Recent recognition of the University of Washington includes the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, the Rosentiel Award for contributions to ocean science, and the 2026 Distinguished Community Engagement Award
Assistant professor of chemistry awarded 2026 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award
Matthew Golder, assistant professor of chemistry at the UW, received a 2026 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation. The award supports early-career faculty in the chemical sciences who have created an outstanding independent body of scholarship and demonstrated a strong commitment to education.
Each Camille Dreyfus teacher-scholar receives an unrestricted research grant of $100,000. Golder was one of 17 scholars selected for the 2026 award.
Golder’s research focuses on the design and reconstruction of plastics, with an emphasis on improving polymer integrity and sustainability. The work explores how chemical design can support stronger, more adaptable materials while addressing broader challenges in plastic waste and long-term environmental impact.
Golder said the foundation’s support will give his group the flexibility to continue pursuing “the boldest and most exciting ideas” over the next five years. The recognition also reflects the hard work and creativity of his research group over the past six years, he said.
Principal oceanographer receives Rosenstiel Award
Caitlin Whalen, principal oceanographer at the UW Applied Physics Laboratory and affiliate assistant professor at the School of Oceanography, received the 2026 Rosenstiel Award. The award, created in 1971 by the Rosenstiel Foundation, honors mid-career scientists whose work has made significant and growing impacts in their fields.
The award is presented each year on a rotating basis across marine geosciences, atmospheric sciences, marine biology and ecology, ocean sciences, and environmental science policy. Whalen was invited to present a lecture at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, where the award was presented in April.
Whalen studies small-scale physics in the ocean, including processes that generate turbulence and mix the water, along with how these processes interact with the dynamics of the water across ocean basins. Her work helps scientists better understand the physical drivers that shape climate and marine environments.
Whalen said she was honored to receive the award and to join the ranks of oceanographers whose work she admires. Receiving the award also gave Whalen the opportunity to visit the Rosenstiel School, where she met with faculty and students and learned more about their work.
Professor receives Distinguished Community Engagement Award
Michelle Montgomery, professor of ethnic, gender and labor studies and American Indian studies and adjunct professor of education at UW Tacoma received the 2026 Distinguished Community Engagement Award in the project category. Montgomery is also an adjunct professor of bioethics and humanities at the UW School of Medicine. The award recognizes her leadership of the Indigenous Speaker Series and Community Engagement: Promoting Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Multigenerational Community Learning.
Through support for the Haida Sails Resurgence Project and the Northwest Maritime Center, Montgomery’s work has created meaningful opportunities for co-learning, cultural exchange, and the uplifting of Indigenous Knowledge Systems through place-based and multigenerational learning experiences.
Montgomery’s community-engaged scholarship focuses on amplifying Indigenous voices, supporting dialogue around cultural and traditional lived experiences and strengthening partnerships that connect academic spaces with community knowledge. The Indigenous Speaker Series, which Montgomery created in 2015, has become a platform for sharing place-based Indigenous knowledges and expanding conversations across communities.
“As a visitor to the Pacific Northwest, it is an honor to continue the responsibility to uplift place-based Indigenous knowledges and nurture the reciprocity of community partnerships,” Montgomery said.