UW Medicine – UW News /news Fri, 21 Aug 2026 20:52:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.7 12 UW professors elected to Washington State Academy of Sciences /news/2026/08/12/10-uw-professors-elected-to-washington-state-academy-of-sciences/ Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:07:53 +0000 /news/?p=92790 Headshots of WSAS honorees
Pictured in order, starting from the top left: Margaret Kuklinski, Dr. Dushyant Sahani, Michael Regnier, Ulrike Peters, Nikolla Qafoku, Dr. Judith Wasserheit, Dwayne Arola, Anirban Basu, Phillip Levin, Tessa Evans-Campbell, Ruth Etzioni, Alberto Aliseda

UPDATE Aug. 20, 2026: This story has been updated to include a faculty member who was originally omitted.听

Twelve faculty members at the 天美影视传媒 have been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences. They are among 30 scientists and educators from across the state July 16 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

New WSAS members are selected by current members or by their election to national science academies. All 11 UW faculty members were voted on by current WSAS members:听

, chair and PACCAR Endowed Professor of mechanical engineering and adjunct professor of neurological surgery and of aeronautics and astronautics, for 鈥渟ignificant contributions to scientific understanding of multiphase and biomedical flows, including the role of fluid mechanics on arterial disease, heart failure, biomedical devices, and surgical planning for respiratory disease, through work combining rigorous experimentation and analysis that has influenced both engineering and clinical practice.鈥

, professor of materials science and engineering, for 鈥減ioneering research on structure鈥損rocessing鈥損roperty relationships and the aging of hard tissues that has shaped modern oral health science, and for influential contributions to advanced manufacturing, biomechanics, and bioinspired materials 鈥 coupled with exemplary educational leadership 鈥 that have made a lasting impact across disciplines and the STEM community.鈥

, professor of health economics and Stergachis Family Endowed Director of The CHOICE Institute, for 鈥減ioneering health economic methods 鈥 including causal estimation of personalized treatment effects, cost-effectiveness frameworks, and value-of-information analysis 鈥 that have shaped national drug pricing policies, international discussions on the economics of innovation, and the scientific foundations of the economics of precision medicine.鈥

, affiliate professor of health services and biostatistics and professor in the Public Health Sciences Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, for 鈥減ioneering statistical models that transformed cancer early detection and screening policy, reshaping national and global guidelines and advancing equitable public health decision鈥憁aking, and for exceptional leadership, cross鈥慸isciplinary collaboration, and mentorship, influencing generations of scientists.鈥

, Charles O. Cressey Endowed Professor of social work and executive co-director of the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute, for 鈥減ioneering research across historical trauma, cultural buffers, and healing; substance use/misuse prevention; indigenous health disparities and family wellness; and youth health interventions.鈥

, Endowed Professor in Prevention in the School of Social Work and director of the Social Development Research Group, for 鈥渃ontributions to the economic assessment of prevention programs addressing substance abuse and mental health, and for advancing community-engaged research, and effective communication of findings to different audiences.鈥

, director of and research professor in the UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, for 鈥渓eadership and contributions in ecosystem-based management, salmon conservation, urban ecology, and pioneering contributions to the development of social-ecological approaches to environmental problem solving.鈥

, research professor of epidemiology and associate director for public health sciences at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center for 鈥渋ntegrating large鈥憇cale genomic, environmental, and tumor data to advance colorectal cancer prevention and reduce population disparities, and for her leadership at Fred Hutch, shaping precision prevention and population health science.鈥

, affiliate professor of environmental engineering and chief scientist and laboratory fellow emeritus at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, for 鈥渉is seminal leadership and sustained contributions to soil and agricultural science and environmental geosciences, spanning basic and applied research, university-level teaching and mentoring, and exceptional service.鈥

, professor of bioengineering, the Dr. James B. Bassingthwaighte Endowed Faculty Fellow in Bioengineering, director of the Center for Translational Muscle Research, and听 associate chair of research and translation for the Department of Bioengineering, for 鈥渋nternationally recognized leadership in discovering the molecular mechanisms of contractile dysfunction with familial genetic mutations that lead to muscle dysfunction with disease, the design of novel, targeted therapies, and training the next generation of scientists and engineers to have further impact in understanding and treating heart failure and skeletal muscle diseases.鈥

Dr. , professor and chair of radiology in UW Medicine, for 鈥渃ontributions to the science and clinical practice of radiological imaging and for leadership in national programs and professional and scientific societies that advance academic radiology.鈥

, affiliate professor of civil and environmental engineering and chief scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, for “pioneering the integration of climate science with power systems studies through computational, data-driven, experimental approaches, resulting in significant cost savings for energy customers and a safer, more reliable grid.”

Additionally, Dr. , professor emerita of global health and of medicine and epidemiology in the UW School of Medicine, was elected to the WSAS Board of Directors. Wassersheit has been a member of WSAS since 2008. An infectious disease physician and epidemiologist, Dr. Wasserheit played a central role in launching the UW Department of Global Health and served as chair from 2014-2022. She also served as co-director for the UW Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness. She was the founding chief of the U.S. National Institute of Health鈥檚 Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Research Branch, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention鈥檚 STD/HIV Prevention Program and director of the FHCRC-based HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Her work on epidemiological synergy between HIV and sexually transmitted infections has shaped prevention policy worldwide.

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With landmark 10-year investment, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation will deliver more local, timely health evidence worldwide /news/2026/08/10/with-landmark-10-year-investment-the-institute-for-health-metrics-and-evaluation-will-deliver-more-local-timely-health-evidence-worldwide/ Mon, 10 Aug 2026 18:03:34 +0000 /news/?p=92771 In a time-lapse image, a bus passes in front of a large building with a reflective glass exterior.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, an independent research organization at the UW, has received a landmark $540.2 million, 10-year grant from the Gates Foundation to strengthen freely available, scientifically rigorous health evidence used by governments, researchers, and leaders to improve the health and well-being of people in Washington, the United States, and around the world. Photo: Mark Stone/University of Wahsington

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), an independent research organization at the 天美影视传媒, has received a landmark 10-year grant from the Gates Foundation to strengthen freely available, scientifically rigorous health evidence used by governments, researchers, and leaders to improve the health and well-being of people in Washington, the United States, and around the world.

IHME is part of the UW School of Medicine, and the $540.2 million investment will provide long-term support for expanding the Global Burden of Disease study to provide health data for thousands of new areas. GBD is the most comprehensive assessment of health trends and conditions across countries. Under the grant, GBD will expand from roughly 925 locations today to nearly 5,000 鈥 a major expansion in the geographic detail available to the people making decisions. The grant will also support IHME鈥檚 health forecasting and future-scenarios work, and its tracking of health spending worldwide.

Together, these resources help decision-makers, researchers, and health professionals understand the health challenges people face today, anticipate what is coming next, and determine how limited resources can be used most effectively to improve health.

鈥淩eliable and independent evidence can mean the difference between reacting to a health crisis after it has taken hold and acting early enough to change its course,鈥 said Dr. Christopher J.L. Murray, IHME director and professor of health metrics sciences. 鈥淭his investment will allow us to provide high-quality evidence at a much more local level and help leaders understand not only where health is improving or worsening, but which decisions can make the greatest difference for people.鈥

Murray, the grant鈥檚 principal investigator, started the Global Burden of Disease study in the early 1990s and has led its development since, in collaboration with a global research network now spanning more than 150 countries and territories.

The Gates Foundation, along with the state of Washington, provided the founding investment that established IHME at the 天美影视传媒 in 2007, creating an independent institute dedicated to measuring the world鈥檚 most pressing health challenges and evaluating whether policies and programs are improving people鈥檚 lives. Its sustained support has helped build the field of health metrics itself. IHME has developed many of the methods and standards the field now relies on and has helped collaborators contribute to the field as well. The new grant builds on that longstanding partnership and provides a base for IHME鈥檚 next phase of growth.

鈥淓very government and funder faces difficult decisions about where to invest limited resources for greatest impact, and those decisions depend on trusted evidence,鈥 said Mark Suzman, Chief Executive Officer of the Gates Foundation. 鈥淔or nearly two decades, IHME has been one of the foundation鈥檚 most important global partners, helping us, governments, researchers, and global health partners around the world understand where health is improving, where progress is stalling, and where action is needed most. Our long-term commitment recognizes the value of this work to strengthen a shared evidence base that will continue to inform decisions to improve鈥攁nd save鈥攎illions of lives.鈥

The Global Burden of Disease network has grown to more than 20,000 collaborators in over 150 countries and territories: researchers, clinicians, government analysts, and policymakers who contribute to the study鈥檚 data and methods and carry health measurement into their own institutions and ministries. This next phase of IHME鈥檚 work is an opportunity to consolidate that foundation and extend it considerably further.

The grant comes as countries confront overlapping health threats and growing pressure on public and global health budgets. By producing more detailed, timely, and forward-looking evidence, IHME aims to help leaders identify urgent needs, prepare health systems, and invest in policies and programs most likely to prevent illness, disability, and premature death.

The award is the largest charitable grant ever given to the 天美影视传媒.

鈥淭he Gates Foundation has been a steadfast partner of the 天美影视传媒 for decades, and we are grateful for its generous support. The UW is committed to improving the health of people in Washington and around the world, and this investment will expand IHME鈥檚 already significant impact, which will mean longer, healthier lives for countless people,鈥 said UW President Robert J. Jones.

IHME鈥檚 research and findings are freely available to countries, researchers, and communities regardless of their income or access to commercial data systems.

鈥淲e are deeply grateful to the Gates Foundation for this extraordinary investment in IHME and the 天美影视传媒 School of Medicine,鈥 said Dr. Timothy Dellit, CEO of UW Medicine and dean of the 天美影视传媒 School of Medicine. 鈥淭heir longstanding partnership has helped make it possible for IHME to deliver trusted health evidence around the world. This new grant will extend that impact by giving leaders data that are comprehensive and comparable to guide decisions that help improve the health of communities and save lives.鈥

Read . For interview requests, data inquiries or general questions, please contact IHME at ihmemedia@uw.edu.

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8 UW faculty and staff named Fulbright Scholars; will conduct research around the world /news/2026/07/22/8-uw-faculty-and-staff-named-fulbright-scholars-will-conduct-research-around-the-world/ Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:36:49 +0000 /news/?p=92609
Photo: 天美影视传媒

Eight 天美影视传媒 researchers have been selected as Fulbright Scholars for 2026-2027 and will pursue studies around the world.听

Fulbright Scholars are college and university faculty, administrators and researchers, as well as artists and professionals, who build their skills and connections, gain valuable international insights and return home to share their experiences with their students and colleagues.

This year鈥檚 UW cohort represents a variety of disciplines, including sciences, engineering, business, environmental sciences, electrical and computer engineering, and computer science. The scholars will conduct research across the globe, including in Australia, India, Indonesia, Western Europe, Scandinavia and East Asia.

Two-thirds of this year鈥檚 UW applicants were selected as Fulbright Scholars 鈥 an astonishing acceptance rate in the prestigious and highly selective program.

鈥淲e are incredibly proud of these outstanding 天美影视传媒 faculty and staff whose selection as Fulbright Scholars reflects the excellence, innovation and global impact of their work,鈥 said UW Vice Provost for Global Affairs Ahmad M. Ezzeddine. 鈥淭he knowledge, partnerships and cultural understanding they gain through these experiences will enrich the UW and strengthen our shared commitment to addressing global challenges through collaboration and discovery. As the Fulbright Program celebrates its 80th anniversary, we are grateful for the U.S. Department of State鈥檚 continued investment in this transformative program.鈥澨

The Fulbright Scholar Program for academics and professionals supports more than 800 people to teach and conduct research abroad.听

This year鈥檚 UW Fulbright Scholars are:

Berry Brosi headshot
Berry Brosi Photo: Karen Levy

is a professor in the Department of Biology in the College of Arts & Sciences. His research focuses on how mutually beneficial interactions between species 鈥 such as how insects pollinating plants is beneficial to both 鈥 scale into networks involving multiple species, and how the structure of those networks affects ecosystems. For example, some ecological network structures, or how connections between species are arranged, make these networks more resilient to perturbations, such as droughts or climate change.

Brosi’s Fulbright Scholar award will be through Spain’s flagship public research institution, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cient铆ficas, at the Do帽ana Biological Station in Seville. His work there will involve synthesizing and analyzing two comprehensive long-term datasets 鈥 one from his lab and one from his Spanish host lab 鈥 to better understand global patterns in pollination networks. In particular, scientists have recorded species that appear to be 鈥渟pecialists鈥 鈥 such as a bee species that has only been recorded visiting one plant species听 鈥 in many ecological networks, but, without long-term data, it鈥檚 difficult to disentangle whether they are really specialists or just rare. Brosi will tackle this problem in collaboration with his Fulbright host, Ignasi Bartomeus, at Do帽ana.听听

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Kalei Combs Photo: 天美影视传媒

is the director of academic services in the Department of Bioengineering in the College of Engineering and UW Medicine. She supports the department鈥檚 doctoral students with a focus on improving the research experience, expanding opportunities and advancing access and collaboration.听

While a Fulbright Scholar, she will develop a framework for a new doctoral biomedical research exchange between the UW and Tampere University in Finland. Combs will work with faculty, students and staff at both universities to lead the development of a preliminary structure of a doctoral research exchange, including eligibility criteria, mentorship plans and evaluation metrics. She will also explore funding sources for the program鈥檚 ongoing sustainability and draft a memorandum of understanding for the institutions to consider.

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Alicia DeSantola Photo: 天美影视传媒

, an assistant professor of management and organization and the Helen Moore Gerhardt Faculty Fellow in Entrepreneurship in the Foster School of Business. Her areas of expertise include entrepreneurship, organizational growth and scaling, technology and innovation strategy, and venture capital. DeSantola teaches entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial strategy to undergraduates, master鈥檚 and doctoral students. She was named a Poets & Quants top 50 undergraduate business professor in 2021.听

DeSantola will use her Fulbright award, during which she will be a visiting U.S. Scholar to University College Cork in Ireland, to study factors influencing innovation and entrepreneurship in novel food technologies. The project connects to a broader stream of DeSantola鈥檚 research exploring the emergence and evolution of new technology-based industries.

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Kristen M. Green Photo: 天美影视传媒

is听 an interdisciplinary scientist in the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs in the College of the Environment. Her work focuses on how coastal communities adapt to climate change and other environmental and socioeconomic stressors, particularly within fisheries and aquaculture systems. During the past 15 years, she has worked with coastal populations, including Indigenous harvesters, to support food sovereignty and long-term approaches to adaptation and resilience.

Green鈥檚 Fulbright award is to advance the inclusion of听 fish and other aquatic foods 鈥斕 鈥淏lue Foods鈥 鈥 into Indonesia鈥檚 National School Lunch Program. The goal of this project is to improve nutritional outcomes for school-aged children while strengthening local food systems. Through working directly with fishers and fish suppliers, Green will work with the project team to identify the conditions necessary to provide Blue Foods that promote positive nutritional outcomes for children, support local fishers and sustain local ecosystems. This project is a pilot program for the initiative that will hopefully be expanded nationally.

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Tanushree Mishra Photo: 天美影视传媒

is an associate professor in the Information School and also is part of the Responsibility in AI Systems and Experiences (RAISE) Center. An interdisciplinary scholar with expertise in human-centered AI, Mitra’s work draws on human-computer interaction, machine learning, natural language processing and social science to understand how people and AI interact in large-scale online systems. Her research examines the societal impacts of generative AI and develops methods to make AI systems more trustworthy, culturally aware and beneficial for diverse communities.

She will use her Fulbright award in India, where she will collaborate with researchers at the Centre for Machine Intelligence and Data Science (C-MInDS) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Bombay) 鈥 the nation鈥檚 topmost and most selective public research institution. She will investigate the risks and capabilities of generative AI systems across socio-cultural contexts most relevant to the Global South. The work aims to advance more culturally aware and responsible AI while strengthening research partnerships between the United States and India.

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Robert Morris Photo: 天美影视传媒

is an associate professor in the School of Oceanography in the College of the Environment. Morris鈥 research uses cultivation and whole-genome DNA sequencing to identify the roles of bacteria in global nutrient cycles. With a focus on carbon, nitrogen and sulfur, he has conducted studies that show the effects of low dissolved oxygen on the nutrient cycling activities of the ocean’s most abundant organisms.听

During his time at in South Korea, Morris will pursue a project entitled, 鈥淗igh-throughput cultivation-based genomics of freshwater Chloroflexota.鈥 A key goal is to advance understanding of the evolution of this important group of bacteria and its potential to mediate key nutrient transformations.

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Amy Orsborn Photo: 天美影视传媒

is an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and in the Department of Bioengineering in the College of Engineering. She leads a neural engineering lab focused on motor brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs. Her work combines experiments with computational methods to develop new ways to build BCIs that interact with plasticity in the brain.

During her stay at the Champalimaud Institute Centre for Restorative Neurotechnology in Portugal, she will collaborate with two researchers, Dr. Juan 脕lvaro Gallego and Dr. John Krakauer. The new projects aim to improve our understanding of how plasticity shapes brain dynamics and apply new BCI algorithms for stroke rehabilitation.听听

Chirag Shah, associate professor in the Information School, has received the 2019 Karen Sp盲rck Jones Award 鈥 a career achievement honor in natural language processing and information retrieval 鈥 from the British Computer Society Information Retrieval Specialist Group.
Chirag Shah

is a professor in the Information School and an adjunct professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering in the College of Engineering. He is the founding director of the InfoSeeking Lab and founding co-director of RAISE, the Center for Responsibility in AI Systems & Experiences. His research focuses on agentic AI, human-centered information seeking and responsible AI, examining how intelligent systems can act on people’s behalf while remaining transparent, trustworthy and accountable. He is also the founder and CEO of VersarAI, a startup translating his research on AI agents into enterprise applications. His book, 鈥淎gent Nation,鈥 was published this year.听

Shah will use his Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, to study how agentic AI can responsibly power entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems. Working with RMIT researchers and Australia’s startup community, he will investigate what he calls the Delegation Paradox: the tension between the efficiency gained by delegating tasks to AI agents and the oversight, trust and accountability that delegation demands. The work aims to produce frameworks that help founders, enterprises and policymakers adopt AI agents in ways that drive innovation without sacrificing human agency.

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Rankings: UW recognized as one of the best universities in the world /news/2026/06/18/rankings-uw-recognized-as-one-of-the-best-universities-in-the-world/ Thu, 18 Jun 2026 21:37:04 +0000 /news/?p=92199 a bronze W with trees behind
The UW ranked highly among its global peers in both the U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities and the QS World University Rankings. Both rankings were released in mid-June. Photo: Dennis Wise/天美影视传媒

The 天美影视传媒 recently was ranked highly among its global peers in both the and the . Both rankings were released in mid-June.

According to U.S. News, the UW is No. 12 in the world on the 2026-27 rankings, No. 3 among U.S. public institutions. The UW also placed in the top 10 globally in six subject areas.

On the QS World University Rankings, the UW is among the top 100, landing at No. 92, or No. 7 among U.S. public universities.

More about the U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities ranking:

The U.S. News ranking methodology 鈥 based on data and metrics provided by Clarivate 鈥 weighs factors that measure a university鈥檚 global and regional research reputation and academic research performance. For the overall rankings, this includes bibliometric indicators such as the number of publications, citations and international collaboration.

The overall Best Global Universities ranking encompasses 2,250 institutions spread across 105 countries.

Here are the UW fields of study that are in the top 10 in U.S. News鈥 subject rankings:

  • Public, environmental and occupational health 鈥 No. 4
  • Molecular biology and genetics 鈥 No. 6
  • Microbiology 鈥 No. 7
  • Biology and biochemistry 鈥 No. 7
  • Infectious diseases 鈥 No. 7
  • Clinical medicine 鈥 No. 8

More about the QS World University Rankings:听

This is the 23rd edition of the global higher education ranking by the analyst firm QS Quacquarelli Symonds. The UW placed No. 92 in the world and No. 23 in America. The UW is in the top 10 among U.S. public universities, landing at No. 7. This year’s ranking features more than 1,500 universities across 106 higher education systems, including 184 in the U.S.

The QS World University Rankings are based on a weighted index of indicators including research and discovery, employability and outcomes, global engagement, learning experience and sustainability.

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3 UW-affiliated graduate students among this year鈥檚 30 Soros Fellows /news/2026/05/18/3-uw-affiliated-graduate-students-among-this-years-30-soros-fellows/ Mon, 18 May 2026 21:10:33 +0000 /news/?p=91769 profile image of three people, a woman between two men
Two current UW graduate students and one recent alumnus have been selected to receive the prestigious Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for Young Americans. Pictured here, from left to right: Daniel G. Chen, Briana Martin-Villa and Ethan Shen. Credit: Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans. Photo: Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans

Two current 天美影视传媒 graduate students and one recent alumnus received this year鈥檚 prestigious .

This merit-based program supports outstanding immigrants and children of immigrants pursuing graduate education in the United States. were selected this year from a competitive pool of more than 3,000 applicants nationwide. Their remarkable contributions and potential span a range of fields, including medicine, law, engineering, literature, computer science, public service and the arts.

鈥淗aving three members of the UW community receive Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans is a remarkable honor,鈥 said UW President Robert J. Jones. 鈥淭his fellowship recognizes immigrants and the children of immigrants whose work strengthens communities and advances knowledge, which aligns closely with the University’s mission and values. The accomplishments of these scholars speak to the UW鈥檚 commitment to expanding opportunity, advancing research and discovery, and serving the public good. We鈥檙e very proud to see their achievements acknowledged.鈥

Fellows will receive up to $90,000 for their graduate studies, as well as lifelong access to the fellowship鈥檚 distinguished alumni network.

This year’s 听fellows are Daniel G. Chen, Class of 鈥22, who received both a Marshall Scholarship and a Goldwater Scholarship, and is now pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of California, Los Angeles; Briana Martin-Villa, a doctoral student in the UW School of Medicine; and Ethan Shen, a doctoral student in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering.

Chen is the son of Chinese immigrants who came to the UW at 14 via the Robinson Center for Young Scholars. While at the UW, Chen interned with Meta鈥檚 Facebook AI Research team and he interviewed people from Greece with UW鈥檚 International Studies Department. He also conducted research at the Institute of Systems Biology and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center to identify drivers of the human immune response to COVID-19 and solid tumors in skin, lung and pancreatic tissue.

Chen鈥檚 UW education was supported by the Washington Research Foundation and the Goldwater Scholarship. The Marshall Scholarship enabled Chen to continue his research at the University of Cambridge where he studied the athymic organoid system. That work led him to pursue a doctoral degree at UCLA where he aims to develop new lines of therapy that increase immunotherapy efficacy while minimizing off-target side effects.

“I am deeply grateful to the Soros Foundation for this honor. The financial support afforded to me by the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship provides me the time and space to investigate new therapeutic strategies to overcome existing and future barriers to cancer immunotherapy,鈥 Chen said.

Martin-Villa, now a first-year student at the UW School of Medicine, experienced rural health disparities firsthand earlier in her life when she, her twin brother and their mother worked long days in orchards in Eastern Washington. She witnessed the effects of heat, physical strain, pesticides and untreated illnesses on farm workers and was compelled to make medical advances more accessible after training in Stanford University research labs as an undergraduate.

Martin-Villa co-developed programs to improve communications between Latine childhood cancer survivors and clinicians. After graduation, she was named a at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. During the fellowship, she worked on the Biden Cancer Moonshot and initiatives to increase community engagement in science. She was drawn to the UW School of Medicine because of its WWAMI model of community-based training in rural and urban areas across a five-state region. She now co-leads Doctor for a Day, an academy that introduces youth to health careers. She also co-manages the Casa Latina Clinic, which cares for King County鈥檚 medically underserved communities. She hopes to practice as a physician at the intersection of patient care, research and public policy.

鈥淎s the daughter of Mexican immigrants, it is a profound honor to represent my community and to receive support that allows me to continue doing the work I love while creating opportunities to uplift others,鈥 Martin-Villa said. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to learn from and grow alongside the other fellows as I continue my medical training.鈥

Shen is a doctoral student in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering advised by Professor Ali Farhadi. Shen was born in Seattle to parents who emigrated from China after the Cultural Revolution and the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. In the U.S., they had the freedom to pursue their education and better their lives. Shen was inspired by his parents鈥 story and his experience growing up in a city with a booming technology industry that improved people鈥檚 quality of life.

Shen decided to study computer science at the UW with a focus on artificial intelligence. He completed his bachelor鈥檚 within three years and continued into the Allen School鈥檚 doctoral program, where his research advances affordable, open-source coding agents such as SERA 鈥 short for Soft-Verified Efficient Repository Agents 鈥 that enable rapid creation of specialized agents for private codebases. With the support of the Soros Fellowship, Shen will continue working on agents for long horizon tasks and scientific discovery, as well as novel model architectures, with the goal of making frontier intelligence accessible and useful to as many people as possible.

“Artificial intelligence is increasingly privatized, and the best AI models are prohibitively expensive. My research focuses on developing new data pipelines and model architectures for cheap, personalized models that are both capable and broadly accessible,鈥 Shen said. 鈥淎I has become an essential tool across engineering, computing and the natural sciences, and I believe that everyone should be able to afford and use it.”

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Cheryl Wright-Wilson and Raymond Wilson bequest supports UW鈥檚 College of Education, School of Pharmacy and School of Medicine /news/2026/03/31/wilsonbequest/ Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:00:19 +0000 /news/?p=91141 image of a man and woman posing for a portrait in front of a staircase
Cherie Wright-Wilson and Raymon Wilson have made a bequest of more than $8 million to be shared among the UW鈥檚 College of Education, the School of Pharmacy and UW Medicine. Photo: Dennis Wise/天美影视传媒

It all started with a slide rule.

In the fall of 1965, during Cheryl Wright鈥檚 first week at the 天美影视传媒, she went to Suzzallo Library to complete a chemistry assignment. She needed help with a math problem and saw a boy across the reading room who had a slide rule 鈥 an analog calculator. The young pharmacy student who helped her that day was Raymond Wilson. Together the couple, who go by Cherie and Ray, did far more than solve a mathematical equation 鈥 they married and formed a bond that鈥檚 lasted more than six decades.

Cherie and Ray, both members of the Class of 1969,听 went on to have successful academic and professional careers.听 Over the years, their connections to the UW have deepened. They have supported scholarships, created alumni communities, built friendships and professional relationships, and cheered for Husky athletics, including the volleyball, basketball and football teams.

Now, the Wilsons have made a bequest of more than $8 million to be shared among the College of Education, the School of Pharmacy and UW Medicine鈥檚 BRaIN Laboratory. Bequests allow donors to direct their assets to causes after their death. The bequest brings the Wilsons鈥 total giving to more than $10 million and they now will be recognized by the UW as Presidential Laureates.

鈥淭his remarkable bequest reflects not only Cherie and Ray Wilson鈥檚 generosity, but a lifetime of connection to the 天美影视传媒. It represents an enduring relationship grounded in gratitude, trust and a shared belief in the power of education and discovery,鈥 said UW President Robert J. Jones. 鈥淔rom their earliest days as students to this extraordinary commitment, they have invested in people, ideas and communities across our university. Cherie and Ray鈥檚 impact will be felt for generations, expanding opportunity for students and advancing research that improves lives.鈥

After graduating from the UW, both Cherie and Ray attended the University of Kansas, where Cherie earned a master鈥檚 degree in early childhood development and Ray earned his doctorate in medicinal chemistry. They both earned medical degrees from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University, respectively.

Cherie and Ray wanted to return to Washington state and eventually settled near Seattle, where Cherie worked as a pediatrician at Seattle Children鈥檚 and in private practice in Bellevue. Ray set up a gastroenterology practice at the Everett Clinic. Their career success enabled them to give back to the community in several ways, including philanthropically, with several gifts supporting the UW. For Ray, who was able to attend the UW thanks to scholarships, supporting students today is a way to pay it forward.

鈥淥ur giving is out of gratitude for what the University did for us,鈥 Ray said. 鈥淚t certainly helped me when I didn’t have a lot of money. It鈥檚 a privilege to try and help other students who might be struggling to get through school.鈥

College of Education

Ray was inspired to create an endowed scholarship fund at the College of Education more than a decade ago to support master鈥檚 level teacher training for Native Americans. It was a way to honor his high school baseball and basketball coach, Dan Iyall. Iyall, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, reached legendary status as a pioneer in Washington high school athletics.

Iyall worked for nearly 50 years in education and is a member of the Washington Baseball Hall of Fame. He created the Washington high school baseball championships and is credited with developing a new style of bunting. He coached championship-level teams from four different high schools across Eastern Washington: Coulee City, Deer Park, Oroville and University. He also took a team from Oroville to the Washington State A boys basketball championship.

Wilson said Iyall鈥檚 presence reinforced the importance of inclusivity.

鈥淓ventually, I decided we need more people like Dan Iyall,鈥 Wilson said. 鈥淲e need more teachers like that.鈥

The bequest will grow the Dan Iyall Native American Support Fund by more than 300%. 听Thanks to the fund, more than a dozen Native American fellows have earned their master鈥檚 in teaching. Now, the College will be able to award more fellowships each year.

The Wilsons are also creating the Dean Mia Tuan Endowed Professorship, to recognize Tuan鈥檚 leadership and long-standing emphasis on authentic, reciprocal community partnerships and culturally informed problem solving. The new endowment will allow the College to recruit and retain faculty specializing in community- and equity-based education.

鈥淩ay and Cherie are extraordinary people whose generosity reflects a deep commitment to strengthening our communities,鈥 Tuan said. 鈥淭heir gift will support Native students in becoming teachers while helping diversify Washington鈥檚 educator workforce. I am also deeply moved that their gift will establish an endowed professorship dedicated to authentic community partnerships and culturally grounded problem solving.鈥

School of Pharmacy

Several decades after Ray received financial assistance to attend the UW School of Pharmacy, he teamed up with classmates and launched the Class of 1969 Scholarship Fund. Set up in the 2000s, it was the first School of Pharmacy alumni class to create a fund to help students.

鈥淚 came from a small town in Eastern Washington with almost no money, and yet, the University provided me with scholarships and completely covered my tuition,鈥 Ray said.

Wendel L. Nelson, a professor and pioneer in medicinal chemistry, recognized Ray鈥檚 talents early on and hired him to work in a lab. The research helped Ray advance his career, and the extra money helped pay for food and housing. More than that, the combination of scholarships and laboratory work enabled Ray to graduate debt-free.

With this bequest, the Wilsons鈥 generosity supports two additional funds in the School of Pharmacy: The Wendel L. Nelson Endowment in Medicinal Chemistry, named for Ray鈥檚 mentor, will support graduate students involved in basic laboratory research in medicinal chemistry. The gift also adds to the Nelson-Mendenhall Summer Scholars Program Fund, which brings undergraduates to the UW School of Pharmacy for a 10-week intensive in pharmaceutical sciences.

鈥淔rom their longstanding financial support to their ongoing participation in School events, to Ray鈥檚 past volunteer leadership, Ray and Cherie have already contributed so much to our School of Pharmacy community, and they have done so with a genuine desire to help students and the School thrive,鈥 said School of Pharmacy Dean Jay Panyam. 鈥淭he Wilsons鈥 estate commitment is yet another example of their incredible generosity, and I know it will have a significant and lasting impact for our students.鈥

UW Biorepository and Integrated Neuropathology (BRaIN) Laboratory in the UW School of Medicine

The Wilsons鈥 bequest contributes additional funds to the BRaIN Laboratory, part of UW Medicine鈥檚 Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology.

Researchers at the BRaIN Lab are studying normal brain anatomy and function and how these change in injury and disease, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy .

Cherie and Ray听 were introduced to the BRaIN Lab鈥檚 groundbreaking research by their former neighbors, Linda and Bob Dahl, whose son, Matthew Dahl, was one of their favorite neighborhood kids. When he died at 24, they were moved to learn about the BRaIN Lab, where Bob and Linda had donated his brain for research and to understand the impact of a childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI). The examination determined that Matt鈥檚 childhood TBI had evolved, rather than resolved. The outcome 鈥 Matt鈥檚 brain showed significant damage 鈥 highlighted the importance of such donations and moved the Wilsons to make meaningful philanthropic contributions to the lab.

Cherie said she鈥檚 hopeful the BRaIN Lab鈥檚 work may lead to treatments that could result in better long-term outcomes for patients.

鈥淪ome of these problems are going to be solved,鈥 Cherie said. 鈥淛ust becoming aware of chronic head injury and the effect on kids is really, really important.鈥

The BRaIN lab is a global leader in neurological research on many topics, including TBI. With this bequest, the Wilsons support the intersection of pharmaceutical research and brain injury and disease.

鈥淩ay and Cherie鈥檚 engagement and generosity will continue to help the BRaIN Lab become a national model for neuropathology research. This generous gift will accelerate our work to better understand the mechanisms of brain injury and disease and to support the development of new strategies for diagnosis, treatment and prevention,鈥 said Dr. Caitlin S. Latimer, director of both the Division of Neuropathology and the BRaIN Lab.

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Four UW researchers named AAAS Fellows /news/2026/03/26/four-uw-researchers-named-aaas-fellows/ Thu, 26 Mar 2026 14:08:36 +0000 /news/?p=91088 Four researchers' headshots
Four 天美影视传媒 researchers have been named AAAS Fellows. They are, from left to right, David Baker, Elizabeth Buffalo, Maitreya Dunham and David J. Masiello. Photo: 天美影视传媒

Four 天美影视传媒 researchers have been named AAAS Fellows, according to . They are among 449 newly elected fellows from around the world, who are recognized for their 鈥渟cientifically and socially distinguished achievements鈥 in science and engineering. New Fellows will receive an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin 鈥 representing science and engineering, respectively 鈥 to commemorate their election.

A tradition dating back to 1874, election as an AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor. AAAS Fellows play a crucial role in shaping public policy, advancing scientific research and influencing national and global perspectives on critical issues. Becoming a AAAS Fellow is among the most distinct honors within the scientific community, and those elevated to the rank have made distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. All fellows are expected to meet the commonly held standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity.

This year鈥檚 UW AAAS fellows are:

, professor of biochemistry at the UW School of Medicine and the director of the UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design, was recognized for his groundbreaking work in computational protein design. Baker鈥檚 early work was in predicting how chains of chemicals fold into molecular structures that determine protein functions. He went on to design new proteins from scratch to carry out tasks in medicine, technology and sustainability. His team is developing vaccines, targeted drug delivery for cancer, enzymes to break down environmental pollutants and innovative biomaterials, among other endeavors. Baker received the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his scientific achievements to benefit humankind. He has also been awarded the Overton Prize in computational biology, Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology, Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences and Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences.

, professor and chair of neurobiology and biophysics at the UW School of Medicine, was honored for her distinguished contributions to cognitive and systems neuroscience. Buffalo, who is the Wayne E. Crill Endowed Professor, is particularly noted for her pioneering research on the neural basis of remembering and learning, and for advancing translational research into broader insights on human brain function. She studies the relationship between eye movements and activity in the hippocampus and other nearby brain regions involved in forming memories, navigating and recalling the emotional context of past events. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, which presented her with the Troland Award for innovative, multidisciplinary studies. She also helps train postdoctoral scholars at the UW Medicine Institute for Translational Immunology.

, professor and chair of genome sciences at the UW School of Medicine, was noted for her distinguished contributions to the fields of genetics and genomics. She is known for advancing knowledge of the mechanisms underlying molecular evolution and genetic variation in yeasts and in humans. Her lab develops new tools to study mutations and their consequences, genome structure, gene interactions, and the evolution of gene expression. She has a longstanding interest in how copy number variations 鈥 how many times a particular segment of DNA repeats 鈥 affect adaptation, and how these variations arise. Dunham applies her genomics methods to diverse topics, including the biology of aging and the emergence of multi-drug antibiotic resistance. Dunham is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University and was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Scholar.

, UW professor of chemistry, was honored for distinguished contributions to the theoretical understanding of nanoscale light-matter interactions, particularly for the design and interpretation of advanced spectroscopies that use electrons and light to probe material excitations. Masiello is an applied physicist whose research focuses on creating simple-yet-rich theoretical models that bring insight and understanding to observations spanning from quantum materials to nanophotonics. Masiello was hired as an assistant professor at the UW in 2010. He is a faculty member in both the Molecular & Engineering Sciences Institute and the Institute for Nano-Engineered Systems, and is also an adjunct professor of applied mathematics and of materials science and engineering. Masiello’s honors include receiving an NSF CAREER Award and a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, called PECASE, awarded by President Obama at the White House.

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天美影视传媒 and Tohoku University Japan announce expansion of their collaboration with the 鈥淨-DREAM鈥 framework /news/2026/02/27/university-of-washington-and-tohoku-university-japan-announce-expansion-of-their-collaboration-with-the-q-dream-framework/ Fri, 27 Feb 2026 16:55:13 +0000 /news/?p=90836 Two men seated at a table holding signed agreements
Tohoku University President Teiji Tominaga (left) and UW President Robert J. Jones (right) signed an expanded agreement in Tokyo on Friday kicking off 鈥淨-DREAM,鈥 joint research, education and innovation in quantum information science & engineering, disaster resilience, engineering and advanced manufacturing, and medicine. Photo: 天美影视传媒

Tohoku University and the 天美影视传媒, two leading academic research institutions of the Pacific Rim, announced 鈥淨-DREAM,鈥 a significant expansion of their decades-long collaboration.

The agreement, signed by university leaders in Tokyo on Friday, provides a broader, future-oriented framework that represents areas of the highest potential synergy. The two universities will engage in joint research, education and innovation in quantum information science & engineering, disaster resilience, engineering and advanced manufacturing, and medicine 鈥 summarized with the acronym Q-DREAM.

The Q-DREAM agreement will accelerate joint research and global impact, increase student and faculty exchange programs, enhance international visibility and funding opportunities, and foster innovation ecosystems connecting academia, industry and government. The first part of this new initiative will focus on quantum materials and is set to begin immediately. The remaining focus areas are expected to roll out over the next few years.

The UW-Tohoku collaboration has grown and deepened since it began in 1996. Rooted in aerospace research, the relationship has broadened to include clean energy technology related to transportation, materials for industrial applications and seismic engineering. Since 2017, Academic Open Space (AOS), has provided a strong foundation facilitating research matching across diverse fields and fostering vibrant faculty and student exchanges. And Q-DREAM allows for even more trans-Pacific interaction.

Q-DREAM鈥檚 work will include the following focus areas:

  • Quantum: Builds on both institutions鈥 internationally recognized leadership in quantum materials, information science and technologies to accelerate the translation of discoveries into real-world applications with impact across science, industry and national security.
  • Disaster resilience: Addresses natural hazards and climate-driven risks, including earthquakes, tsunamis and extreme weather events, with the goal of strengthening community preparedness and infrastructure resilience.
  • Engineering & advanced manufacturing: Advances AI-driven engineering, sustainable and resilient manufacturing, and next-generation robotics.
  • Medicine: Collaborates at the intersection of engineering and medicine to drive translational research and health innovation, with the goal of accelerating the path from discovery to clinical and societal impact.

鈥淎ddressing today鈥檚 complex challenges requires bold, collaborative solutions,鈥 said UW President Robert J. Jones. 鈥淲hen leading research universities align around a shared vision, we amplify our ability to advance discovery, drive innovation and serve the public good. We look forward to deepening this partnership with Tohoku University and advancing our shared work in the years ahead.鈥

Tohoku University President Teiji Tominaga echoed those sentiments.

鈥淥ur shared strengths in engineering, science and medicine position us to deliver even greater global impact,鈥 said Tominaga. 鈥淭hrough this collaboration, we are committed to building resilience, advancing scientific discovery and improving lives.鈥

The Q-DREAM agreement was signed by the leaders of both institutions on the eve of UW Converge Tokyo, the UW鈥檚 annual gathering for its global community of alumni and friends.

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ArtSci Roundup: February /news/2026/01/16/artsci-roundup-february/ Fri, 16 Jan 2026 21:30:20 +0000 /news/?p=90262

Come curious. Leave inspired.

While February might be just 28 days, the UW offers an exciting lineup of more than 40 in-person and online events. From thought-provoking art and music to conversations on culture, history, and science, the UW community invites you to explore, learn, and connect across disciplines throughout the University. In addition, take a look ahead at what’s happening in March.

In addition,听.


ArtSci On Your Own Time

Recorded Lectures: 听(History)
Incarceration is a hotly debated topic in the United States, a country that has one of the highest rates of incarceration in the world. Looking at the practice from a historical perspective, what can incarceration teach us about who we were and who we are now? What might histories of incarceration, and the histories of those who have been incarcerated, tell us about power dynamics, belonging, exclusion, struggle, and hope across societies in the past and present? The 2026 History Lecture Series explores the practice of incarceration, tracing its change over time from antiquity to our modern world. Following the lectures, the recordings will be available online.

Podcast: (School of Drama)
A lively and opinionated cultural history of the Broadway Musical that tells the extraordinary story of how Immigrants, Jews, Queers, African-Americans and other outcasts invented the Broadway Musical, and how they changed America in the process.In Season One, host David Armstrong traces the evolution of American Musical Theater from its birth at the dawn of the 20th Century, through its mid-century 鈥淕olden Age鈥, and right up to its current 21st Century renaissance; and also explore how musicals have reflected and shaped our world — especially in regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, and equality. Free.

Exhibition: (Henry Art Gallery)
Primarily featuring works from the Henry collection created in the twenty-first century, Figure/Ground reflects a period in which hard-won civil rights and claims to self-determination have been eroded across the US, disproportionately affecting Black, Brown, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized communities. Free.

Book Club: The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones (UW Alumni)
Stephen Graham Jones is the NYT bestselling author of more than forty novels, collections, novellas and comic books. He is a professor of English at the University of Colorado Boulder, and an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana. Free.

Recorded Lectures:
Featuring selected lectures from 1996 to today, UW Graduate School’s Office of Public Lectures YouTube features an incredible lineup of artists, scientists, researchers, and more!


Week of February 2

January 29鈥揊ebruary 8 | (School of Drama)
In this new translation of Chekhov鈥檚 鈥漵erious comedy of human contradictions鈥, a group of artists and dreamers meet in the countryside and wrestle with the costs of ambition, unspoken longings, and the harsh realities of artistic pursuits. Set against a backdrop of love, passionate aspirations, and the search for meaning,听The Seagull听captures the fierce hopes and quiet heartbreaks of an artistic career.听 Directed by MFA Student Sebasti谩n Bravo Montenegro.

Online – February 2 | 听(Jackson School of International Studies)
Presented by Radhika Govindrajan, Director, South Asia Center and Associate Professor, Anthropology, 天美影视传媒; Sunila Kale
Professor, South Asia and International Studies 天美影视传媒; and Milan Vaishnav, Senior Fellow and Director, South Asia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Trump in the World 2.0 is an online series of talks and discussions featuring guest speakers and faculty exploring global perspectives on a second Trump administration. Free.

February 3 | (Asian Languages & Literature)
This is a unique opportunity to learn from UW Professor Zev Handel and get a peek into a linguistic history that has shaped the world. Like the book, this talk will be accessible to everyone鈥攔egardless of whether you have any knowledge of Chinese characters or East Asian languages. Free.

February 3 | (Jackson School of International Studies)
A Welcome & Research Presentation with 2025-26 UW Fulbright Canada Special Foundation Fellow, Clinton Westman. Free.

February 4 |
(History)
This lecture explores the evidence for ancient incarceration in vignettes: reading letters that prisoners wrote on papyrus, investigating spaces where they were held, and analyzing depictions of captives in monuments, law courts, and homes. Roman evidence does not model a just society, but it does offer a mirror where we can see modern practices of incarceration in a new light, asking which aspects of contemporary prisons are unique to modernity, and which reflect longer histories. The 2026 History Lecture Series presents “Power & Punishment – Histories of Incarceration,” exploring the practice of incarceration, tracing its change over time from antiquity to our modern world. Following the lectures, the recordings will be available online. Free.

February 4 | (School of Art + Art History + Design)
Death is a fundamental first step toward rebirth鈥攂ut this transition can feel daunting without a compassionate guide. In The Book of Zero, our 2026 Jacob Lawrence Legacy Resident indira allegra presents a multimedia, meditative experience shaped by their research into doula work, death care, and the cyclical nature of bodies and environments. Free.

February 4 | (School of Music)
A free lunchtime performance featuring UW School of Music students in the North Allen Library lobby. Presented in partnership with UW Libraries. Free.

Online option – February 5 | 2026 University Faculty Lecture – A breath of fresh air: The science and policy saving lives from America鈥檚 deadliest cancer
Lung cancer kills nearly 125,000 Americans each year 鈥 more than breast, colon, and prostate cancers combined. UW Department of Surgery Professor and Chair Dr. Douglas Wood is out to change that and will discuss the many ways he and his colleagues are raising lung cancer awareness, increasing access to early detection, and ultimately, working to change lung cancer victims to lung cancer survivors. Free.

February 5 | 听(Asian Languages & Literature)
During the dark centuries between the fall of the Han dynasty in 220 CE and the golden age of reunified China under the Tang and Song dynasties (618鈥1279), the shi poetic form embraced new themes and structure. Using biography, social history, and literary analysis, Ping Wang demonstrates how the shi form came to dominate classical Chinese poetry, making possible the works of the great poets of later dynasties and influencing literary development in Korea and Japan. Free.

February 6 | (Jackson School of International Studies)
Since the early 2000s, literary scholarship has read Hebrew and Arabic literatures together to find moments of transgression or trespass, challenging logics of partition. In Static Forms: Writing the Present in the Modern Middle East, Shir Alon develops an alternative model for reading Arabic and Hebrew literatures, as two literary systems sharing a remarkably similar narrative of modernization and developing parallel literary forms to address it. In this talk, Alon will discuss the potential of a paradigm grounded in formal and affective analysis for new understandings of transnational modernism, Middle Eastern literatures, and comparative literary studies at large. She will also explore the limits of this approach, when parallel readings of Hebrew and Arabic literatures obfuscate rather than clarify the conditions of the present. Free.

February 6 | 听(Music and American Indian Studies)
UW Ethnomusicology, Department of American Indian Studies, and the UW Symphony collaborate with Lushootseed Research鈥檚 Healing Heart Project in presenting this special community event. Following a free screening of the documentary film The Healing Heart of Lushootseed, the UW Symphony (David Alexander Rahbee, director) and soprano Adia S. Bowen (tsi s蕯uyu蕯a色) perform Bruce Ruddell鈥檚 50-minute symphony Healing Heart of the First People of This Land. This powerful work was commissioned by Upper Skagit elder Vi Hilbert (taq史拧蓹blu) shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks as a vehicle for, in Hilbert鈥檚 words, 鈥渂ringing healing to a sick world.鈥 Premiered by The Seattle Symphony in 2006, the piece draws inspiration from two sacred Coast Salish songs Hilbert had entrusted to the composer and features a number of percussion instruments native to this region. The performance features soloist and Indigenous soprano Adia S. Bowen (tsi s蕯uyu蕯a色), a UW alumna who graduated in June 2025 with degrees in Voice Performance and American Indian Studies. Free.

February 6 | (Psychology)
Whether you鈥檙e married, dating, or flying solo, Dr. Nicole McNichols has some sex advice for you. And you may want to pay attention because McNichols is not only the professor of 天美影视传媒鈥檚 most sought-after class in its history, she鈥檚 one of social media鈥檚 most popular educators on the topic of sex. Pulling from her book, You Could Be Having Better Sex, McNichols shares the latest data that shows good sex is one of the most powerful and effective sources of joy.


Week of February 9

Online – February 9 | 听(Jackson School of International Studies)
Presented by Re艧at Kasaba, Professor, International Studies, 天美影视传媒 and G枚n眉l Tol, Director, Turkish Program, Middle East Institute. Trump in the World 2.0 is an online series of talks and discussions featuring guest speakers and faculty exploring global perspectives on a second Trump administration. Free.

February 10 | 听(Simpson Center for the Humanities)
The production and promotion of so-called “AI” technology involves dehumanization on many fronts: the computational metaphor valorizes one kind of cognitive activity as 鈥渋ntelligence,鈥 devaluing many other aspects of human experience while taking an isolating, individualistic view of agency, ignoring the importance of communities and webs of relationships. Meanwhile, the purpose of humans is framed as being labelers of data or interchangeable machine components. Data collected about people is understood as “ground truth” even while it lies about those people, especially marginalized people. In this talk, Bender will explore these processes of dehumanization and the vital role that the humanities have in resisting these trends by painting a deeper and richer picture of what it is to be human. Free.

February 10 | (QuantumX)
Dr. Krysta Svore is Vice President of Applied Research for Quantum Computing at NVIDIA, joining the company after 19 years at Microsoft, where she served as Technical Fellow and VP of Advanced Quantum Development and pioneered reliable quantum computing through the co鈥慸esign of hardware, software, and error correction. She began her career developing machine learning methods for web search before founding Microsoft鈥檚 quantum computing software, algorithms, and architecture program. Free.

February 11 | 听(Chemistry, Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, and Bioengineering)
Explore how cutting-edge research is driving material innovation in the built environment. Faculty whose work spans chemistry, engineering, and architecture examine how living systems can be integrated into material design to address pressing challenges related to sustainability, resilience, and the future of construction. Free.

February 11 | (History)
This lecture explores the wide variety of carceral practices in medieval Europe and examines how the recovery of Roman law and the concept of the state in the twelfth century began to transform those practices. Following the lectures, the recordings will be available online. Free.

February 11 | (Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies)
Navigating Academia as a Transnational Scholar from the Global South: Treasuring All the Knowledges brings together the voices of 16 women and non-binary scholars who began their postgraduate journeys as non-elite international students and (un)documented migrants in countries positioned as economically more powerful than their places of origin. Inspired by the book鈥檚 creative and relational approach to knowledge, this event will also open a collective space for poetry and storytelling. Participants are invited to write and share short poetic or narrative reflections that speak to their own experiences of abundance, survival, care, and knowledge-making within academic spaces. Free.

February 12 | (Sociology)
The future will be old; Europe, the Americas and Asia will soon have the oldest populations ever known to humanity. Can we cope? It will require major changes in the way we think about youth, women, immigration, and globalization to avoid disaster. Free.

February 12 | 听(Jackson School of International Studies)
In Ghost Nation: the Story of Taiwan and its Struggle for Survival, Chris Horton compares Beijing’s claim that Taiwan has been Chinese territory “since time immemorial” with Taiwan’s actual history. Several different groups have controlled some or all of Taiwan over the last 400 years — the Dutch, Spanish, Tungning, Manchu, Japanese, Chinese, and now, Taiwanese. By looking at those who have ruled Taiwan, Horton also tells the story of the Taiwanese people, highlighting their intergenerational quest for self-determination — and the existential threat posed by an expansionist Chinese Communist Party. Free.

February 12 | (Simpson Center for the Humanities)
Athletes with ancestral ties to the Pacific Islands are dominant fixtures in some of the world鈥檚 most visible sports and over several generations have produced a modern sports diaspora. Tracing Samoan transnational and diasporic movement along divergent colonial pathways, this talk examines the relationship between embodied experiences of racialization and the emergence of Pacific sports excellence in three settler colonial countries (United States, Aotearoa New Zealand, and Australia). It then considers what recent efforts to mobilize Indigenous practice inside and outside sport tell us about the uses and importance of culture in contemporary sport. Free.

February 12 | 听(School of Music)
Faculty pianist Robin McCabe joins forces with guest artist Maria Larionoff in an evening of high octane duos for violin and piano. On the launch pad: Stravinsky鈥檚 Suite Italienne, Beethoven鈥檚 Sonata in G major, Opus 96, and Faure鈥檚 impassioned Sonata in A Major.

Online – February 13 | 2026 Provost’s Town Hall
Join UW Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Tricia Serio as she discusses the state of the University from an academic perspective and the singular role that public research universities 鈥 and the UW in particular 鈥 play in our society. Featured speakers include Jodi Sandfort, dean of the Evans School, and Sarah Cusworth Walker, research professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Ted Poor, associate professor in the School of Music, will introduce the provost.

February 13 | (Open Scholarship Commons)
Douglass Day is an annual transcribe-a-thon program that marks the birth of Frederick Douglass. Each year, sites across the country gather thousands of people to help create new & freely available resources for learning about Black history. A transcribe-a-thon is an event in which a group of people work together to transcribe a collection of digitized historical materials. The primary goal of a transcribe-a-thon is to make the materials more easily accessible, but these events also serve to promote awareness of parts of Black history 鈥 and especially Black women鈥檚 history 鈥 that remain too-little-known. Free.

February 14 | (Meany Center for the Performing Arts)
Celebrate Valentine鈥檚 Day with 8x Grammy nominee and NAACP Image Award winner The Baylor Project 鈥 featuring vocalist Jean Baylor and drummer Marcus Baylor. Steeped in the heart of jazz, with dynamic performances that are soulful to the core, their musical roots are deeply planted in gospel, blues and R&B. Their eclectic sound and infectious chemistry provide the perfect backdrop for a memorable evening filled with vibrant, spiritual, feel-good music.


Week of February 16

February 17 | (School of Art + Art History + Design)
Our question to consider: what does the work of indira allegra offer us when thinking about the project of liberation? This program is part of the year-long Liberation Book Club series exploring liberation through shared texts, art, film, music, and workshops. Free.

February 18 | (History)
In 1942, the U.S. government incarcerated more than 120,000 Japanese Americans in concentration camps based on the racist argument that they were likely 鈥渄isloyal鈥 to the United States. In the ensuing years of World War II, though, the U.S. government simultaneously sought to demonstrate the 鈥渓oyalty鈥 of Japanese Americans to American democracy. By placing U.S. wartime policies and Japanese American responses in different historical contexts, this lecture will interrogate the meanings of loyalty, democracy, and national security鈥攄uring World War II and in our own time. Following the lectures, the recordings will be available online. Free.

February 18 | (Digital Arts & Experimental Media)
DXARTS presents an evening of 3D music, featuring recent work and world premieres by current staff and graduate students. Free.

February 18 & 19 | & (School of Music)
UW Jazz Studies students perform in small combos over two consecutive nights of original tunes, homage to the greats of jazz, and experiments in composing and arranging. Directed by Cuong Vu, Ted Poor, John-Carlos Perea, and Steve Rodby.听Free.

February 19 | 听(Henry Art Gallery)
Poet, musician, and scholar Rasheena Fountain presents Speculative Land Blues, a blues guitar, poetry, and DJ set. Developed in collaboration with Adeerya Johnson, Associate Curator at the Museum of Pop Culture, the Henry presents Speculative Landscapes. Free.

February 19 | (Burke Museum)
Read the book ahead of time, or join to learn more about the selection. The February book is Spirit Whales and Sloth Tales: Fossils of Washington State by Elizabeth A. Nesbitt and David B. Williams. Free.

February 19 | (Jackson School of International Studies)
John Johnson is a recently retired Senior Foreign Service Officer whose career included leadership roles in Brussels, Afghanistan, and with the U.S. Mission to NATO. Since joining the State Department in 2002, he has served in Europe, Asia, and Washington, D.C., earning multiple awards for his service. A Seattle native and UW graduate, John speaks several languages and lives with his family in the Pacific Northwest. Free.

February 20 | 听(Political Science)
The Center for Environmental Politics hosts Amanda Stronza, professor in Texas A&M University Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, and co-founder of the Applied Biodiversity Science Program. Free.

February 21 | 听(Meany Center for the Performing Arts)
yMusic 鈥 named for Generation Y 鈥 is a genre-leading American chamber ensemble renowned for its innovative and collaborative spirit. yMusic has a unique mission: to work on both sides of the classical/popular music divide, without sacrificing rigor, virtuosity, charisma or style.


Week of February 23

Online – February 23 | 听(Jackson School of International Studies)
Presented by Ambassador Michelle Gavin who is currently Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies, Council on Foreign Relations. Trump in the World 2.0 is an online series of talks and discussions featuring guest speakers and faculty exploring global perspectives on a second Trump administration. Free.

February 23 | 听(Asian Languages & Literature)
UW Asian L&L and the Seattle International Film Festival co-host an award winning filmmaker Ash Mayfair at the SIFF Cinema Uptown for the screening of Skin of Youth (2025). A Q&A moderated by Assistant Professor Ungsan Kim will follow the screening.

February 23 | 听(School of Music)
UW music students perform music from the Baroque era under the direction of Tekla Cunningham. Free.

February 24 | (Meany Center for the Performing Arts)
Join us for a feature documentary that traces the remarkable history and legacy of one of the most important works of art to come out of the age of AIDS 鈥揷horeographer Bill T. Jones鈥檚 tour de force ballet 鈥淒-Man in the Waters.鈥 There will be a post-screening discussion with Bill T. Jones and Berette S Macaulay. Free.

February 24 | 听(Jackson School of International Studies)
Can political elites shape public opinion by influencing the tone of news coverage, even when they cannot dictate what gets covered? This study addresses that question using text analysis of more than five million Japanese news articles from 2004鈥2024, showing that rising negativity in legacy media closely corresponds with declines in cabinet approval. A newly compiled dataset of prime ministers鈥 daily schedules further reveals that periods of intensified elite engagement with journalists coincide with less negative coverage. Together, these findings suggest that incumbents may still temper media tone through proactive outreach, though this influence appears to weaken in the age of fragmented, digital media. Free.

February 25 | (History)
Prison is more than a place of punishment. It is also an archive. Yet the official story found in sentencing reports and conduct reviews is only part of the story. Incarcerated people generate a parallel counter-archive of resistance and transformation. The Washington Prison History Project is a multimedia digital effort to document this counter-archive at a local level. Across a series of publications, programs, and protests, incarcerated people have shown prison to be a central feature in the development of Washington State and the country. An examination of this archive tells a different history of our state鈥攁nd its possible futures. Following the lectures, the recordings will be available online. Free.

February 25 | (American Indian Studies)
Featuring Oscar Hokea(Cherokee Nation and Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma). Storytelling offers a spiritual connection, a sharing of sacred breath. Literature, similarly, preserves human experience and ideals. Both forms are durable and transmit power that teaches us how to live. Both storytelling and reading aloud can impact audiences through the power of presence, allowing for the experience of the transfer of sacred breath as audiences are immersed in the experience of being inside stories and works of literature.听Free.

Online option – February 25 | The Office of Public Lectures presents: America鈥檚 Character and the Rule of Law with George Conway III(Public Lectures)
This talk will explore the idea that the endurance of the rule of law in the United States relies not solely on the provisions of the Constitution鈥攊ts structural framework, the institutions it established, or the rights it enshrines鈥攂ut fundamentally on the character of its citizens. Qualities such as public-spiritedness, tolerance, moderation, empathy, mutual respect, a sense of fair play, and, ultimately, intelligence, honor, and decency form the foundation of constitutional democracy. Free.

February 26 | (School of Art + Art History + Design)
In this talk, Rachael Z. DeLue will share insights from her current research and teaching on the relationship between art and science in nineteenth-century Europe and North America, focusing on a suite of extraordinary chromolithographs created in the 1880s by the astronomer and illustrator 脡tienne-Leopold Trouvelot. Based on his work at the Harvard Observatory and the United States Naval Observatory, the chromolithographs represent the cross-pollination of art and science in an attempt to generate knowledge about astronomical phenomena that eluded perception and resisted visualization. Prof. DeLue will consider Trouvelot鈥檚 prints in relation to other such attempts on the part of fine artists and scientific illustrators to picture the celestial sphere at a time when technology was limited and space travel was still the stuff of science fiction.鈥Free.

February 26 | 听(Stroum Center for Jewish Studies)
In this talk, Paris Papamichos Chronakis discuss his new book, The Business of Transition 鈥 Jewish and Greek Merchants of Salonica from Ottoman to Greek Rule, and shows how the Jewish and Greek merchants of Salonica (present-day Thessaloniki) skillfully managed the tumultuous shift from Ottoman to Greek rule amidst rising ethnic tensions and heightened class conflict. Bringing their once powerful voices back into the historical narrative, he traces their entangled trajectories as businessmen, community members, and civic leaders to illustrate how the self-reinvention of a Jewish-led bourgeoisie made a city Greek. Salonica鈥檚 merchants were present in their own鈥攁nd their city鈥檚鈥攔emaking. Free.

February 26 | 听(Simpson Center for the Humanities)
Taiwan is a unique site of innovation in disability rights. Despite being barred from becoming a States Party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) according to the diplomatic exclusion faced by Taiwan, it has become a model for the localization of the CRPD through its use “domestic review mechanisms.” Furthermore, Taiwan demonstrates the ways in which fundamental divides within human rights discourse, such as Western individualism and East Asian familialism, can be bridged using strategic adaptation that reimagine disability rights as a post-colonial hybrid. Free.

Photo by Michael B Maine

February 26 – March 1 | (Dance)
Presenting seven original student-choreographed works. This platform gives students the opportunity to express their creative voices through choreography and costume design, as well as collaborating with lighting designers and mentors.

February 26 – 28 | (Meany Center for the Performing Arts)
Thirty years after its historic premiere, the groundbreaking dance theater work by Bill T. Jones returns to the stage. Still/Here shatters boundaries between the personal and the political, exemplifying a form of dance theater that is uniquely American. At the heart of the piece are 鈥渟urvival workshops鈥 Jones conducted with people living with life-threatening illnesses.


ArtSci Roundup goes monthly!

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Previously shared on a quarterly basis, those who sign up for the Roundup email will receive them monthly, delivering timely updates and engaging content wherever you are. Check the roundup regularly, as events are added throughout the month. Make sure to check out the ArtSci On Your Own Time section for everything from podcasts to videos to exhibitions that can be enjoyed when it works for you!

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Do you have an event that you would like to see featured in the ArtSci Roundup? Connect with Lauren Zondag (zondagld@uw.edu).uw.edu).

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Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list includes 56 UW faculty and researchers /news/2025/11/25/clarivate-highly-cited-researchers-2025-list-includes-56-uw-faculty-and-researchers/ Tue, 25 Nov 2025 18:05:25 +0000 /news/?p=89946 aerial view of a college campus in autumn
TheUW has 56 faculty and researchers named on the Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list from Clarivate. Photo: Mark Stone/天美影视传媒

The 天美影视传媒 is proud to announce that 56 faculty and researchers who completed their work while at UW have been named on the list from Clarivate.

The annual list identifies researchers who demonstrated significant influence in their chosen field or fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade. Their names are drawn from the publications that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and publication year in the .

Highly Cited Researchers demonstrate significant and broad influence in their fields of research. The total list includes 7,131 awards from more than 1,300 institutions in 60 countries and regions. This small fraction of the global researcher population contributes disproportionately to extending the frontiers of knowledge and contributing to innovations that make the world healthier, more sustainable and which drive societal impact, according to Clarivate.

The that determines the 鈥渨ho鈥檚 who鈥 of influential researchers is drawn from data and analysis performed by bibliometric experts and data scientists at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate.

The list below includes faculty and researchers whose primary affiliation is with the UW, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Please note: Some of the people on the list are no longer with the UW and their current affiliation is noted. This list reflects initial data from Clarivate and may be updated.

Ivan Anishchenko (Vilya)

David Baker

William A. Banks

Gregory N. Bratman

Steven L. Brunton

Guozhong Cao

Ting Cao

Lauren Carter (Gates Medical Research Institute)

Helen Chu

David H. Cobden

Katharine H. D. Crawford

Riza M. Daza

Frank DiMaio

Kristie L. Ebi

Evan E. Eichler

Emmanuela Gakidou

David Ginger

Raphael Gottardo (CHUV)

Alexander L. Greninger

Simon I. Hay

Andrew Hill (Infinimmune)

Eric Huang

Michael C. Jensen (BrainChild)

Neil P.听 King

C. Dirk Keene

J. Nathan Kutz

Eric H. Larson

Aaron Lyon

Michael J. MacCoss

Brendan MacLean

C. M. Marcus

Julian D. Marshall

Ali Mokdad

Thomas J. Montine (Stanford)

Mohsen Naghavi

Marian L. Neuhouser

Julian D. Olden

Robert W. Palmatier

David Pigott

Hannah A. Pliner (Bristol Myers Squibb)

Ganesh Raghu

Stanley Riddell

Andrea Schietinger (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)

Jay Shendure

M. Alejandra Tortorici

Troy R. Torgerson (Allen Institute)

Cole Trapnell

Katherine R. Tuttle

David Veesler

Theo Vos

Alexandra C. Walls (BioNTech SE)

Bryan J. Weiner

Di Xiao

Jie Xiao

Xiaodong Xu

Jihui Yang

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