Honors and Awards

Recent awards and appointments celebrate Arts & Sciences faculty, staff, students, and alumni for their research, leadership, and more. 

Three University of Washington faculty members have been awarded early-career fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The new Sloan Fellows, announced Feb. 18, are Amy L. Orsborn, the Clare Boothe Luce assistant professor of electrical & computer engineering and bioengineering, Dianne J. Xiao, an assistant professor of chemistry in the College of Arts & Sciences, and Amy X. Zhang, an assistant professor of computer science in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering.

UW professors Xiaodong Xu, Cynthia Vinzant, and Shayan Oveis Gharan have been honored by the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their research accomplishments.

Dr. Bobby Wilson was awarded the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers early in their careers. Dr. Wilson is a leading researcher in Harmonic Analysis, Dispersive PDE and Geometric Measure Theory, and has been at the UW since 2018.

The UW’s Molecular Engineering and Materials Center and Center for Integration of Modern Optoelectronic Materials on Demand, in collaboration with partner institutions, have been selected for NSF Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) awards totaling $13.6 million to broaden participation and access to materials science resources, education, training, and career opportunities at minority-serving institutions.   

Eric Adelberger, UW professor emeritus of physics, has been awarded the American Physical Society's Einstein Prize. 

Recent awards and appointments celebrate Arts & Sciences faculty and staff for their research, leadership, and more. 

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation selected five aspiring inventors as the ninth cohort of Moore Inventor Fellows. This fellowship champions scientist-inventors who design groundbreaking tools and technologies — creative people poised to make substantial strides in scientific discovery, environmental conservation and patient care.

Ashleigh Theberge, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Washington, has been named to the Schmidt Sciences Polymath Program, entitling her to grants of up to $2.5 million over five years to "pursue risky, novel theories that would otherwise be difficult to fund," according to a Sept. 10 announcement from Schmidt Sciences. Theberge — one of six awardees this year — was selected from an applicant pool of 117, and is the first UW faculty member selected for the program, which is in its third year.

Fifteen faculty members at the University of Washington have been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences for 2024. They are among 36 scientists and educators from across the state announced Aug. 1 as new members. Selection recognizes the new membersâ âoutstanding record of scientific and technical achievement, and their willingness to work on behalf of the academy to bring the best available science to bear on issues within the state of Washington.

Meet the three students selected by the College of Arts & Sciences as 2024 Graduate Medalists for their accomplishments. 

This spring, the UW and the College of Arts & Sciences celebrated faculty, staff, and students for their many accomplishments. 

Meet the four new graduates honored as College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Medalists for 2024. 

The UW is delighted to announce the recipients of the 54th annual University of Washington Awards of Excellence! The awards honor outstanding alumni, faculty, staff, students and retirees who contribute to the richness and diversity of our University community.

The 2023-24 Honors Excellence in Teaching Award goes to Dr. Oliver Fraser, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Astronomy.