From Guggenheims to prestigious fellowships to high-profile government appointments, BU faculty members are always striving for impact and excellence. Their efforts often turn heads. Below is a sampling of recognition from this year.
Engineering Professor Xin Zhang was awarded a 2022 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, which she says will give her the space and funding to devote herself “to some of the world’s most interesting and challenging problems.” Among them: the development of metamaterials technology to improve the speed and quality of MRI images as well as to reduce noise pollution.
Harvey Young, dean of the College of Fine Arts, received the 2021 Distinguished Scholar Award from the American Society for Theatre Research, an organization that fosters scholarship on worldwide theater and performance. The award is given to a scholar whose body of work has made a significant contribution to the field of theater, dance, opera, and/or performance studies.
In November 2021, William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor Mark Grinstaff was named a fellow at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, for his work on revolutionary cancer treatment and other “distinguished contributions” with “global therapeutic impact.”
The National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers presented Malika Jeffries-EL, associate dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and associate professor of chemistry and materials science and engineering, with the Percy L. Julian Award. The award honors Black scientists who have made significant contributions to pure or applied research in science or engineering.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu appointed Sandro Galea, dean of the School of Public Health and Robert A. Knox Professor, to chair the Boston Public Health Commission Board of Health.
In October 2021, the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health honored Mary Jane England (Chobanian & Avedisian’64, Hon.’98), clinical professor emerita of health law, policy, and management, with the Kitty and Michael Dukakis Lifetime Achievement Award, for her work supporting mental health coverage.