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

UPDATE (Aug. 2, 2024): A previous version of this story misstated Paul Kinahan’s name.

Fifteen 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 . Selection recognizes the new members鈥� 鈥渙utstanding record of scientific and technical achievement, and their willingness to work on behalf of the academy to bring the best available science to bear on issues within the state of Washington.鈥�

Twelve UW faculty members were selected by current WSAS members. They are:

• , associate professor of epidemiology, of health systems and population health, and of child, family and population health nursing, who 鈥減ossesses the rare combination of scientific rigor and courageous commitment to local community health. Identifying original ways to examine questions, and seeking out appropriate scientific methods to study those questions, allow her to translate research to collaborative community interventions with a direct impact on the health of communities.鈥�
• , the Shauna C. Larson endowed chair in learning sciences, for 鈥渉is work in the cultural basis of scientific research and learning, bringing rigor and light to multiculturalism in science and STEM education through STEM Teaching Tools and other programs.鈥�
• , professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, 鈥渇or her sustained commitment to community-engaged, science-driven practice and policy change related to the prevention of suicide and the promotion of mental health, with a focus on providing effective, sustainable and culturally appropriate care to people with serious mental illness.鈥�
• , the David and Nancy Auth endowed professor in bioengineering, who has 鈥渃harted new paths for 30-plus years. Her quest to deeply understand protein folding/unfolding and the link to amyloid diseases has propelled her to pioneer unique computational and experimental methods leading to the discovery and characterization of a new protein structure linked to toxicity early in amyloidogenesis.鈥�
• , professor of environmental and occupational health sciences, of global health, and of emergency medicine, who is 鈥渁 global and national leader at the intersection of climate change and health whose work has advanced our understanding of climate change health effects and has informed the design of preparedness and disaster response planning in Washington state, nationally and globally.鈥�
• , professor of bioengineering and of radiology, who is 鈥渞ecognized for his contributions to the science and engineering of medical imaging systems and for leadership in national programs and professional and scientific societies advancing the capabilities of medical imaging.鈥�
• , the Donald W. and Ruth Mary Close professor of electrical and computer engineering and faculty member in the UW Clean Energy Institute, who is 鈥渞ecognized for his distinguished research contributions to the design and operation of economical, reliable and environmentally sustainable power systems, and the development of influential educational materials used to train the next generation of power engineers.鈥�
• , senior vice president and director of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, the Joel D. Meyers endowed chair of clinical research and of vaccine and infectious disease at Fred Hutch, and UW professor of medicine, who is 鈥渋s recognized for her seminal contributions to developing validated laboratory methods for interrogating cellular and humoral immune responses to HIV, TB and COVID-19 vaccines, which has led to the analysis of more than 100 vaccine and monoclonal antibody trials for nearly three decades, including evidence of T-cell immune responses as a correlate of vaccine protection.鈥�
• , professor of political science and the Walker family professor for the arts and sciences, who is a specialist 鈥渋n environmental politics, international political economy, and the politics of nonprofit organizations. He is widely recognized as a leader in the field of environmental politics, best known for his path-breaking research on the role firms and nongovernmental organizations can play in promoting more stringent regulatory standards.鈥�
• , the Ballmer endowed dean of social work, for investigations of 鈥渉ow inequality, in its many forms, affects health, illness and quality of life. He has developed unique conceptual frameworks to investigate how race, ethnicity and immigration are associated with health and social outcomes.鈥�
• , professor of chemistry, who is elected 鈥渇or distinguished scientific and community contributions to advancing the field of electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, which have transformed how researchers worldwide analyze data.鈥�
• , professor of bioengineering and of ophthalmology, whose 鈥減ioneering work in biomedical optics, including the invention of optical microangiography and development of novel imaging technologies, has transformed clinical practice, significantly improving patient outcomes. Through his numerous publications, patents and clinical translations, his research has helped shape the field of biomedical optics.鈥�

Three new UW members of the academy were selected by virtue of their previous election to one of the National Academies. They are:

• , professor of atmospheric and climate science, who had been elected to the National Academy of Sciences 鈥渇or contributions to research and expertise in atmospheric radiation and cloud processes, remote sensing, cloud/aerosol/radiation/climate interactions, stratospheric circulation and stratosphere-troposphere exchanges and coupling, and climate change.鈥�
• , the Bartley Dobb professor for the study and prevention of violence in the Department of Epidemiology and a UW professor of pediatrics, who had been elected to the National Academy of Medicine 鈥渇or being a national public health leader whose innovative and multidisciplinary research to integrate data across the health care system and criminal legal system has deepened our understanding of the risk and consequences of firearm-related harm and informed policies and programs to reduce its burden, especially among underserved communities and populations.鈥�
• , division chief of general pediatrics at Seattle Children鈥檚 Hospital and a UW professor of pediatrics, who had been elected to the National Academy of Medicine 鈥渇or her leadership in advancing child health equity through scholarship in community-partnered design of innovative care models in pediatric primary care. Her work has transformed our understanding of how to deliver child preventive health care during the critical early childhood period to achieve equitable health outcomes and reduce disparities.鈥�

In addition, Dr. , president and director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and of the Cancer Consortium 鈥� a partnership between the UW, Seattle Children鈥檚 Hospital and Fred Hutch 鈥� was elected to the academy for being 鈥減art of a research effort that found mutations in the cell-surface protein epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which plays an important role in helping lung cancer cells survive. Today, drugs that target EGFR can dramatically change outcomes for lung cancer patients by slowing the progression of the cancer.鈥�

the Boeing-Egtvedt endowed professor and chair in aeronautics and astronautics, will join the board effective Sept. 30. Morgansen was elected to WSAS in 2021 鈥渇or significant advances in nonlinear methods for integrated sensing and control in engineered, bioinspired and biological flight systems,鈥� and 鈥渇or leadership in cross-disciplinary aerospace workforce development.鈥� She is currently director of the Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium, co-director of the UW Space Policy and Research Center and chair of the AIAA Aerospace Department Chairs Association. She is also a member of the WSAS education committee.

鈥淚 am excited to serve on the WSAS board and work with WSAS members to leverage and grow WSAS鈥檚 impact by identifying new opportunities for WSAS to collaborate and partner with the state in addressing the state鈥檚 needs,鈥� said Morgansen.

The new members to the Washington State Academy of Sciences will be formally inducted in September.

Several honors, grant awards in 2020 for Nadya Peek of HCDE

, UW assistant professor of human centered design and engineering, received an honor in 2020 as well as several research grants. MIT Review in June named her to its annual list of , celebrating those whose work “has the greatest potential to transform the world.”

Peek leads the UW’s , a research group that uses machine precision to assist human creativity, and co-directs the .

In recent months, Peek received a from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to study testing and verification of quality control strategies for manufactured products responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. She and a University of California colleague also were awarded a two-year National Science Foundation to research digital manufacturing tools for low-volume manufacturing.

Peek is a co-principal investigator on a $2 million, three-year grant from the NSF’s Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation Program, announced in October, to develop distributed chemical manufacturing using synthetic biology. UW chemical engineering professor is the project lead, along with UW chemistry assistant professor and chemical engineering associate professor .

Also, Peek and , professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, will share a three-year NSF to develop open source, customizable “co-bots,” or collaborative robots designed to work alongside humans in scientific work as well as other fields such as advanced fabrication and quality control.

Read more at Peeks’ page on the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering .

* * *

Miranda Belarde-Lewis a new iSchool endowed faculty fellow

, assistant professor in the UW Information School, has been named the inaugural .

Belarde-Lewis (Zuni/Tlingit) is an independent curator as well as a professor of North American Indigenous Knowledge with the iSchool, and her work examines the role of social media in protecting, perpetuating and documenting Native American information and knowledge.

The award comes with funds Belarde-Lewis can use to apply for grants, bring speakers to campus and the community, or help with her research.

is the former longtime director of the UW’s Odegaard Undergraduate Library and was the iSchool’s Distinguished Alumna for 2020.

* * *

American Political Science Association honors Aseem Prakash

, UW professor of political science, has received the 2020 from the American Political Science Association’s Science, Technology and Environmental Politics division.

(1933-2012) was a well-known American political scientist, who received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Prakash, who knew Ostrom and her husband well, is the Walker Family Professor for the Arts and Sciences and directs the UW-based . The award was announced in the summer.

The Paris talks were attended by thousands of delegates, including from the 天美影视传媒. At the time, UW researchers in Seattle the expansion of discussions to include public policy and human health, and emphasized the need for a timely, durable international agreement.

Now, a few UW faculty members comment on the signing as countries move toward implementing its contents.

, a UW professor of atmospheric sciences, calls the signing an “encouraging” step forward. But he notes that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted in 1992, and the was signed in 1997, but never ratified by the U.S.

Since then, he said, the world has emitted more carbon dioxide than even the highest expert predictions at that time. The ‘s commitments are voluntary, he noted, with no mechanisms for enforcement, and its goals are modest.

“Much more aggressive steps are necessary to keep global warming in check, and time is running out,” Hartmann said. “The 2013 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report [on which he was a ] showed that we are about halfway to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that will produce 2 degrees Celsius of warming, and at present rates of release we will get there in about 25 years. We need to stop the increase in carbon dioxide to avert 2 C of warming, and the promises under the Paris Agreement will not achieve that. We need nations to do much more.”

, UW professor of oceanography and director of the UW , said the agreement “represents an important step for the international community in its effort to ‘limit dangerous inference of the climate’ as set out [in 1992] by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.”

She noted that each country sets its own voluntary . “Because of this bottom-up approach, the country pledges are more aspirational than was found in Kyoto, potentially resulting in much larger emission reductions than many thought possible.”

She added: “While some have said that the bold goal set in Paris of keeping warming below 2 C is unrealistic, the Paris Agreement gives confidence that the international community can work together to solve this defining challenge of this century. I am hoping for swift ratification of this agreement, and that countries with both large and small emissions pledge significant reductions in emissions.”

, a UW professor of political science and director of the UW , said “the Paris Agreement is a good step forward because China and India, along with industrialized countries, are on board.”

But he noted the pledges are voluntary. “Kyoto and other international agreements show that international agreements with mandatory targets face huge problems in domestic translation and implementation.”

He echoed others on the voluntary targets, and the lack of incentives to meet them. “This holds not only for China and India, but also for the U.S., where the Congress remains opposed to climate-change mitigation.” Prakash said he would like to see country-specific plans and budgets “before speculating on the possibility of the success of the Paris agreement.”

, a lecturer in the UW Jackson School of International Studies who writes on international relations and geopolitics, said “overall, it represents an essential step, a major move forward.”

But he wondered about the agreement’s focus on renewables 鈥� mainly solar and wind 鈥� rather than other options such as hydropower, fossil fuels with capture of carbon emissions, and especially nuclear power.

“We have seen, in the 1970s and 80s, what harm can be done by exaggerated claims about what renewable technologies can actually deliver,” Montgomery said. “Reducing carbon emissions significantly will require every means at our disposal.”

, a UW professor of marine and environmental affairs, called it “mission impossible.” She said: “We have a global-emissions goal we are not sure is correct, national goals that are in no way connected to it, and we really will [have no way to] know if we met it or not.”

She described the agreement’s more than per year to help developing countries enact new technology and mitigate and adapt to a changing climate as inadequate.

, a UW professor of chemical engineering and director of the UW , said that “the Paris Climate Agreement 鈥� combined with the [governmental] and [private] pledges to invest billions of new dollars in clean energy 鈥� is a signal that the world is committed to accelerating the development of scalable clean energy innovations.”

He noted that Washington state has already invested in the Clean Energy Institute and other efforts that join university researchers and national labs to develop new materials for renewable energy and integrate them into the electrical grid.

“What we need now is an ecosystem that has more fundamental scientific discoveries happening within earshot of the entrepreneurs and investors who share this same sense of urgency to mobilize against an environmental challenge that many of the world’s most powerful nations now recognize as a great threat to humanity.”

, a UW undergraduate in environmental sciences, forestry and economics who attended the summit as part of the International Forestry Students’ Association, said “to me, the signing of the Paris climate agreement is a signal 鈥� the sound of a call from the global world to this generation’s young professionals and students.

“It is telling us that we need to begin crafting creative solutions to accomplish these ambitious goals 鈥� this need stretches from finance to agriculture, international trade to urban design.”

Abraham recalls meeting people from around the world during her time in Paris.

“We all have a part to play, and the agreement is the reminder that we are not alone. In each country, each city, there will be hordes of people working to meet the goals of the agreement 鈥� and it is this new truth that I believe will make all the difference.”

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