Neurodivergent adults, such as those on the autism spectrum, or with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, or other cognitive differences, experience significant barriers to inclusion in education and employment due to disabilities that often aren鈥檛 obvious. Research shows聽that remain consistently employed over time, and just are employed, compared to 87% employment among adults without ADHD. Studies suggest that is neurodivergent. Accordingly, efforts to improve the neuroinclusivity of academic institutions and workplaces have significant potential for impact on individuals, families and the U.S. economy.

鈥淭he lower education and employment outcomes are largely attributed to education and workplace environments that were designed to reinforce normative expectations,鈥� said , UW associate professor in the Information School and founding director of the Institute. 鈥淲hen learning and work environments are designed for neurodiversity 鈥� and managers and teachers are trained to be neuroinclusive 鈥� neurodivergent individuals achieve far better outcomes.鈥�

Annabi is a leading scholar on neurodiversity and employment. Her work in this space includes the publication of a series of Neurodiversity @ Work Playbooks that make a case for hiring neurodivergent people and offer concrete instructions for supporting their growth and career development.

鈥淭he Institute for Neurodiversity and Employment is set up to make a significant difference 鈥� not just at the 天美影视传媒, but for communities all over our state,鈥� said , executive director of the Canopy Neurodiversity Foundation. 鈥淭his institute will build on Canopy鈥檚 vision for a truly neuroinclusive workforce, dramatically expanding what鈥檚 possible in our state.鈥�

Housed in the Information School, the Institute will integrate faculty, research and support from the and the , with additional collaboration from UW Medicine and the School of Social Work.

鈥淭he new institute will build upon the outstanding neurodiversity work of Dr. Annabi at the Information School,鈥� said , dean of the UW Information School. 鈥淎dding the deep expertise of our cross-campus collaborators, along with Canopy and other community partners, we will create truly multidisciplinary, innovative and impactful solutions that will transform Washington鈥檚 education and employment spaces 鈥� including here at the UW.鈥�

鈥淎t present, research addressing lifespan issues such as employment is happening in silos across various disciplines, limiting our ability to develop comprehensive solutions,鈥� said Annabi. 鈥淏y convening a broad coalition of partners across the neurodiversity, employment and academic communities, we can move beyond isolated efforts toward innovative, systems-level change 鈥� driven by those with lived experience and deep expertise.鈥�

The Institute鈥檚 work will focus on five pillars: translational research on neurodiversity and employment, applied professional education and training, community empowerment across Washington state, advocacy efforts to create and strengthen neuroinclusive policies and practices statewide, and direct engagement with UW leadership to make the university a premier destination for neurodivergent faculty, staff, clinicians and students.

Annabi is particularly enthusiastic about the UW鈥檚 commitment to 鈥榳alk the talk鈥� by committing, through the Institute, to neuroinclusive employment practices.

“The UW recognizes that employment is an important component of a person鈥檚 quality of life and the equitable distribution of societal resources and power,鈥� said UW Provost Tricia Serio.听 “As one of the state鈥檚 largest employers, we have a vital role to play in modeling ways to increase support for neurodivergent people and break down the persistence of barriers in post-secondary education and the workplace that they face. We are thrilled to channel this work through the Institute for Neurodiversity and Employment.鈥�

The UW Institute for Neurodiversity and Employment will launch activities and programming in 2026.

###

For questions, please contact: neurodiversity@uw.edu.

Barrow comes from Louisiana State University, where he is vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Success. At the UW, Barrow will lead and manage the Office of Enrollment Management, which includes Undergraduate Admissions, Office of the University Registrar, Office of Financial Aid, International Student Services and the Veterans Education Benefits Office.

鈥淲ith a passion to positively contribute to the nation鈥檚 education system, Danny has worked throughout his career to directly influence the participation and graduation rates of students at public research universities,鈥� Serio said. 鈥淚nspired by his own journey as a first-generation college student and Pell Grant recipient, he is dedicated to serving students and ensuring success. I鈥檓 thrilled to welcome him to the UW.鈥�

Barrow also will serve as a strategic thought leader for the University’s enrollment management efforts for the Seattle campus. This work will encompass leading a student financial aid strategy; fostering and refining student recruiting strategies; identifying and developing key data and analysis that will guide the UW鈥檚 enrollment strategy; and steering the modernization of student support services and administrative technologies.

鈥淚 have long viewed the 天美影视传媒 as a place where opportunity, academic excellence, and research for the public good come together with purpose,鈥� Barrow said. 鈥淎s I engaged with the UW community, I saw a university ready to lead in this moment. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute by listening, learning, and partnering with colleagues to co-create the next era of enrollment management.鈥�

In his current role, he oversees University College; Center for Academic Success; Undergraduate Admissions; Office of the University Registrar; Financial Aid & Scholarships; Future Scholars Program; Office of Retention & Student Success; University Testing & Evaluation; Student Support Services; McNair Scholars; and Enrollment Operations, Data and IT.听He previously held a number of leadership roles in admissions and recruitment at the University at Buffalo, the University of Delaware and Towson University.

Barrow received his master鈥檚 degree in higher education administration from LSU and his bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology from The George Washington University. He also completed the College Board鈥檚 Enrollment Leadership Academy.

Thornton will step into the position vacated by Maya Tolstoy, who recently announced she is leaving the UW.

As professor and chair of the Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science, Thornton is an atmospheric chemist. He studies the impacts of human activities on air quality and climate through changes to the atmosphere鈥檚 composition and chemistry. Thornton has received an NSF CAREER Award and a NASA New Investigator Award, given to young researchers who show exceptional promise. He also received the Houghton Award from the American Meteorological Society and the ASCENT Award from the American Geophysical Union for his research contributions to the field of atmospheric science.

Serio said that a search advisory committee will be appointed to launch a national search for a new dean this fall.

A new era of astronomy and astrophysics began Monday when the first images captured by the NSF鈥揇OE were released, demonstrating the extraordinary capabilities of the new telescope and the world鈥檚 largest digital camera.

Officials in Washington, D.C., unveiled large, ultra-high-definition images and videos, as well as discoveries of thousands of new asteroids. Astronomers and researchers around the world watched along at viewing parties, including at the 天美影视传媒鈥檚 Planetarium.

The images offer a preview of the most comprehensive census of the solar system scientists have ever conducted, and a peek into the exponential increase in discoveries and understanding of the cosmos this new telescope will make possible.

The UW was one of the founding members of Rubin鈥檚 ambitious undertaking and will play a key role in making sense of the discoveries. UW scientists and engineers were critical in advocating for the project, designing the observatory and developing the software that will analyze the petabytes of data from Rubin鈥檚 telescope, including the asteroid discovery algorithms.

鈥溙烀烙笆哟� faculty recognized early on that dreaming big about Rubin鈥檚 capabilities and leading the scientific charge would shape our knowledge of the solar system and propel innovation in data science not only in astrophysics but also across disciplines,” said UW Provost Tricia R. Serio. “We often talk about the impact the UW is making here and around the world. This project will take us far into space and give us information about the very origins of the universe and set the stage for future discoveries we can’t even imagine today.”

From its peak in the Chilean Andes, Rubin鈥檚 Simonyi Survey Telescope will scan the sky with its 8.4-meter mirror and enormous 3,200-megapixel camera, the largest digital camera in the world. The telescope鈥檚 sight path, the pace and frequency of observations and the vast field of vision required a new type of discovery algorithm to reliably make sense of the troves of data collected. Scientists and researchers at the UW worked across disciplines to evolve data science and computer science to meet Rubin鈥檚 demands.

In 2017, the UW 鈥� with founding support from the Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences 鈥� established the , or DiRAC. The Institute, part of the , aims to be an interdisciplinary hub to address fundamental questions about the origins and evolution of the universe. Leaders recognized that the future of astrophysics relied on using software as the chief instrument for this exploration. Combined with the UW鈥檚 and the deep connections to the Pacific Northwest鈥檚 tech community, DiRAC has developed a global reputation for working toward new discoveries.

As the Rubin sets out on a 10-year mission to conduct the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), software created at the UW will be pivotal as scientists advance understanding of the cosmos and the origins of the solar system. UW’s faculty, students and staff have played key roles in the construction of this new facility They’ve also been pivotal in developing the algorithms that keep the telescope image sharp and creating the codes for mapping the solar system and discovering the most energetic and rarest phenomena in what astrophysicists call the 鈥� UW’s , a professor of astronomy, is the director of the federally-funded Rubin Construction Project.听

Unlike other telescopes 鈥� which tend to focus and 鈥渮oom in鈥� on a few objects of interest 鈥� Rubin is alone in the capability to quickly and repeatedly map the entire visible sky.听

鈥淩ubin has the unprecedented capacity to capture the cosmos,鈥� said , a professor of astronomy and director of UW鈥檚 . He鈥檚 also the co-principal investigator of the supported LSST Interdisciplinary Network for Collaboration and Computing (LINCC) Frameworks program to develop state-of-the-art analysis techniques capable of meeting Rubin鈥檚 scale and complexity.

鈥淩ubin will deliver the largest map the universe ever made: tens of billions of galaxies, billions of stars and millions of new small bodies in our own solar system. It鈥檚 a data analysis endeavor of epic proportions,鈥� Connolly said.听

For each object Rubin observes, there will be much more than a static image, the technology will produce a thousand-frame movie: trillions of measurements of billions of objects, said , a research associate professor and the science lead of Rubin鈥檚 time-domain software team.

鈥淲ith these data, scientists will better understand the universe, chronicle its evolution, and delve into science ranging from dangerous asteroids to the mysteries of dark energy,鈥� Bellm said.

For example, the UW鈥檚 team helped create simulation software to predict Rubin鈥檚 discoveries. The research found that the telescope will map more than 5 million main-belt asteroids, 127,000 near-Earth objects, 109,000 Trojan asteroids that share Jupiter鈥檚 orbit, 37,000 trans-Neptunian objects and about 2,000 Centaurs, or orbit-crossing objects.听

These objects, revealed in color and in more detail than was previously possible, help tell the story of the solar system鈥檚 origins, said , a professor of astronomy and the principal investigator of UW鈥檚 Rubin team.

Juric said that Rubin will help answer some fundamental questions: How did the planets form? Is there an unknown planet hiding in the outskirts of our solar system? Did comets bring water to the Earth? Or asteroids? And are there any that could still collide with us today?

鈥淭he first look we share today is a glimpse into the transformational capacity Rubin will bring to answer questions like these,鈥� Juric said.

The work to support the Rubin Observatory hasn鈥檛 been limited to UW faculty. Numerous UW undergraduate and doctoral students have played contributing roles, authoring important journal articles, developing simulation software and writing complex computer codes.听

Exposure to the LSST has helped prepare students to succeed post graduation, whether applying for work in industry or moving onto advanced academic degrees.

鈥淒eveloping cloud-based analytics platforms, or building pipelines to process large amounts of imaging data, are skills that allow one to do not just cutting-edge astronomy but also any other data-intensive problem,鈥� said Steven Stetzler, who recently completed doctoral work at UW and now holds a postdoctoral appointment at NASA鈥檚 Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

For more information, contact Juric at mjuric@uw.edu or James Davenport at jrad@uw.edu.听

Thompson fills the position previously held by Azita Emami, who left in 2023 to lead the Yale School of Nursing. Allison Webel served as interim executive dean.

Thompson already is intimately familiar with UW鈥檚 world-class healthcare training and delivery. She鈥檚 a professor of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Informatics in the UW School of Nursing, core faculty at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center and an adjunct professor in Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education in the UW School of Medicine.

鈥淒r. Thompson brings incredible knowledge and dedication to this leadership role, as well as a comprehensive understanding of the profession and the opportunities for the School to advance its history of excellence across the tri-campus system,鈥� Serio said.

As a UW faculty member since 2006, Thompson held several leadership roles, including graduate program director for the School of Nursing. Through that position, she developed several collaborative relationships, held budgetary and human resource responsibilities, and delegated responsibilities from the associate dean for academic affairs. Since 2021, she has served as an associate vice provost in the Office of Academic Personnel in the Provost鈥檚 Office.

鈥淭he 天美影视传媒 School of Nursing has a tremendous legacy of both innovation and excellence in research, education and practice. I look forward to partnering with students, staff and faculty across the three campuses, as well as our community and clinical partners, to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve,鈥� Thompson said.

Thompson鈥檚 research centers on improving outcomes following geriatric traumatic brain injury, as well as fall prevention. This work has been recognized with induction into Sigma’s International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame and membership in the Washington State Academy of Sciences. Her work is funded in part by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Thompson earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in biology from Mary Washington College in Virginia and her accelerated bachelor’s of science in nursing from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. A registered nurse and nurse practitioner, she earned her doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, and completed her postdoctoral work at the UW.

The 天美影视传媒 and the University of Tsukuba have entered an innovation partnership with NVIDIA and Amazon aimed at furthering research, entrepreneurship, workforce development and social implementation in the field of artificial intelligence. This U.S.-Japan academic partnership is part of a broad, $110 million effort to build upon the strong ties between the U.S. and Japan and to continue to lead innovation and technological breakthroughs in artificial intelligence.

The groundbreaking agreement involving universities and industry leaders in both countries was announced on April 9th in Washington, D.C. as part of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio鈥檚 historic state visit. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, and Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Moriyama Masahito announced two new research partnerships in artificial intelligence between the 天美影视传媒 and the University of Tsukuba and between Carnegie Mellon University and Keio University. These partnerships are supported by $110 million in combined private sector investment from NVIDIA, Amazon, Arm, Microsoft, and nine Japanese companies. Amazon and NVIDIA will each invest $25 million in this collaboration.

鈥淭his is an extraordinary opportunity for the UW to lead the global conversation on AI and to convene academic researchers, industry experts and governmental leaders to not only advance the workforce, but to change lives and communities by leveraging this powerful technology,鈥� said UW Provost Tricia Serio.

鈥淭his is an exciting effort that brings together the talents and expertise of cutting-edge, world-class universities,鈥� said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. 鈥淎dvancements in AI are happening at a breakneck pace. This collaboration will help provide the research and workforce training for our regions鈥� tech sectors to keep up with the profound impacts AI is having across every sector of our economy.鈥�

At the invitation of Ambassador Emanuel, the UW has been forging ties with the University of Tsukuba over the past year, with a focus on shared expertise in artificial intelligence. Tsukuba is known in Japan for being at the center of scientific research and innovation, much like Seattle鈥檚 reputation for fostering technological breakthroughs and being home to some of the world鈥檚 biggest technology companies.

鈥淲e are honored to work with Amazon and NVIDIA as well as with the University of Tsukuba to advance artificial intelligence and global engagement,鈥� said Nancy Allbritton, dean of the College of Engineering. 鈥淭sukuba is a science city just as Seattle is, and we see a tremendous opportunity to leverage the university and the whole ecosystem to create a better future on both sides of the Pacific. We are grateful to Ambassador Emanuel for catalyzing this landmark partnership.鈥�

Faculty and staff from the College of Engineering will spearhead UW interdisciplinary efforts. This multi-year partnership will feature work in areas where AI can drive transformative change to benefit society, including healthcare, robotics, climate change and atmospheric science, among others. The funding will support research awards, post-doctoral and doctoral students, an undergraduate summer research program, and an entrepreneurship bootcamp program.

Artificial Intelligence is the third strategic university-corporate partnership initiative concluded between American and Japanese academic institutions and the corporate sector since May 2022, when President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Kishida made a commitment to advance U.S.-Japan science and technology cooperation. The UW also is the lead partner on UPWARDS, a program focused on workforce development for the semiconductor industry supported by Micron, Tokyo Electron Limited and the National Science Foundation.

Three professors at the 天美影视传媒 have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine in recognition of excellence in the fields of health and medicine, along with a commitment to volunteer service. Election to the Academy is considered one of the most prestigious honors in health and medicine.

Dr. , a professor of epidemiology and of pediatrics; Dr. , a professor of pediatrics; and , an affiliate professor of biochemistry, were among the 100 new members .

鈥�This is a tremendous and well-deserved honor for each of these valued members of the UW community,鈥� UW Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Tricia Serio said. 鈥淎ll three聽are all visionary leaders in their vital fields, and their commitment to creating a better world through their work exemplifies the impact we strive for at the University of Washington.鈥�

Dr. Rowhani-Rahbar was recognized for his research on gun violence, which the Academy said has “deepened our understanding of the risk and consequences of firearm-related harm.” His work integrates data from health care and criminal justice systems to better understand risk factors related to gun violence and injury. That research has informed policies and programs aimed at reducing the risk of firearm-related harm, particularly in underserved and overlooked communities.

He is the Bartley Dobb Professor for the Prevention of Violence and interim director of the in the UW School of Medicine.

Dr. Coker heads the General Pediatrics department at Seattle Children’s Hospital and is co-director of the . Her research focuses on eliminating health and health care disparities for Black and Latinx children, as well as families in low-income communities. The Academy cited her leadership in advancing child health equity and work that 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.”

She is the founder and former director of the Health Equity Research Program at Seattle Children’s Center for Diversity and Health Equity.

Zeng is executive vice president and director of the in Seattle. The Academy recognized her leadership of a team whose work has led to “transformative understanding of cell type diversity” by generating large-scale, open-access datasets and tools for use in neuroscience research.

Seven UW faculty members have been elected to the Academy in the past four years.

For more information or to contact any of the honorees, email Alden Woods at acwoods@uw.edu.听

The incoming class is expected to consist of about 7,000 students. Official census information is announced later in the quarter.

See highlights from Sunday’s ceremony at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion in the photo gallery below.

Tricia Serio, UW Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, was the featured speaker. Serio, who took office on Aug. 1, previously served as Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology.

“From this day forward, you are a Husky,” Serio told the crowd, which nearly filled the arena and spilled into overflow seating at Husky Stadium. “The next few years are just the start of that journey, but they will form a solid foundation that will support you for the rest of your lives.”

UW President Ana Mari Cauce, members of the Board of Regents, the deans of the 16 schools and colleges, and faculty members also attended. Speakers, including Cauce, other administrators and student leaders, encouraged new Huskies to be curious, get involved, explore and challenge themselves.

Following the ceremony, incoming students formed a giant block 鈥淲鈥� on the field inside Husky Stadium.

Welcome, Huskies! Thousands of incoming students gathered at Husky Stadium for an annual 鈥榃鈥� formation today after kicking off the school year with a convocation ceremony. More media assets:

— UW News (@uwnews)

and are also welcoming students back to campus this week with a string of activities, including Convocation ceremonies. About 1,226 freshmen and 543 transfer students are expected at UW Bothell, and about 630 freshmen and 650 transfer students are expected at UW Tacoma.

Fast facts:

• Preliminary figures show the incoming聽freshman class聽is expected to be about聽7,000聽students.
• Around聽4,450聽freshmen will be from Washington state.
• An additional 1,500 transfer students are expected to arrive this fall, about 1,250 of whom will be from Washington community colleges.

The 天美影视传媒 will welcome its incoming classes and their families on Sunday, Sept. 24 at the University鈥檚 40^th annual New Student Convocation, which will be held in Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

The incoming class is expected to consist of about 7,000 students. Official census information is announced later in the quarter.

Tricia Serio, UW Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, will be the featured speaker. Serio, who took office on Aug. 1, previously served as Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology.

UW President Ana Mari Cauce, members of the Board of Regents, the deans of the 16 schools and colleges, and faculty members will also be in attendance.

Doors open at 12:30 p.m., and the ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m. For those who are unable to attend, the ceremony will be .

Following the ceremony, incoming students will form a giant block 鈥淲鈥� on the field inside Husky Stadium.

Fast facts:

• Preliminary figures show the incoming聽freshman class聽is expected to be about聽7,000聽students.
• Around聽4,450聽freshmen will be from Washington state.
• An additional 1,500 transfer students are expected to arrive this fall, about 1,250 of whom will be from Washington community colleges.
• UW Bothell and UW Tacoma also welcome their incoming classes, with about 1,226 and 630 freshmen, and about 543 and 650 transfer students expected, respectively.

A first-generation college graduate, Serio is Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Serio is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and previously served at UMass Amherst as Associate Chancellor for Strategic Academic Planning and Dean of the College of Natural Sciences. She has also held research and professorial positions at the University of Arizona (2012-2017), Brown University (2002-2012) and Yale University (2001-2002).

鈥淚鈥檓 delighted to welcome Tricia to the 天美影视传媒 and look forward to working closely with her to advance access and opportunities for students, both inside and outside the classroom,鈥� Cauce said. 鈥淗er outstanding record as an educator, researcher and leader make her the ideal person to help drive our mission of creating and accelerating discovery, learning and service for the public good.鈥�

Serio succeeds Mark Richards, who has held the role at the UW since July 2018 and is stepping down this summer. Richards, a geophysicist, will retain his position as a professor of Earth and space sciences in the UW鈥檚 College of the Environment and plans to continue his research and teaching. Serio鈥檚 appointment culminates a national search that began in November. A 17-member search committee including administrators, faculty and student representatives recommended three finalists for campus visits, presentations and Q&A sessions that took place last month.

Pending Regents鈥� approval, Serio will also hold a faculty appointment in the Department of Biochemistry in the UW School of Medicine. Faculty in the department voted to approve the appointment this week.

鈥淚 am deeply honored to have been selected as the next Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs,鈥� Serio said. 鈥淚 have long admired the 天美影视传媒 for its focus on excellence, and I am excited to partner with President Cauce and the faculty, staff and students to support the individual and collective aspirations that define its impact in the world.鈥�

Serio launched and led initiatives at UMass Amherst to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for faculty, staff and students, which included direct support for students to improve retention and an equity action plan for faculty with an emphasis on workload. She also established initiatives to promote faculty scholarship and creative activity that focused on sustainability, healthy aging, society and technology, inclusive excellence, data science and mid-career research leaves.

Serio鈥檚 research focuses on the cellular regulation of self-perpetuating protein conformations in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and her scholarship has advanced understanding of severe neurodegenerative diseases in mammals and how to reverse them. She has earned numerous recognitions for her research, including being named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Predoctoral Fellow, a Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell Cancer Research Postdoctoral Fellow, and a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences. She also received the Howard Temin Award from the National Cancer Institute and the Mid-Career Award for Research Excellence from the American Society of Cell Biology, and she is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

After earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree in molecular biology at Lehigh University, Serio completed a master鈥檚 degree and Ph.D. in molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale in 1995 and 1997, respectively.

Serio is married to Jeff Laney, a senior biology lecturer, and has two sons, Jacob and Eli. Jacob will attend Pitzer College as a first-year student this year, while Eli is looking forward to the family鈥檚 move to Seattle this summer.