Awards & Honors
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Astrophysicist Stan Woosley awarded Gruber Cosmology Prize for theoretical work on supernovae
UC Santa Cruz professor shares one of cosmology’s highest honors with Alex Filippenko at UC Berkeley and Ken Nomoto at the University of Tokyo
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The 2026 Science Division Distinguished Alumni Award recipients
Gregory Reyes (Kresge ’76, biology), Larry de Ghetaldi (Merrill ’76, biology and chemistry), and Nicholas Suntzeff (Ph.D. ’80, astronomy) are recognized for careers of exceptional distinction in biomedical research, healthcare policy, and observational cosmology.
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UC Santa Cruz celebrates 2025 Chancellor’s Innovation Impact Award recipients
The recipients include Richard E. Green, Lifetime Achievement Award; Mike Beck, Innovator of the Year; NeuroSWARM3, developed by the Yanik Lab led by Ahmet A. Yanik, Translation of the Year; and Bud Colligan, Community Changemaker.
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Collaborating ecology professors earn national honors and discuss their work together
Professors of ecology and evolutionary biology Roxanne Beltran and Erika Zavaleta have been recognized individually by the Ecological Society of America. But they also partner on research that bridges ecology, inclusive education, and field-based learning
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Engineer to develop secure data center hardware for the public cloud with NSF CAREER award
Yuanchao Xu will lead this research with the support of one of the most prestigious grants in support of early-career faculty
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Professors Adina Paytan and Douglas Lin elected to National Academy of Sciences
Paytan, distinguished professor of Earth and planetary sciences, and Lin, emeritus distinguished professor of astronomy and astrophysics, were among 120 new U.S. members named on April 28
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Anna Tsing and Terrie Williams named to American Academy of Arts & Sciences
The two faculty members are among the 252 leaders in academia, the arts, industry, journalism, philanthropy, policy, research, and science elected this year
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Alumna and Anthropic co-founder Daniela Amodei and civil-rights activist Dolores Huerta named in Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2026
Daniela Amodei graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2009 with a B.A. in literature and a minor in politics. In 2022, UCSC’s Research Center for the Americas was renamed in honor of social justice icon Dolores Huerta; the university continues to collaborate with the Dolores Huerta Foundation.
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Two UC Santa Cruz faculty members named 2025 AAAS fellows
Katharyne Mitchell and Adina Paytan were awarded the lifetime honor.
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Maria Rocha-Ruiz named UC Santa Cruz’s Sea Dubs Wavemaker
Maria Rocha-Ruiz has been named UC Santa Cruz’s Sea Dubs Wavemaker, honoring her leadership expanding educational opportunity and mentoring generations of students across the Central Coast.
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From climate resilience to forensic science, 2025 Innovation Impact Award recipients announced
Their work demonstrates how UC Santa Cruz innovation moves from discovery to real-world benefit.
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Science Division awards honor staff and faculty for outstanding work and dedication
Alyssa Danielli, department manager in astronomy and astrophysics, and Carrie Partch, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, are the respective recipients of the division’s 2024-25 Outstanding Staff and Faculty Awards