Have you heard? February 2026

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Newsroom's monthly "Have you heard?" roundup, your quick-hit guide to the faculty and staff breakthroughs, honors, milestones and memorable moments shaping our campus and community. Think of it as your regular dose of Bruin brilliance - smart, useful and worth sharing. From research awards and new leadership appointments to heartfelt remembrances, here's what's been happening recently.

Got news to share? Submit a story of kudos to [email protected]. We're all ears!

Awards and honors

New 'hall of famers'
Samueli School of Engineering professor Xiaochun Li was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in recognition of his pioneering work in nanotech manufacturing, and Henry Samueli, the school's namesake and an engineering professor, was elected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Professor of human biology and society Terence Keel has been inducted into Morehouse College's Martin Luther King Jr. Collegium of Scholars, and his new book, "The Coroner's Silence," was selected as a finalist for the PROSE Award in Legal Studies and Criminology.

Biological breakthroughs ahead!
Michael Lawson, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, has received a Maximizing Investigators' Research Award from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The award, which seeks to enhance researchers' scientific productivity and spur important breakthroughs, will support Lawson's work on the interplay of protein synthesis and messenger RNA decay.

A burgeoning researcher and leader
One of UCLA's early-career faculty members, Derek Schaeffer, has been recognized by the scientific community for his research and teaching. The assistant professor of physics and astronomy, who specializes in optical, X-ray and particle diagnostics, received a Cottrell Scholarship, which helps to develop teacher-scholars committed quality and innovation in scientific research and academic leadership.

Discoverer of galaxies
Astronomy and physics professor Alice Shapley, known as one of the discoverers of the oldest known spiral galaxy, was awarded the Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics, presented by the American Astronomical Society and the American Institute of Physics in recognition of outstanding mid-career work in astrophysics. Far out!

Algorithms, consider yourselves warned
Gender studies professor Safiya Noble was awarded an honorary doctorate from Leiden University in the Netherlands for her work as a pioneer in digital inequality, algorithmic discrimination and the social impact of technology on minority groups. Code has met its conscience.

'Everyday Miracles' video brings home the gold
Finally, a touching story that shows the power of research to save lives: UCLA Strategic Communications earned two AVA Digital Awards for outstanding achievement for "Everyday Miracles," an innovative animated short video highlighting the importance of federally funded research. I'm not crying, you're crying.

Read more about faculty and staff honors on Newsroom's faculty and staff page.

New transitions

Professor is new associate dean of graduate education
Miguel Unzueta, a professor at the Anderson School of Management with a joint appointment in the psychology department, was named an associate dean of the division of graduate education. Unzueta's research centers on diversity, bias and discrimination, with a focus on how definitions of diversity influence support for equity in organizations. He joined UCLA in 2006 and served as senior associate dean of MBA programs at Anderson from 2019 to 2022.

Double Bruin named vice provost of student diversity
Alumna Jonli Tunstall has been appointed associate vice provost of student diversity and director of the Academic Advancement Program. She earned her bachelor's in psychology and her doctorate in education at UCLA and has championed initiatives that serve educationally underrepresented students over her 20-plus-year career. Welcome back, Jonli!

See more on Newsroom's faculty and staff page.

Passings

A tribute to a UCLA Pulitzer winner
We remember Daniel Walker Howe, an emeritus history professor and one of the world's most influential scholars of early America, who died Dec. 25, 2025. He was 88. Howe was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for history in 2008 for his landmark book "What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848."

Remembering a bright light at Samueli
The Samueli School of Engineering mourns the loss of Ioanna Kakoulli, professor of materials science and engineering, who died Jan. 1, 2026, of colon cancer. She was 57. Co-director of the Molecular and Nano Archaeology Laboratory and a founding member of the UCLA/Getty Interdepartmental Program in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, Kakoulli shed new light on ancient technologies and contributed to innovations in the analysis, imaging and conservation of ancient artistic and cultural materials.

For more obituaries, visit Newsroom's In memoriam page.