Kitagawa, Robson and Yaghi鈥檚 foundational work in the 1990s, tens of thousands of MOFs have been synthesized and discovered. Some of these MOFs have already been commercialized for applications, such as carbon dioxide capture and toxic gas storage. However, regardless of commercialization potential, the field of MOFs has been and will continue to be a very exciting field for basic science, thanks to their tunability!

Can you talk about how you use MOFs in your research at the UW?

DX: Porous materials, and MOFs specifically, are central to my group鈥檚 research. One area is heterogeneous catalysis, where we take advantage of the tunability of MOFs to create active sites that make it easier for chemical reactions to happen than they would on their own. We鈥檙e also very interested in making porous materials that can conduct electricity for applications such as electrochemical carbon dioxide capture and electrocatalysis.

DR: While our research group doesn鈥檛 study traditional MOFs, we use MOF-based concepts to make existing materials porous. With this extra space, we can potentially make more stable solar cells by introducing repair molecules. Similarly, we can increase the efficiency of cooling devices by providing better airflow through the material. Many foundational synthetic methods for our current research are based on existing metal鈥搊rganic frameworks.

For more information, contact Xiao at djxiao@uw.edu and Reed at dreed4@uw.edu.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Tuesday awarded the 2025 jointly to , and , 鈥渇or the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunneling and energy quantization in an electric circuit.鈥�

Clarke, a professor emeritus of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, collaborates with the at the 天美影视传媒. ADMX scans for evidence of dark matter from beneath the Seattle campus, in a cold dark box surrounded by a powerful magnetic field. The experiment is managed by the U.S. Department of Energy鈥檚 and it hinges on technology designed by Clarke.

鈥淚 was elated upon hearing the news about John. Simply elated,鈥� said , a UW professor emeritus of physics and lead scientist at ADMX.

The three laureates were recognized for that captured two quantum mechanical properties at the visible scale. Clarke鈥檚 brainchild, which caught Rosenberg鈥檚 attention 25 years ago, is a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device, or SQUID, which can make ultrasensitive measurements.

鈥淛ohn Clarke first got involved with ADMX around 2000,鈥� Rosenberg recalled. 鈥淭o this day, he remains a much-loved ADMX collaborator.鈥�

The relationship began when ADMX organized a workshop at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory to brainstorm solutions to a technical issue the researchers had encountered. The way the experiment searches for dark matter is akin to a radio searching for a station, but instead of music, it is looking for axions 鈥� the particles theorized to make up dark matter.

Detecting axions requires amplifying very, very quiet microwaves. At the time, the group only had access to noisy electronic amplifiers, which were drowning out the very signal they sought to capture. At the workshop, Clarke presented a SQUID amplifier as a potential solution.

鈥淲e considered all kinds of alternative technologies, but none fit the bill,鈥� Rosenberg said. 鈥淭he SQUID amplifiers were indeed the breakthrough we needed.鈥�

Clarke joined ADMX and brought the amplifiers with him. , a UW professor of physics and co-spokesperson for ADMX, was a postdoc at the time.

鈥淭he SQUID amplifiers gave us the sensitivity necessary to do a search,鈥� Rybka said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been operating for years and years and have only explored a fraction of the space, but we couldn鈥檛 have even started without these amplifiers.鈥�

ADMX is still using an iteration of Clarke鈥檚 original amplifier, improved upon by his students over the years. Still, the 鈥渂ig transition,鈥� was moving to the SQUID amplifier, and that is just one example of how this technology can revolutionize an experiment.

鈥淭he laureates moved the field of particle physics from classical measurement to quantum sensing,鈥� Rybka said. 鈥淚t makes stuff that used to just be on the blackboard 鈥� quantum mechanics 鈥� experimentally accessible and even useful. In my opinion, you wouldn鈥檛 have modern quantum computers without the work done by this group.鈥�

The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute on Monday jointly to 鈥� an alum of the 天美影视传媒 鈥� along with Frederick J. Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi “for groundbreaking discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance that prevents the immune system from harming the body.”

Brunkow is a senior program manager at the , and received her bachelor’s degree in molecular and cellular biology from the UW in 1983. Brunkow went on to .

Brunkow鈥檚 award-winning research comes from when she was working with Ramsdell at Celltech Chiroscience in Bothell, Washington. The two researchers identified a mutation in a gene called foxp3, which makes mice susceptible to a type of skin disorder. Mutations in the human equivalent of the foxp3 gene are also responsible for , which has symptoms including intestinal problems, diabetes and scaly, itchy skin.

Sakaguchi later described the role of the wild-type听foxp3听gene in the development of certain white blood cells known as regulatory T cells. These cells, which Sakaguchi discovered, keep other T cells from mistakenly attacking normal tissues. Regulatory T cells also call a cease-fire once the body gets an infection under control.

These findings provided insights into the concept of “peripheral immune tolerance,” which keeps the immune system in check by avoiding autoimmune responses that can damage healthy tissues. The field, which was honored by this year鈥檚 Nobel Prize, holds promise in advancing therapies for cancers and autoimmune diseases, and for improvements in treatments to reduce transplant rejection.

Brunkow did not immediately know that she had been awarded the Nobel Prize. She only found out when the family dog alerted them to someone at their door this morning 鈥� it was an .

Brunkow is the sixth UW alumnus to win a Nobel Prize after Jeffrey C. Hall, George Hitchings, George Stigler, Martin Rodbell and Linda B. Buck. Hitchings, Stigler and Buck all earned their bachelor鈥檚 degrees from UW, graduating in 1927, 1931 and 1975, respectively. Rodbell and Hall earned their doctoral degrees from UW in 1954 and 1971, respectively.

The previous Nobel prize for a scientist working in Seattle went to David Baker, professor of biochemistry at the UW School of Medicine and director of the UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design. .

Recent recognition of the 天美影视传媒 includes an AIS Early Career award, the Tomassoni-Chisesi prize for contributions to theoretical physics and the National Science Foundation CAREER award.

Foster School鈥檚 Mingwen Yang receives AIS early career award

, UW assistant professor of Information Systems and Operations Management in the Foster School of Business, received the from the Association for Information Systems.

is a leading international organization dedicated to advancing the practice and study of information systems. Established in 2014, the award recognizes exceptional early-career scholars who have made outstanding contributions to research, teaching and service in the field of information systems, both locally and globally.

A 2024 recipient, Yang was honored for her impactful early work and dedication to advancing the discipline through scholarship and education.

鈥淚 am deeply honored and grateful to receive the Association for Information Systems (AIS) Early Career Award, a meaningful milestone in the early stage of my academic journey,鈥� said Yang.

David Kaplan awarded Tomassoni-Chisesi Prize for advances in theoretical physics

, UW professor of physics, received the for his contributions to theoretical physics. Awarded by Sapienza University of Rome, the prize 鈥� worth approximately $45,000 鈥� was presented on March 18, 2025 by Giorgio Parisi, recipient of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Kaplan was recognized for solving a long-standing problem in physics: 鈥� those that exhibit handedness, meaning they behave differently when left- or right-handed 鈥� on a computer. His domain wall approach, which adds a fifth dimension to lattice simulations, has become a foundational tool in particle physics.

Reflecting on the personal significance of the recognition, Kaplan shared that the breakthrough has been decades in the making. 鈥淚 first heard about the problem in 1981 when visiting Princeton,鈥� he said. 鈥淣obel laureate David Gross described it, and I didn鈥檛 really understand it then 鈥� but filed it away in my mind as something interesting.鈥� That early spark led to a 1992 theory involving a five-dimensional model with two surfaces. It wasn鈥檛 until 2019, however, that he saw how a single-surface geometry 鈥� like a doughnut or sphere 鈥� could yield particles with the same interactions observed in nature, including the weak force. 鈥淭he jury is still out 鈥� but I feel that I am on the right path now and it is very exciting.鈥澨� When asked of his plans for the prize money, Kaplan shared his plans to donate to the UW Department of Physics 鈥� 鈥渨hich made the work possible.”

For such an incredible breakthrough, we asked what keeps him motivated to keep exploring such big, complex questions in physics. Kaplan鈥檚 answer was simple: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 need motivation to think about complex questions in physics,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 do it in the shower, as I walk to work, and in my sleep鈥� I find it all obsessively interesting and fun.鈥�

Marchand Receives $800K NSF award to advance synthetic DNA research

, UW assistant professor of chemical engineering, received a from the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, Systems and Synthetic Biology Program.

The is the agency鈥檚 most prestigious honor for early-career faculty, recognizing those with the potential to become academic leaders in both research and education.

With this award, Marchand鈥檚 lab will develop sequencing technologies capable of precisely reading and interpreting semi-synthetic DNA alphabets 鈥� genetic systems that use more than the four natural DNA bases found in all known life. In other words, while natural DNA uses a four-letter code (A, T, C, G), Marchand鈥檚 group is exploring the implications of expanding that alphabet to six letters. Their research aims to understand what happens to biological systems when the genetic code is fundamentally altered.

鈥淟ife evolved to use a four-letter DNA alphabet,鈥� Marchand said. 鈥淗ow much of biology breaks versus works when we change that alphabet to six letters is unknown. New technology is required to investigate these questions, which we will develop with this award.鈥�

Marchand said he鈥檚 proud of the recognition for his lab鈥檚 鈥渂old vision in engineering biology for compatibility with expanded genetic alphabets.鈥�

Twelve faculty members at the 天美影视传媒 have been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences. They are among 36 scientists and educators from across the state July 17 as new members. Election recognizes the new member鈥檚 鈥渙utstanding record of scientific and technical achievement and willingness to assist the Academy in providing the best available scientific information and technical understanding to inform complex policy decisions in Washington.鈥�听

The UW faculty members were selected by current WSAS members or by their election to national science academies. Eleven were voted on by current WSAS members:听

, professor, Bill & Melinda Gates Chair, and director of the Paul G. 听Allen School for Computer Science & Engineering, for 鈥渃ontributions in data management for data science, big data systems, cloud computing and image/video analytics and leadership in data science education.鈥�听

professor of civil & environmental engineering and of industrial & systems engineering, for 鈥減ioneering work in human mobility analysis and infrastructure resilience, which have transformed transportation systems in terms of both demand and supply, and shaped the future directions of transportation systems research on community-based solutions and disaster resilience.鈥�听

Lloyd and Kay Chapman Endowed Chair for Oral Health and associate dean for research in the UW School of Dentistry, and professor in the Department of Health Systems & Population Health, for 鈥渓eadership in understanding and addressing children’s oral health inequities through community-based socio-behavioral interventions and evidence-based policies.鈥�听

professor of biology, for 鈥渋nternationally recognized leadership in the biology of sleep, including groundbreaking research on molecular and genetic aspects of the brain, human behavioral studies on learning under varied sleep schedules, and contributions that have shaped policy on school schedules and standard time.鈥�听

, the Virginia and Prentice Bloedel professor of physics and of electrical & computer engineering, for 鈥渇oundational contributions to fundamental and applied research on the optical and spin properties of quantum point defects in crystals and for service and leadership in the quantum community.鈥� 听

, professor and chair of human centered design and engineering, for 鈥渁ward-winning leadership in HCI computing, whose research has advanced health and education technology, influenced policy, and shaped the HCI field of through impactful scholarship, interdisciplinary collaboration and inclusive, real-world technology design.鈥�听

, professor and associate dean for research in the UW School of Social Work, for 鈥渃ontributions to understanding psychosocial and physiological factors that moderate the effectiveness of their interventions and ultimately improve the health of children with abdominal pain disorders.鈥�听

, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine and of pharmacy, 鈥渇or leadership in health economics and cancer research, including work on financial toxicity, cost- effectiveness, and healthcare policy that has influenced national discussions, improved cancer care access, and shaped policies for equitable and sustainable healthcare.鈥� Ramsey is also Director of the Cancer Outcomes Research Program at Fred Hutch.听

, professor of bioengineering and Vice Dean of Research and Graduate Education in the UW School of Medicine, for 鈥渘ational leadership in biomedical research, research policy, and graduate education, including pioneering novel drug delivery approaches for regenerative medicine applications in the nervous system and other tissues such as bone, cartilage, tendon and skin.鈥�听

, Rabinowitz Endowed Professor of Earth and space sciences, for 鈥渞evolutionizing our understanding of climate change in Antarctica through pioneering ice core extractions under hazardous Antarctic conditions and their subsequent analyses over two decades, and for applying that expertise to advance climate research in Washington State.鈥�听

, professor of pharmaceutics, for 鈥減ioneering contributions to pharmaceutical and translational sciences, including groundbreaking research on drug transporters, PBPK modeling and maternal-fetal pharmacology that have helped shaped drug safety policies.鈥�听

The Academy also welcomed new members who were selected by virtue of their election to the National Academies of Science, Engineering or Medicine. Among them is , the Arthur B. McDonald professor of physics and director of the Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics. Hertzog was elected to the National Academy of Sciences last year. 听

is a third-year doctoral student in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) and a military spouse. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on global health and conservation.

earned a degree in Economics from the US Air Force Academy, and served nearly nine years on active duty, leading Pararescue teams on three deployments to the Middle East and Africa. He earned a master鈥檚 degree in Emergency and Disaster Management and is now in his final year at the 天美影视传媒 School of Medicine.

Selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants, the 42 new scholars join a community of changemakers dedicated to making a positive difference across fields such as medicine, law, education, public policy, technology and the arts.

In 2002, Pat Tillman put his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals on hold to serve his country. In 2004, his family and friends started the to carry forward that legacy. The foundation provides academic scholarships and support to elite military service members, veterans and spouses to help them reach their fullest potential as leaders 鈥� no matter how they choose to serve.

Learn more at the.

• , professor of neurobiology and biophysics, and adjunct professor of applied mathematics
• , Arthur B. McDonald Professor of Physics and director at the Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics

Fairhall and Hertzog are among 120 new members and 30 international members elected 鈥渋n recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research,鈥� . Chartered in 1863, the National Academy of Sciences provides policy advice and input to governmental, nonprofit and private organizations.

develops theoretical approaches to understand how nervous systems process information. She collaborates with experimental labs across the UW, examining information processing in systems that range from single neurons 鈥� nerve cells that receive and conduct signals 鈥� to neural networks. She鈥檚 studied how mosquitoes use heat and chemical cues to forage, and how neural inputs drive muscle activation and biomechanics in hydra 鈥� tiny, tentacled invertebrates that live in water.

Fairhall grew up in Australia. She completed her master鈥檚 and Ph.D. in physics at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. She was a postdoctoral scholar at Princeton University before joining the UW School of Medicine faculty in 2004. Among Fairhall鈥檚 honors and awards are a Sloan Fellowship, a Burroughs Wellcome 鈥淐areers at the Scientific Interface鈥� Fellowship and a McKnight Scholar Award. She was named an Allen Institute Distinguished Investigator. In 2022, she was Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair at the 脡cole Normale Sup茅rieure in Paris.

Hertzog leads the UW , a research group that has designed and constructed detectors for high-precision experiments with muons 鈥� similar to electrons, but about 200 times more massive 鈥� conducted at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory near Chicago. The UW team also has led efforts to analyze the massive amounts of data produced in that experiment, known as the听.

The overarching goal is to test the 鈥� a theory to describe how the universe works at its most fundamental level.听Studying the behavior of muons may help determine whether muons are interacting solely with known particles and forces, or if unknown particles or forces exist.

Hertzog completed his Ph.D. in physics at The College of William & Mary. Following time at Carnegie-Mellon University and the University of Illinois, he joined the UW as a professor in 2010. He鈥檚 served on numerous scientific advisory committees and panels and is coauthor of more than 200 papers and technical reports. He has mentored or co-mentored more than 20 Ph.D. students and 15 postdoctoral researchers.

With this year鈥檚 additions, the National Academy of Sciences now has 2,662 active members and 556 international members.

Recent recognition of the 天美影视传媒 includes an EarthLab Innovation Grant, the Best Paper Award from American Political Science Association and honorable recognition mention from the American Society for Theatre Research.

UW professor Richard Watts and team awarded EarthLab Innovation Grant

, UW associate professor of French, is part of an interdisciplinary team from the UW that received an to support their collaborative project, 鈥淟ife in Spite of It All: Water, Wetlands, and Reclamation in a Changing Climate.鈥澨�听

The $80,000 grant, awarded through EarthLab鈥檚 2024鈥�25 funding cycle, supports a team that also includes additional members of the UW faculty: , remote-sensing scientist in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, and听, professor of international studies and director of the Jackson School of International Studies. Independent wetlands scholar and visual artist rounds out the team. The project focuses on documenting climate change and cultural resilience in a threatened wetlands region of the Senegal River Valley in southwestern Mauritania.听听

鈥淭his grant enabled our Seattle-based research and filmmaking team to conduct a second site visit to the region,鈥� Watts said. 鈥淭he footage the team gathered is now being edited for a documentary film that explores the environmental and human stakes of a disappearing landscape.鈥�听

Political science faculty honored for research on religion, policy and economic discrimination

, UW associate professor of political science, received the from the American Political Science Association鈥檚 (APSA) Religion & Politics Section.听

The award honors the best paper presented at the previous year鈥檚 APSA Annual Meeting that exemplifies the section鈥檚 mission: encouraging the study of the interrelations between religion and politics. Recipients are recognized for addressing timely and relevant topics in a theoretically innovative and methodologically rigorous way.听

Cansunar was recognized for her co-authored work, 鈥淗omogenizing the High Street: The Economic Cleansing of Minority Elites through Fiscal Discrimination,鈥� which explores the complex interplay between faith and policy. She sees the award as a meaningful affirmation of her scholarship in a field that is continuously evolving.听

鈥淩eceiving this award recognizes my work on the interplay between faith and policy,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his recognition encourages further thoughtful analysis of the intersection between religion and politics, both within academia and beyond.鈥�听

Theatre professor Stefka Mihaylova earns recognition for debut monograph

, UW associate professor of theatre theory and criticism, received honorable mention for from the American Society for Theatre Research.听

The honors exceptional research and scholarship in theatre history and is one of the most prestigious recognitions in the field. The honorable mention highlights Mihaylova鈥檚 debut monograph, 鈥淰iewers in Distress: Race, Gender, Religion, and Avant-Garde Performance at the Turn of the 21st Century.鈥�听

In the book, Mihaylova examines how avant-garde performance art engages with identity, faith and social distress, offering new insights into the political power of live performance.听

鈥淭his is an award for my first monograph Viewers in Distress: Race, Gender, Religion, and Avant-Garde Performance at the Turn of the 21st Century,鈥� Mihaylova said.听