The MacArthur Foundation has announced this year's class of MacArthur "Genius" Fellows, an honor that recognizes extraordinary talent and provides each fellow with $625,000 to spend however they would like.
"As we emerge from the shadows of the past two years, this class of 25 Fellows helps us reimagine what's possible," said MacArthur Fellows managing director Cecilia Conrad in a statement. "They demonstrate that creativity has no boundaries."
Among this year's 25 fellows are academics from universities nationwide, including:
- Dr. Marcella Alsan, 44, a physician-economist and Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. Alsan was chosen for ""investigating the role that legacies of discrimination and resulting mistrust play in perpetuating racial disparities in health."
- Dr. Nicole Fleetwood, 48, art historian and curator, the inaugural James Weldon Johnson Professor at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Fleetwood is recognized for "elucidating the cultural and aesthetic significance of visual art created by incarcerated people."
- Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, 39, American historian, cultural critic and director of the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University. Kendi was chosen for "advancing conversations around anti-Black racism and possibilities for repair in a variety of initiatives and platforms."
- Dr. Monica Muñoz Martinez, 37, public historian and associate professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin. Martinez is recognized for "bringing to light long-obscured cases of racial violence along the U.S.-Mexico border and their reverberations in the present."
- Dr. Michelle Monje, 45, neurologist, neuro-oncologist and associate professor of Neurology at Stanford University. Monje was chosen for "advancing understanding of pediatric brain cancers and the effects of cancer treatments with an eye toward improved therapies for patients."
- Dr. Safiya Noble, 51, digital media scholar, associate professor at UCLA, as well as co-founder and co-director of the UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry. Noble is recognized for "highlighting the ways digital technologies and internet architectures magnify racism, sexism, and harmful stereotypes."
- Dr. J. Taylor Perron, 44, geomorphologist and professor of earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences at MIT. Perron was chosen for "deconstructing the physical processes that create landforms on Earth and other planetary bodies."
- Dr. Lisa Schulte Moore, 50, landscape ecologist and a professor in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management and associate director of the Bioeconomy Institute at Iowa State University. Moore is recognized for "implementing locally relevant approaches to improve soil and water quality and strengthen the resilience of row crop agriculture."
- Dr. Jesse Shapiro, 41, applied microeconomist and Eastman Professor of Political Economy at Brown University. Shapiro was chosen for "devising new frameworks of analysis to advance understanding of media bias, ideological polarization, and the efficacy of public policy interventions."
- Dr. Jacqueline Stewart, 51, curator and cinema studies scholar at the University of Chicago. Stewart is recognized for "ensuring that the contributions of overlooked Black filmmakers and communities of spectators have a place in the public imagination."
- Dr. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, 49, historian and assistant professor of African-American Studies at Princeton University. Taylor was chosen for "analyzing the political and economic forces underlying racial inequality and the role of social movements in transforming society."
- Dr. Victor J. Torres, 44, microbiologist and Starr Professor of Microbiology, Department of Microbiology at NYU Langone Health. Torres is recognized for "investigating how bacterial pathogens overcome the immune system and identifying potential therapies."
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