2021  Awards and Honors

Two Baskin Engineering professors elevated to IEEE Fellows

Ricardo Sanfelice, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Ike Nassi, adjunct professor of computer science and engineering, have been elected Fellows of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

List of most highly cited researchers features 20 UCSC scientists and engineers

The 2021 Highly Cited Researchers list, released November 16 by Clarivate’s Web of Science Group, includes 20 scientists and engineers at UC Santa Cruz.

National award recognizes economics professor’s research for revealing outsized pandemic impacts on minority-owned businesses

Economics Professor Robert Fairlie recently received the Bradford-Osborne Research Award for a paper he released in August 2020 that showed minority-owned businesses were affected by pandemic-related closures at higher rates.

Ecologist Erika Zavaleta named ESA Excellence in Ecology Scholar

Erika Zavaleta, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, has been selected by the Ecological Society of America (ESA) as one of four ESA Excellence in Ecology (EEE) Scholars in the first cohort of this new initiative.

Pradip Mascharak named Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry

Pradip Mascharak, distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UC Santa Cruz, has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, an honor given to scientists whose efforts have made an impact in any field of the chemical sciences.

Astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz wins SACNAS Distinguished Mentor Award

Ramirez-Ruiz will be honored by the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science at the 2021 SACNAS National Diversity in STEM Conference.

‘Manatee Man' Jamal Galves wins scholarship to study coastal science and policy

Social Sciences Division convenes for awards ceremony

The Division of Social Sciences gathered on October 14 to present awards recognizing outstanding accomplishments by faculty, staff, researchers, and emeriti faculty.

Astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz awarded American Physical Society’s Nicholson Medal

The American Physical Society’s 2021 Dwight Nicholson Medal for Outreach recognizes Ramirez-Ruiz for innovations in mentoring.

NOAA awards recognize scientists in Fisheries Collaborative Program

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded its prestigious Bronze Award to three researchers affiliated with the Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) at UC Santa Cruz.

UCSC’s Colligan Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory honored by Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley

The Colligan Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory at UC Santa Cruz has been honored by the Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley with the 2021 Phil Rather Award for Leadership in Healthcare.

Karen Tei Yamashita to receive 2021 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters

UC Santa Cruz emerita professor of literature Karen Tei Yamashita will be awarded the 2021 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from The National Book Foundation, presenter of the National Book Awards.

Engineer Leila Parsa honored by Japan’s Nagamori Foundation

Leila Parsa, professor of electrical and computer engineering, received the Nagamori Award given by Japan’s Nagamori Foundation to commend those who have made innovative technological developments.

Researcher honored for work in UCSC-NOAA Fisheries Collaborative Program

James Gilbert, an associate project scientist in the Institute of Marine Sciences, was recognized by the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center with its Staff of the Quarter award.

Long Marine Lab seawater intake repair wins environmental engineering award

The seawater intake repair project at the UC Santa Cruz Long Marine Lab was named the 2021 Environmental Engineering Project of the Year for the American Society of Civil Engineers, San Francisco Section.

Alumnus Nicholas St. Fleur wins top award for young science journalists

Nicholas St. Fleur, a 2014 graduate of UCSC's Science Communication Program, has received the 2021 Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award from the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, the top annual prize in the U.S. for science journalists age 30 or younger.

Doctoral candidate’s award-winning research documents experiences of Latina girls growing up in rural California

UC Santa Cruz graduate student Roxanna Villalobos recently won a national dissertation scholarship award from Sociologists for Women in Society that will support her research with Latina girls in rural California.

Switzer Fellowship will help graduate student engage communities in climate planning

Coastal Science and Policy Program master’s student Diana Fu won a Switzer Foundation fellowship to support her work advancing environmental justice through climate change adaptation.

David Haussler ranked 6th among top scientists in computer science

Haussler, a distinguished professor of biomolecular engineering and director of the Genomics Institute, is ranked sixth in the 2021 Seventh Edition of the Top Scientists Ranking for Computer Science & Electronics.

Oakes Founding Provost J. Herman Blake receives lifetime achievement award

Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Founding Provost of Oakes College J. Herman Blake is being recognized by the American Sociology Association for his distinguished career spent advancing access and equity in education.

History professor wins prize for article on post-Civil War incarceration of African American children

Associate professor of history Catherine Jones has been honored with the 2021 Richards Prize for the best article published in The Journal of the Civil War Era in 2020. The journal explores how knowledge of the Civil War era informs our understanding of 21st-century politics and society.

Physics PhD student receives Graduate Instrumentation Research Award

Funding from the American Physical Society program supports graduate student Yuzhan Zao’s research on silicon detectors for particle physics experiments.

Quantitative ecologist Kai Zhu wins NSF funding for climate change research and education

Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Kai Zhu won an NSF CAREER award to support research and education focused on the interconnections between climate change and plant phenology.

New research on aquaculture feed will test alternative ingredients to help minimize water pollution

A new grant will support UC Santa Cruz’s ecological aquaculture lab in their efforts to increase the variety and quality of low-polluting aquaculture feed options available to fish farmers.

Hydrologist Margaret Zimmer wins NSF CAREER Award

Margaret Zimmer, assistant professor of Earth and planetary sciences, has received an award from the National Science Foundation to support her research on the role of Earth’s subsurface in regulating the water cycle.

Doctoral student wins Ford Foundation fellowship for work on gender, race, and policing

Uriel Serrano recently won a Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship to support his research on how gender ideologies are formed in relation to carceral violence.

Feminist studies Ph.D. student receives Institute for Citizens & Scholars fellowship

Claire Urbanski, a Ph.D. candidate in feminist studies, has been named a Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellow by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars (formerly the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation).

Social Sciences Division celebrates outstanding students

The Social Sciences Division is recognizing 21 students for excellence in scholarship and research.

Professor Karen Holl wins MacArthur Foundation endowed chair to support work on natural climate solutions

Environmental Studies Professor Karen Holl has been awarded the MacArthur Foundation Chair at UC Santa Cruz for her work to increase the effectiveness of forest restoration efforts in combating climate change.

Alumna Reyna Grande wins Latino Spirit Award for Achievement in Literature & Advocacy

UC Santa Cruz alumna Reyna Grande (Kresge '99, B.A. creative writing, film & video) has received a 2021 Latino Spirit Award from the California Latino Legislative Caucus.

Strauss Foundation award recognizes student’s work with families affected by incarceration

Legal studies undergraduate Matt Sioson recently won $15,000 in funding from the Donald A. Strauss Public Service Scholarship Foundation.

2021-22 Dickson Emeritus awards support faculty research in history, literature, and psychology

Karen Yamashita, professor emerita of literature; Dana Frank, research professor in history; and Thomas Pettigrew, research professor in psychology, were each awarded Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professorships in recognition of their outstanding achievements in scholarship and teaching.

Physical and Biological Sciences Division honors three prominent alumni

PBSci Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize contributions to society by graduate and undergraduate alums.

Three UCSC professors elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Angela Davis, distinguished professor emerita of history of consciousness and feminist studies; James Estes, professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology; and Barbara Rogoff, distinguished professor of psychology, are among the newly elected fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 

IMS Director Dan Costa named a fellow of the Society for Marine Mammalogy

Daniel Costa, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and director of the Institute of Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz, has been honored by the Society of Marine Mammalogy (SMM) in its inaugural class of SMM Fellows.

Two UC Santa Cruz arts professors receive 2021 Guggenheim Fellowships

Film and digital media professor Irene Lusztig and art professor Elizabeth Stephens were among the 184 artists, writers, scholars, and scientists selected this year from nearly 3,000 applicants to receive Guggenheim Fellowships.

Erika Zavaleta honored for diversity efforts by Ecological Society of America

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) has chosen Erika Zavaleta, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, to receive its 2021 Commitment to Human Diversity in Ecology Award.

UCSC awarded three 2021 VOICE grants from UC National Center for Free Speech

UC Santa Cruz has received three awards from the UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement's Valuing Open and Inclusive Conversation and Engagement (VOICE) Grant Program.

UC Santa Cruz faculty recognized for excellence in ecology

The Ecological Society of America announced its 2021 Fellow and Early Career Fellow awards, and UC Santa Cruz’s faculty were the most decorated of any university on this year’s list.

Two UCSC research teams recognized for outstanding papers in PNAS

The Cozzarelli Prize recognizes selected papers as outstanding contributions to the scientific disciplines represented by the National Academy of Sciences.

Shiva Abbaszadeh wins Tracy Lynn Faber Memorial Award

The award from the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging supports the advancement of women in medical imaging sciences.

Yuan Ping wins OpenEye award for outstanding junior faculty

The award from the American Chemical Society identifies junior stars in the area of computational chemistry.

Astronomer J. Xavier Prochaska honored for top research paper in Science

J. Xavier Prochaska, distinguished professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, and his coauthors of a landmark paper describing a fast radio burst from a massive galaxy have been chosen to receive the prestigious AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize.

Three UCSC film alumni recognized by International Documentary Association

Three alumni from UCSC’s Film and Digital Media Department received nominations for this year's prestigious International Documentary Association Awards (IDA).

Seawater intake replacement, bike path improvement projects win public works awards

A $1.1 million project to replace the seawater intake structure at the UC Santa Cruz Long Marine Lab was selected as environmental project of the year by the Monterey Bay chapter of the American Public Works Association.

Two UCSC astronomers elected Fellows of the American Astronomical Society

Astronomers Raja GuhaThakurta and Garth Illingworth were honored as 2021 AAS Fellows for their extraordinary achievement and service.

Anthropologist Savannah Shange wins book award for insights on race and education

Anthropology faculty member Savannah Shange received one of the most prestigious honors in the field when she was awarded the 2020 Gregory Bateson Book Prize from the Society for Cultural Anthropology.

Fellowship program gives UCSC grad policy experience in Sacramento

After earning his Ph.D. in 2020, Jason John will work at the California Natural Resources Agency as a CCST Science Fellow.

Italian newspaper ranks sociology professor among top women of the year

Camilla Hawthorne is being recognized for shedding light on emergent Afro-Italian identities and activism during a time of racial reckoning in Italy and beyond.

Computer scientist Cormac Flanagan elected ACM Fellow

Cormac Flanagan, professor of computer science and engineering at UC Santa Cruz, has been named a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the world's leading computing society.

Physicist Steven Ritz receives Outstanding Faculty Award

Physics Professor Steven Ritz has received the 2019–20 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences.

Two UCSC geophysicists honored by Royal Astronomical Society

Thorne Lay and Emily Brodsky, both professors of Earth and planetary sciences, are receiving the Gold Medal for Geophysics and the Price Medal, respectively.

Professor recognized among the art world’s top influencers for 2020

Anthropology professor Anna Tsing won international acclaim for an interdisciplinary project that documents drivers of the Anthropocene in creative new ways.