Honorary Awards
Publication Awards
New Appointments to Professorships & Endowed Chairs
Other Recognition
Honorary Awards
Sai Ahmed, assistant director of student and community engagement at the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, received the John Caughlan Youth Award from the Seattle community organization LELO (Legacy of Leadership, Equality, and Organizing), which honors young people who are making a difference in their communities. Ahmed was recognized for developing and directing the Building a Movement Labor Internship at the Harry Bridges Center, which teaches UW undergraduate students about contemporary social movements and social change by placing them with labor and community organizations.
Dee Boersma, professor of biology, received the British Ornithological Union’s Godman-Salvin Prize for excellence in scientific research, practical conservation, scientific monitoring, and dissemination of science for public awareness. The committee particularly noted Boerma’s devotion to documenting varying aspects of penguins’ lives and her contribution to understanding the conservation of all species.
Paul Carrington, managing director of the East Asia Center in the Jackson School of International Studies, was named a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for 2024-2025 for the U.S.-Korea International Education Administrator Program.
Brandi Cossairt, the Lloyd E. and Florence M. West Endowed Professor of Chemistry and a researcher with the UW Clean Energy Institute, has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), for contributions to the development of nanoscale materials for applications in energy and advanced electronics. AAAS is among the world’s largest general scientific societies; being named an AAAS Fellow is a distinguished lifetime honor within the scientific community.
Alison Crowe, teaching professor of biology, was awarded an inaugural "Dissemination of Arabidopsis Knowledge" award by the North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee for her exemplary ability to support learning using Arabidopsis, a model plant that has illuminated our understanding of plant and eukaryotic biological processes through research and education.
Adrian Dobra, professor of statistics, and Elena Erosheva, professor of statistics and social work, have been named elected members of the International Statistical Institute (ISI), a global hub for statisticians. Elected members have made significant contributions in statistical research, practice, education, administration of statistical service, or promotion of the profession.
Tanya L. Eadie, professor of speech and hearing sciences and adjunct professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, has received the 6th Annual Dysphonia International Research Award. The study being recognized includes co-authors from UW Speech & Hearing Sciences (Cara Sauder and Mara Kapsner-Smith), UW Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery (Tanya Meyer and Emily Wilson), and Boston University (Cara Stepp and Katherine Marks).
Oliver Fraser, assistant teaching professor of astronomy, received the Honors Excellence in Teaching Award. Fraser was recognized for bringing exceptional experiences to UW students through his classes and in his role as director of the UW’s Manastash Ridge Observatory. He also supports astronomy education beyond the UW through the department’s planetarium programs, the UW in the High School program, and the Astronomy Education Clearinghouse.
Nick Gottschall, managing director of the South Asia Center in the Jackson School of International Studies, was named a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for 2024-2025 for the Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Program to India.
Ray Huey, professor emeritus of biology, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors that a scientist can receive. Members are elected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Huey focuses on evolutionary issues involving the physiology, behavior, and ecology of cold-blooded animals, especially of lizards and flies. His recent research has looked at how these animals that rely on external sources of heat will be affected by climate change.
Deborah Kamen, professor and chair of the Department of Classics, received the Randall Howarth Prize for Excellence in Mentoring from the Association of Ancient Historians (AAH), which acknowledges a clear record of excellence in mentoring others toward achieving their academic and professional goals through dedicated support, training, and research supervision as well as personal and professional development.
Reşat Kasaba, professor of international studies and director of the Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Near and Middle Eastern Studies, received the 2024 High Achievement Award in Social Sciences from Kadir Has University in Istanbul, Turkey. His work currently focuses on the history of US foreign policy in Turkey and the political consequences of the rural-urban divide in modern Turkey.
Jakob Kotas, assistant teaching professor of applied mathematics (starting 2024-25), received the Haimo Distinguished College or University Teacher of Mathematics Award, given by the Mathematical Association of America's Golden Section — the regional section encompassing Northern California, Nevada, and Hawaii — to recognize teaching excellence.
Randall J. Leveque, professor emeritus of applied mathematics and adjunct professor emeritus in mathematics and earth & space sciences, received the 2024 CSDMS lifetime achievement award from CSDMS (Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System) for outstanding intellectual leadership in numerical computing and its applications to problems in geophysical fluid mechanics and conservation laws, as well as for major contributions to reproducible computational research and open-source software.
Xiaosong Li, Larry R. Dalton Endowed Chair in Chemistry, received the 2024 Jack Simons Award in Theoretical Physical Chemistry from the Physical Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in recognition of Li's long history of exemplary research contributions and involvement in the physical chemistry community. Li was also named a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Alex Luedtke, associate professor of statistics, received the Raymond J Carroll Young Investigator Award for 2024, presented by the Department of Statistics at Texas A&M University to an outstanding young researcher in statistical science who has demonstrated outstanding scholarly contributions in statistical methodology and applications.
Jasmine Mahmoud, assistant professor of drama, received a 2024 Mellon Emerging Faculty Leaders (MEFL) award from the Institute for Citizens & Scholars. Funded by the Mellon Foundation, MEFL Awards support junior faculty whose research focuses on contemporary American history, politics, culture, and society, and who are committed to the creation of an inclusive campus community for underrepresented students and scholars. Each recipient receives a 12-month stipend of $20,000 while working toward tenure.
Jonathan Mayer, professor emeritus of geography and epidemiology, has been named a fellow of the American College of Epidemiology, for sustained leadership and scientific contributions to epidemiology. (He became an elected member 20+ years before being named a fellow.) Mayer was also elected to membership in the Dramatists Guild, which is the society for professional playwrights.
Michael McCann, professor emeritus of political science, received the 2024 Outstanding Scholar Award from the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation (ABF). The annual award honors an individual who has engaged in outstanding scholarship in law or government. ABF selected McCann for his commitment to the study of social justice and human rights, as well as his steadfast leadership at the University of Washington.
Matt McQuinn, associate professor of astronomy, and former DiRAC Fellow Kyle Boone received the Buchalter Cosmology Prize (First Prize) for devising a new method for measuring cosmological distances to fast radio bursts using the differences in wavefront arrival times as measured by extremely long baseline interferometry. The prize seeks to stimulate groundbreaking theoretical, observational, or experimental work in cosmology that has the potential to produce a breakthrough advance in our understanding.
Elise Novitski, assistant professor of physics, received the Stuart Jay Freedman Award in Experimental Nuclear Physics from the American Physical Society. Novitski was recognized for the development and analysis of the Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy method and its application to the measurement of neutrino mass.
Richard Olmstead, professor emeritus of biology, received the Asa Gray Award from the American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT). The Asa Gray Award, ASPT’s highest honor, recognizes those who have cultivated a career that has contributed significant research to systematic botany, while making lasting contributions to the systematic community, profession, and students.
Lauren J. Rajakovich, assistant professor of chemistry, received the Department of Chemistry Young Alumni Award from Wake Forest University (WFU), awarded to a WFU graduate under the age of 40 who has significantly contributed to any facet of the chemical sciences and continues to exemplify WFU’s commitment to excellence.
Nicholas M. Riley. assistant professor of chemistry, received the American Society for Mass Spectrometry Research Award, funded by Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Leslie Rosenberg, emeritus professor of physics, received the W.K.H. Panofsky Prize in Experimental Particle Physics from the American Physical Society. Rosenberg was recognized for leading the synthesis of precision microwave cavity techniques, superconducting quantum sensing, and cryogenic technology into the modern axion haloscope, and for the subsequent demonstration of experimental sensitivity to high-priority models of axions as dark matter.
Richard Salomon, professor emeritus of Sanskrit in the Department of Asian Languages and Literature, was elected as an honorary member of the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW). As Austria's largest non-university research and science institution, the OeAW strives to promote science in every respect, across a broad range of fields and disciplines.
Adam Summers, professor of biology and of aquatic and fishery sciences, was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship for work in Colombia over two years.
Quintard Taylor, professor emeritus of history and Scott and Dorothy Bullitt Professor of American History, received the 2024 Owen Wister Award from the Western Writers of America, the organization’s highest honor. Past recipients include Louise Erdrich, N. Scott Momaday, and Elmore Leonard.
Ashleigh B. Theberge, associate professor of chemistry, has received multiple awards: the Rising Star Award from the University of California, Berkeley, Department of Bioengineering; an Innovations in Research Award from UW EDGE Center (Exposures, Diseases, Genomics, and Environment); and the Department of Chemistry’s Faculty Award for Excellence in Student Mentoring.
Dianne J. Xiao, assistant professor of chemistry and Klaus and Mary Ann Saegebarth Endowed Faculty Fellow, is receiving a 2024 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, which will further support her work for reimagining porous materials for a sustainable future. The award comes with $100,000 in unrestricted research grant funds.
Publication Awards
Kemi Adeyemi, associate professor of gender, women & sexuality studies, received the Gloria E. Anzaldúa Book Prize from the National Women’s Studies Association for her book "Feels Right: Black Queer Women and the Politics of Partying in Chicago." The award is given annually in recognition of groundbreaking monographs that significantly advance multicultural feminist research, specifically in the realms of women of color and transnational scholarship.
Chadwick Allen, professor of English, associate vice provost for faculty advancement, and Russell F. Stark University Professor, received the 2024 Beatrice Medicine Award for Best Monograph from the Association for the Study of American Indian Literatures for his book, "Earthworks Rising: Mound Building in Native Literature and Arts." It is Allen’s second major award for the book.
Asli Cansunar, assistant professor of political science, received the Best Article Award from the American Political Science Association's Middle East and North Africa Politics Section, for the article "Distributional Consequences of Philanthropic Contributions to Public Goods: Self-Serving Elite in Ottoman Istanbul,” published in the Journal of Politics.
Researchers from the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels received the Cozzarelli Prize for a published paper. The prize acknowledges papers that reflect scientific excellence and originality. Authors of the paper include T.J. Clark-Wolf, former postdoc researcher in the Abrahms Lab; Biology department faculty Briana Abrahms and Dee Boersma; and Ginger Rebstock, research scientist/engineer.
Nadine Fabbi, director of the Canadian Studies Center and acting assistant professor in the Jackson School of International Studies, received the Best Special Issue Award 2023 from the Council of Editors of Learned Journals (CELJ) for the article “Social Services, Supports, and Well-being in Arctic Canada and Beyond” in the American Review of Canadian Studies, vol. 52, no. 3, which Fabbi co-authored with Patricia Johnston, UW Canadian Studies 2020-22 Banting Postdoctoral Fellow. The 18-month project was part of an Office of Global Affairs grant and was unique for including translation of all abstracts in the relevant Inuit languages.
Bettina Judd, associate professor of gender, women & sexuality studies, received the Modern Language Association’s William Sanders Scarborough Prize Honorable Mention for her book "Feelin: Creative Practice, Pleasure, and Black Feminist Thought." The prize is awarded for an outstanding scholarly study of African American literature or culture.
Mark Letteney, assistant professor of history, received the 2024 Manfred Lautenschlaeger Award for Theological Promise for his book, “The Christianization of Knowledge in Late Antiquity: Intellectual and Material Transformations” (2023, Cambridge University Press).
Thomas Rothvoss, the Craig McKibben and Sarah Merner Professor in the Department of Mathematics and professor of computer science, and Victor Reis of the Institute for Advanced Study, received a best-paper award at the 2023 Foundations of Computer Science conference for their paper “The Subspace Flatness Conjecture and Faster Integer Programming,” where they combine geometric tools to limit the possible solutions for integer linear programming (ILP), creating a newer, faster algorithm for solving ILP.
Amanda Swarr, professor of gender, women & sexuality studies, received a 2024 Sociology of Sexualities Distinguished Book Award honorable mention from the American Sociological Association's Sociology of Sexualities section for her book "Envisioning African Intersex: Challenging Colonial and Racist Legacies in South African Medicine."
Josephine Walwema, associate teaching professor in the Department of English, received the 2024 CCCC Technical and Scientific Communication Award from the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) in the category of Best Article Reporting Historical Research or Textual Studies in Technical and Scientific Communication, for the article “Black Women Imagining and Realizing Liberated Futures” in Technical Communication Quarterly.
New Appointments to Professorships & Endowed Chairs
Jessica Bissett Perea, associate professor of American Indian studies, was appointed to the Frank L. and Catherine D. Doleshy Endowed Professorship.
Adair Rounthwaite, assistant professor and chair of art history in the School of Art + Art History + Design, was appointed to the Donald E. Petersen Endowed Fellowship.
Christina Sunardi, associate professor of ethnomusicology in the School of Music, was appointed to the Floyd & Delores Jones Endowed Professorship in the Arts.
Other Recognition
Rafael Balling, assistant professor of German studies, received a Frankel Institute Fellowship, a prestigious competitive award for one academic year of research and writing on topics in Jewish Studies in residence at the Frankel Institute in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Balling, an expert in German Jewish and Yiddish literature, LGBTIQ+ narratives, and (auto)biographical writing, will use the fellowship year to pursue his first book project.
Mia Bennett, associate professor of geography, has been awarded the Fulbright Arctic Initiative, awarded to scholars and practitioners from the eight Arctic states to carry out collaborative research on public policy questions relating to the unique challenges that the Arctic faces.
Hakme Lee, scientific instructional technician in the Department of Chemistry, competed on the game show "Jeopardy!" in June 2024. Lee earned second place and was a strong challenger to the returning champion, who was on day 11 of a winning streak.
Ileana Rodriguez-Silva, associate professor of history, received a National Endowment for the Humanities summer stipend to work on her manuscript, “Cimarrón Citizenship: Luis Felipe Dessús and the Afro-Puerto Rican Middle-Class Politics in Early-Twentieth Century Puerto Rico.”
Anu Taranath, teaching professor of English and comparative history of ideas, has been awarded an American Institute of Indian Studies Senior Fellowship to carry out the project, “Rethinking Reciprocity: Identity, Social Justice, and the Politics of Global Educational Partnerships between the US and India.”
Christopher Waldo, assistant professor of classics, received a Loeb Classical Library Foundation Fellowship, awarded by Harvard University to support research, publication, and other projects in the area of classical studies. Waldo’s book will be the first scholarly monograph on classical reception in Asian American literature, laying the groundwork for a burgeoning new subfield of Classics and demonstrating that the field has been expanding to be more inclusive of diverse perspectives.
