Faculty at Brown earn prominent awards, distinctions in Fall 2025

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] - Over the course of the Fall 2025 semester, Brown University faculty members were honored with a wide variety of awards, appointments and accolades for outstanding research, service, mentorship and leadership. The scholars, whose fields range from mathematics to medicine to modern culture and media, earned both national and global recognition and support for their work. Among such distinctions are the following honors:

Dr. Eli Y. Adashi, a professor of medical science and dean emeritus of medicine and biological sciences at Brown, received the Walsh McDermott Medal from the National Academy of Medicine. This prestigious award recognizes National Academy of Medicine (NAM) members for distinguished service to the NAM and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine over an extended period. Adashi, who has been a national and global leader in women's health and reproductive medicine, was also inducted into the American Academy of Sciences and Letters, and received an honorary degree from the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the Universidad Nacional de Rosario in Argentina.

Prudence Carter, a professor of sociology and the director of the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America at Brown, was appointed to the American Educational Research Association's standing committee on international relations.

Six Brown University faculty members were included in the 2026 "Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings," which named 200 university-based scholars in the United States who had the biggest impact on educational practice and policy in 2025: Professor of Sociology Prudence Carter, Professor of Sociology and Education Policy John Diamond, Professor of Education and Economics Matthew Kraft, Professor of Economics Emily Oster, Associate Professor of Education Policy Lindsay Page and Associate Professor of Education Policy John Papay.

Dr. Liang Cheng, a professor of surgery and of pathology and laboratory medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School, was appointed president of the International Society of Urological Pathology, of which he has been a member since 1999 and previously served as treasurer and board member.

Theresa Desrochers, an associate professor of brain science and of psychiatry and human behavior, received an alumni achievement award from the New York University College of Arts & Science, from which she graduated in 2000. The award recognizes her extraordinary professional achievement in the study of how the brain tracks and controls cognitive and behavioral sequences, integrating cellular-level neuroscience insight in animal models with studies of human high-level cognitive function.

Diana Freed, an assistant professor of data science and computer science, is an inaugural recipient of the Computing Research Association Trustworthy AI fellowship. The award supports early-career computing researchers who bring interdisciplinary expertise from the social sciences to infuse ethical and societal perspectives into trustworthy AI development.

Professor of Mathematics Javier Gomez-Serrano received the R.E. Moore Prize for Applications of Interval Analysis, which is bestowed every two to four years by the Centre de Recerca Matemàtica in Barcelona, Spain, for outstanding contributions where interval analysis makes a decisive impact. Gomez-Serrano and his co-authors Tristan Buckmaster (Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University) and Gonzalo Cao-Labora (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) were recognized for their article, "Smooth imploding solutions for 3D compressible fluids," published in Forum of Mathematics, Pi. Gomez-Serrano was also one of five mathematicians awarded the 2025 MCA Prize from the Mathematics Council of the Americas, which recognizes excellent early-career researchers from the Americas.

Professor of Women's Health Dr. William Grobman was elected to the Association of American Physicians, an honorific society of America's leading physician-scientists who exemplify pioneering and enduring contributions to improve health. Grobman is the executive vice chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Care New England and the associate vice dean of clinical research at the Warren Alpert Medical School.

James N. Green, a professor emeritus of Portuguese and Brazilian studies and of modern Latin American history, was awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) the Order of Rio Branco in the rank of "Comendador," given to "national or foreign persons for their services or exceptional merit."

Professor of Engineering Pradeep Guduru was named the recipient of the B.J. Lazan Award from the Society for Experimental Mechanics, which will be presented at the society's annual conference in June 2026. Guduru was honored "for pioneering contributions to the mechanics of dynamic failure, electromechanics of batteries and the development of high-speed diagnostics and instrumentation."

Dr. Dana Guyer, an associate professor of medicine and clinician educator at the Warren Alpert Medical School, received the Dr. Herbert Rakatansky Award from the Rhode Island Medical Society. The award recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves through exemplary professionalism and/or humanitarian service in the field of medicine. Guyer is a palliative care physician at Brown University Health Cancer Institute and Rhode Island Hospital.

Paul Guyer, a professor emeritus of humanities and philosophy, was elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society, American's oldest learned society. He was also awarded the International Kant Prize at the 2024 XIVth International Kant Congress in Bonn, Germany.

Political theorist Bonnie Honig, a professor of modern culture and media and political science, has been elected to the British Academy of Fellows in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the humanities and social sciences.

Professor of Neuroscience Stephanie Jones won the 2025 Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health for her superior mentorship and training in neuroscience research by "creating a supportive and inclusive environment in which the researchers she trains are encouraged to grow both professionally and personally, with attention to work-life balance and individual strengths," according to the citation. The annual award provides $100,000 in research support to advance recipients' efforts to foster the career advancement of trainees.

George Karniadakis, a professor of applied mathematics and engineering, has been awarded the 2026 William Benter Prize in Applied Mathematics, one of the most prestigious international awards in the field. Presented biennially by the City University of Hong Kong, the prize recognizes outstanding mathematical contributions that have had a direct and fundamental impact on applications in science, engineering, finance and business, and carries a $100,000 award.

Andrew Laird, a professor of classics and humanities and of Hispanic studies, won the 2025 Miriam Usher Chrisman Prize from the Sixteenth Century Society for his book, "Aztec Latin: Renaissance Learning and Nahuatl Traditions in Early Colonial Mexico." The prize, which recognizes high-quality and innovative books focused on the early modern period from around 1450 to 1750, cited Laird's book as "a profoundly erudite, radical, yet accessible, study of how certain Indigenous men in New Spain received a humanistic education in Latin letters during the 16th century."

Glenn Loury, a professor emeritus of social sciences, economics and international and public affairs, was inducted into the American Academy of Sciences and Letters in recognition of outstanding scholarly achievement in the fields of welfare economics, income distribution, game theory, industrial organization, public affairs and social policy.

Leenoy Meshulam, an assistant professor of brain science and of physics and neuroscience, was named a 2025 Next Generation Leader by the Allen Institute, a nonprofit bioscience research institute, for her vital contributions as an early-career researcher in the field of science. Each of the eight leaders will complete a three-year term and contribute to ongoing research across the Allen Institute.

Professor of Engineering Nitin Padture was named a recipient of the 2025 Humboldt Research Award by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany in recognition of his outstanding research accomplishments in materials science, particularly emerging photovoltaics.

Professor of Engineering Yue Qi was elected to the class of 2026 fellows by the Materials Research Society. Qi was cited "for developing predictive multiscale multiphysics simulation methods to uncover the electro-chemical-mechanical coupled mechanisms at interfaces/interphases in critical energy storage and sustainability technologies and for dedication to multidisciplinary education and services." Qi also received the 2025 Ross Coffin Purdy Award from the American Ceramic Society for a 2023 paper on lead-free electronics. The society honors the most valuable technical contribution to ceramic literature published two years prior.

Kavita Ramanan, a professor of applied mathematics, has been named president of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, a post she will hold until August 2026. The IMS is an international professional and scholarly society devoted to the development, dissemination and application of statistics and probability.

Prerna Singh, an associate professor of political science, international and public affairs and of behavioral and social sciences, was awarded aMax Planck-Humboldt Medalfor her research on the development of welfare states in the Global South. The prize of 80,000 euros will help fund her latest research project on vaccination hesitancy.

Yashaswini Singh, an assistant professor of health services, policy and practice at the Brown University School of Public Health, was named a 2025 Aspen Ideas Health Fellow by the Aspen Institute. Nominated by Arnold Ventures as one of four health care leaders under 40, Singh is recognized for her achievements and her success in translating research into actionable policy.

Cole Swensen, a professor emerita of literary arts, received the 2025 Paul Engle Prize, presented by the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization. Swensen's work in literary translation, teaching and program facilitation contributed to her nomination for the prize, which honors an individual who represents a pioneering spirit in the world of literature through writing, editing, publishing or teaching, and whose active participation in the larger issues of the day has contributed to the betterment of the world through the literary arts. The prize includes a $25,000 award and a one-of-a-kind work of art.

Professor of Political Science Katherine Tate received the American Political Science Association's 2025 Hanes Walton, Jr. Career Award, which is presented biennially to a political scientist whose lifetime of distinguished scholarship has made significant contributions to the public understanding of racial and ethnic politics and illuminates the conditions under which diversity and intergroup tolerance thrive in democratic societies.