UW News

Honors and awards


November 2, 2018

‘Ocean memory’ the focus of cross-disciplinary effort by UW’s Jody Deming

UW oceanographer Jody Deming is a leader of a new, interdisciplinary effort that addresses the theme of “ocean memory.”


October 30, 2018

UW is No. 10 in US News Best Global Universities ranking; No. 2 among US public institutions

The University of Washington maintained its No. 10 spot on the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Global Universities rankings, released Tuesday. The UW is second among American public institutions.


October 24, 2018

UW physicist Jiun-Haw Chu named Packard Fellow for research on quantum materials

A person standing in a lab.

Jiun-Haw Chu, a University of Washington assistant professor of physics and faculty member at the UW’s Clean Energy Institute, has been named a 2018 fellow by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation for his research on quantum materials — substances that exhibit novel combinations of quantum-mechanical properties that could one day transform information technology.


October 12, 2018

UW ranked among top 5 most innovative universities in the world by Reuters

drumheller fountain

The University of Washington is listed at No. 5 on the Reuters Top 100: The World’s Most Innovative Universities, released Thursday. Now in its fourth year, the list ranks the educational institutions doing the most to advance science, invent new technologies and help drive the global economy.


October 11, 2018

380,000+ donors help the UW reach campaign milestone two years early

Thanks to the generosity of more than 380,000 donors, the University of Washington met its fundraising campaign goal two years ahead of schedule, and will now seek broad support to enhance the experiences of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as a range of identified college and school priorities.


October 8, 2018

Awards to UW affiliate professor recognize career of conservation and research on penguins

two people standing on a stage

Pablo García Borboroglu, president of the Global Penguin Society and a UW affiliate associate professor of biology, has won the Whitley Gold Award and the National Geographic/Buffett Award for Leadership in Conservation, as well as accolades from the Argentine National Congress, for his research and advocacy for penguin conservation.


October 4, 2018

UW’s Kristina Olson wins MacArthur Foundation ‘genius grant’

Kristina Olson, University of Washington associate professor of psychology, on Oct. 4 was named one of the MacArthur Foundation's Fellows. She receives a $625,000, no-strings-attached stipend. Photo of Kristina in her lab.

Kristina Olson, University of Washington associate professor of psychology, has been named one of the 2018 MacArthur Fellows. The Fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation comes with a $625,000 stipend, commonly known as the “genius grant,” for recipients to use as they see fit.


September 26, 2018

UW at No. 28 in the world, fourth among U.S. public institutions, on Times Higher Education ranking list

Mary Gates Hall

The University of Washington has been ranked No. 28 on the Times Higher Education world rankings for 2019, released Wednesday.


September 13, 2018

UW psychology professor honored for founding research on implicit bias

Tony Greenwald

When Tony Greenwald and his colleagues developed the online Implicit Association Test two decades ago, it enjoyed quick success in the pre-laptop, pre-smartphone, nascent Internet world, with some 45,000 participants in the first month. The test, which requires classifying words and images rapidly according to their meanings, captures unconscious biases toward — depending on the…


September 10, 2018

Evans School professor Justin Marlowe appointed to Washington Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors

Justin Marlowe, a professor in the UW’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, has been named a member of Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s Council of Economic Advisors. He will be among those advising the governor on local and state economic conditions and national developments that affect state policies.


September 6, 2018

WSJ: UW No. 3 in the country for best value

Mary Gates Hall

The University of Washington is among the top schools on The Wall Street Journal’s newest college ranking: value for the money. The UW was ranked third in the nation by the newspaper.


August 27, 2018

Rankings: UW is No. 14 in the world, third among U.S. public universities, plus on Money and Washington Monthly best-of lists

Suzzallo Library at night

The University of Washington is ranked No. 14 in the world — No. 3 among public universities — on the 2018 Academic Ranking of World Universities, released this month.


August 15, 2018

UW professor Cecilia Bitz elected American Geophysical Union fellow

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Cecilia M. Bitz, a University of Washington atmospheric scientist, has been elected as a fellow of the American Geophysical Union.


August 13, 2018

Information School’s Hans Scholl on promises, cautions of ‘digital government’

Hans Scholl, professor in the UW Information School, discusses the challenges and opportunities of digital government. The website Apolitical has named him among the “Top 100 Most Influential People in digital government.”


August 10, 2018

Rankings put UW at No. 4 among US universities

The University of Washington placed fourth among U.S. higher education institutions, according to the NTU Rankings released Thursday.


July 19, 2018

UW Oceanography ranks No. 1 in global ranking; more than two dozen areas in top 40

The University of Washington’s School of Oceanography is ranked No. 1 in the world on the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects list for 2018. The ranking, released this week, was conducted by researchers at the Center for World-Class Universities of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.


July 17, 2018

14 UW professors elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences in 2018

Fourteen scientists, physicians and engineers from the University of Washington have been elected this year to the Washington State Academy of Sciences.


July 16, 2018

Chronicle of Higher Ed: UW a ‘Great College to Work For’

Mary Gates Hall

The University of Washington has been recognized as a “Great College to Work For” by The Chronicle of Higher Education for the fifth consecutive year. The UW received accolades in five categories.


June 28, 2018

UW professor and Clean Energy Institute director Daniel Schwartz wins highest U.S. award for STEM mentors

Daniel Schwartz, a University of Washington professor of chemical engineering and director of the Clean Energy Institute, received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science Foundation this week.


June 6, 2018

GIX team competes for $1 million XPRIZE for women’s safety

group photo

A team from the University of Washington’s GIX program are competing to win the $1 million Anu & Naveen Jain Women’s Safety XPRIZE.


May 29, 2018

Global rankings put UW at No. 4 among US public universities

Two renowned global rankings released this week place the University of Washington fourth among U.S. public institutions.


May 15, 2018

Chemist Karen Goldberg elected to the National Academy of Sciences

Karen Goldberg, an affiliate professor of chemistry at the University of Washington, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.


May 1, 2018

UW astrobiologist Victoria Meadows receives SETI Institute’s Frank Drake Award

Victoria Meadows, UW astrobiologist and professor of astronomy.

Victoria Meadows, University of Washington astrobiologist, professor of astronomy and leader of NASA’s UW-based Virtual Planetary Laboratory, has been named recipient of the 2018 Frank Drake Award from the SETI Institute. She is the first woman to receive the award.


April 27, 2018

UW ranks No. 5 on Forbes’ Best Value Colleges 2018

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The University of Washington this week ranked No. 5 on the Forbes list of Best Value Colleges 2018. The UW rose from 23rd place in the 2016 ranking.


April 24, 2018

Washington Research Foundation awards fellowships to UW researchers

Seven University of Washington researchers have been selected as Washington Research Foundation fellows. This fellowship funds 10 researchers who work in STEM fields to perform mentored research projects over the next three years.


April 12, 2018

UW’s Kristina Olson wins NSF Waterman Award for studies of ‘how children see themselves and the world’

Kristina Olson, University of Washington associate professor of psychology, on Oct. 4 was named one of the MacArthur Foundation's Fellows. She receives a $625,000, no-strings-attached stipend.

  The National Science Foundation today named Kristina Olson, University of Washington associate professor of psychology, winner of this year’s Alan T. Waterman Award. The Waterman Award is the U.S. government’s highest honor for an early career scientist or engineer, recognizing an outstanding scientist under the age of 40 or within 10 years of receiving…


April 10, 2018

UW’s Samuel Wasser receives prestigious Albert Schweitzer Medal

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A University of Washington professor has been awarded the prestigious Albert Schweitzer Medal for his work for developing noninvasive tools for monitoring human impacts on wildlife. Samuel K. Wasser was honored in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., Tuesday evening. The award was presented by Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell.


April 6, 2018

University of Washington professor recognized by Guggenheim Foundation

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A University of Washington professor is among the 173 scholars, artists and scientists from the U.S. and Canada recognized this year by the Guggenheim Foundation. Christian Lee Novetzke, associate director, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, and director, Center for Global Studies, was among the winners chosen from more than 3,000 applicants.


April 3, 2018

Four UW students honored by Goldwater Foundation

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Three University of Washington undergraduates are among 211 students nationwide named as 2018 Goldwater Scholars. One UW student received honorable mention.


March 9, 2018

A prestigious award brings UW composer Huck Hodge time to reflect, write

Huck Hodge, associate professor in the UW School of Music and chair of its composition program, is the recipient of the Charles Ives living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

UW music professor Huck Hodge talks about the Charles Ives Living Award, bestowed on him by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.


March 8, 2018

UW political scientist Megan Ming Francis named fellow with NAACP’s Thurgood Marshall Institute

UW political science associate professor Megan Ming Francis. Story is that she has been named a fellow of the NAACP's Thurgood Marshall Institute.

Megan Ming Francis, UW associate professor of political science, has been named a fellow with the Thurgood Marshall Institute. The institute is a multidisciplinary research and advocacy policy center within the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund.


March 2, 2018

Celebrated poet Charles Simic to give UW’s 54th Theodore Roethke Poetry Reading April 12

Charles Simic

Charles Simic, one of America’s most celebrated poets, will give the 2018 Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Reading on April 12. Simic will be the 54th poet to appear in the series since its inception in 1964.


February 21, 2018

A talk with UW historian Quintard Taylor: Taking ‘the long view’ in troubled times

Quintard Taylor, UW professor emeritus of history and recipient of a lifetime achievement honor from Washington State Historical Society, discusses his work and this unusual moment in American history.


UW among Peace Corps’ 2018 top volunteer-producing colleges & universities

The Peace Corps today announced that University of Washington ranked No. 2 among large schools on the agency’s 2018 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. There are 74 UW alumni currently volunteering worldwide.


February 20, 2018

University of Washington is a top producer of Fulbright scholars

The University of Washington ranked second in the country in producing Fulbright Scholars. Fulbrights were awarded to 11 researchers at UW’s Seattle campus, and to three faculty members at UW Bothell.


February 15, 2018

Five UW scientists awarded Sloan Fellowships for early-career research

Five faculty members at the University of Washington have been awarded early-career fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The new Sloan Fellows, announced Feb. 15, include Maya Cakmak, assistant professor of computer science and engineering; Jiun-Haw Chu, assistant professor of clean energy and physics; Arka Majumdar, assistant professor of electrical engineering and physics; Jessica Werk, assistant professor of astronomy; and Chelsea Wood, assistant professor of aquatic and fishery sciences.


January 3, 2018

Essay by UW historian Laurie Marhoefer named most memorable of 2017 by The Conversation US

Laurie Marhoefer, UW assistant professor of history

An essay by Laurie Marhoefer, UW assistant professor of history, has been named the most memorable of the year 2017 by the editors and readers of The Conversation US.


December 22, 2017

UW ranks No. 7 among public universities on Kiplinger’s 300 ‘Best College Values’ for 2018

bronze W

The University of Washington is ranked No. 7 on Kiplinger’s 300 Best College Values for 2018 among public universities, released Dec. 22.


December 11, 2017

Thoughts on macroeconomics by UW’s Fabio Ghironi among Bloomberg columnist’s ‘must-reads’ of 2017

Bloomberg News columnist Noah Smith has listed a paper by UW economist Fabio Ghironi as among “must-read” papers and books on economics in the year 2017.


December 3, 2017

Kim Nasmyth — a UW postdoctoral alumnus — wins Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for discoveries in cell biology, genetics

Kim Nasmyth

Kim Nasmyth, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Oxford and former postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington, is one of five recipients of the 2018 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. Nasmyth and other prize recipients were honored by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation at a ceremony December 3 at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California.



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