The foundation of the UC Santa Cruz Division of Physical & Biological Sciences is built by 180 distinguished faculty and more than 300 high-impact researchers. Here are just a few of our accolades and honors.

The foundation of the Science Division is built by 180 distinguished faculty and more than 300 high-impact researchers. Below is a list of our external accolades and honors as well as our internal awards.

1
National Medal of Science

1
Nobel Laureate

1
Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

12
National Academy of Sciences members

20
American Academy of Arts & Sciences members

3
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professors

1
Bower Award & Prize for Achievement in Science

1
MacArthur Foundation Fellow

8
Packard Foundation Fellows

External Honors and Awards

AAS Brouwer Award

Douglas Lin
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2014

AAS High-Energy Astrophysics Division (HEAD) Bruno Rossi Prize

Stan Woosley
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2005

AAS HEAD Mid-Career Prize

Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2019

AAAS Journal Science Breakthrough of the Year Award

Ryan Foley
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2017

AAS Lancelot M. Berkeley – New York Community Trust Prize for Meritorious Work

Garth Illingworth
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2016

ACS - Infectious Diseases Young Investigator Award

Laura Sanchez
Chemistry, 2022

AGU James Macelwane Medal

Emily Brodsky
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2008

AGU John Adam Fleming Medal

Robert Coe
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2010

AGU Maurice Ewing Medal

Christina Ravelo
Ocean Sciences, 2022

AGU Willi Dansgaard Award

Adina Paytan
Institute of Marine Sciences, 2015

AGU William Gilbert Award

Robert Coe
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2007

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Award

Robert Coe
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2008

James Zachos
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2008

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Sloan Research Fellowship

Roxanne Beltran
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2024

Jacqueline Kimmey
Microbiology & Environmental Toxicology, 2024

Alexie Leauthaud
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2018

Yuan Ping
Chemistry, 2021

American Academy of Arts & Sciences Fellows

Thomas Banks
Physics, 2011

James Zachos
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2011

Natalie Batalha
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2019

James Estes (emeritus)
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2021

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellows

Suzanne Alonzo
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2021

Phil Crews
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2008

Andrew Fisher
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2019

Pradip Mascharak
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2008

Malin Pinsky
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2022

Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2020

Beth Shapiro
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2023

Terry Schalk
Physics (Adjunct Emeritus), 2017

James Zachos
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2021

Jonathan Zehr
Ocean Sciences, 2018

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Philip Hauge Abelson Prize

Joel Primack
Physics, 2024

American Astronomical Society (AAS) Fellowship

Natalie Batalha
Astronomy & Astrophysics, Legacy Fellow 2020

Sandra Faber
Astronomy & Astrophysics, Legacy Fellow 2020

Douglas Lin
Astronomy & Astrophysics, Legacy Fellow 2020

Claire Max
Astronomy & Astrophysics, Legacy Fellow 2020

Stan Woosley
Astronomy & Astrophysics, Legacy Fellow 2020

American Fisheries Society Excellence in Fisheries Education Award

Eric Palkovacs
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 2023

American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fellowship

Andrew Fisher
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2018

Adina Paytan
Institute of Marine Sciences, 2018

Eli Silver
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2018

Susan Schwartz
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2016

American Mathematical Society (AMS) Fellowship

Viktor Ginzburg
Mathematics, 2019

American Ornithological Society (AOS) Elliott Coues Award

Bruce Lyon
Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 2022

American Peptide Society (APS) Early Career Award

Jevgenij Raskatov
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2019

American Philosophical Society (APS) Magellanic Premium Medal

Sandra Faber
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2019

American Physical Society (APS) Fellows

Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2018

David Williams (adjunct)
Physics

American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP) Matt Suffness Young Investigator Award

Laura Sanchez
Chemistry, 2021

American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP) Research Achievement Award

Phil Crews
Physics, 2008

AMP - Award for Excellence in Molecular Pathology

Carol Greider
MCDB, 2022

AMS Steel Prize for Seminal Contribution to Research in analysis/Probability Theory

Harlod Widom
Mathematics, 2020

APS Aneesur Rahman Prize

Peter Young
Physics, 2009

APS Edward A. Bouchet Award

Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2016

APS J. J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Physics

Michael Dine
Physics, 2017

Howard Haber
Physics, 2016

APS Julius Edgar Lillenfeld Prize

Joel Primack
Physics, 2019

APS Lars Onsager Prize

Sriram Shastry
Physics, 2009

Association for the Sciences of Limnology & Oceanography (ASLO) Fellows

Adina Paytan
Institute of Marine Sciences, 2016

Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal

Douglas Lin
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2015

Beckman Young Investigator Program Award

Timothy Johnstone
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2023

Biophysical Society (BPS) Ignacio Tinoco Award

Harry Noller
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, 2019

BPS Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award

Carrie Partch
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2018

Boulder Peptide Society Young Investigator Award

Jevgenij Raskatov
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2018

Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

Harry Noller
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, 2016

California Academy of Sciences Fellowship

Donald Croll
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2011

Frank Drake
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2011

James Zachos
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2011

Erika Zavaleta
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2016

Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz
Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2022

California Academy of Sciences Fellows' Medal

Sandra Faber
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2016

John Pearse
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2011

Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation Senior Scientist Mentor Program Award

Phil Crews
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2016

Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning (CITL) Faculty Fellowship

Suzanne Alonzo
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2018, 2019

Stephanie Bailey
Physics, 2018

Nandini Bhattacharya
Mathematics, 2018, 2019

Caitlin Binder
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2019, Senior Faculty Fellow 2020

Matthew Chapham
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2019

Robin Dunkin
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2018, 2019, 2020

Ryan Foley
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2020

Timothy Johnstone
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2019

Ruth Murray-Clay
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2018

Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2019, Senior Faculty Fellow 2020

Susan Strome
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Initiatives Faculty Fellow 2019

John Tamkun
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, 2020

Jordan Ward
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, 2020

Colin West
Physics (Postdoc), 2018

Margaret Zimmer
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2019

Commitment to Human Diversity in Ecology Award

Erika Zavaleta
Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 2021

Department of Energy (DOE) Early Career Award

Alexie Leauthaud
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2018

Ecological Society of America Excellence Ecology Scholar

Erika Zavaleta
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2021

Ecological Society of America (ESA) Fellowship

Dan Costa
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2024

Erika Zavaleta
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2018

Emmy Award

Sandra Faber
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2011

Environmental Law Institute (ELI) National Wetlands Award for Science Research

Kerstin Wasson
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2018

European Geosciences Union (EGU) Fellowship

James Zachos
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2008

EGU Milutin Milankovic Medal

James Zachos
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2016

EGU Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky Medal

Adina Paytan
Institute of Marin Sciences (IMS), 2021

Europlanet Society Farinella Prize

Francis Nimmo
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2018

Geological Society of America (GSA) Fellowship

Emily Brodsky
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2019

GSA George P. Woollard Award

Emily Brodsky
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2019

GSA O. E. Meinzer Award

Andrew Fisher
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2016

Gruber Cosmology Prize

Sandra Faber
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2017

Guggenheim Fellowship

Martin Weissman
Mathematics, 2020

Hellman Fellows

Terrence Blackman
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2017

Aiming Yan
Physics, 2021

Shaheen Sikandar
MCDB, 2021

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator Award

Beth Shapiro
Ecology & Evolution, 2018

HHMI Professorship

Manuel Ares
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, 2002

Beth Shapiro
Ecology & Evolution, 2017

Erika Zavaleta
Ecology & Evolution, 2017

Insight Into Diversity Giving Back Award

Paul Koch
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2017

Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) Neumann Fellowship

Dan Cristofaro‑Gardiner
Mathematics, 2019

Indian Academy of Sciences Fellows

Sriram Shastry
Physics, 1988

Indian National Science Academy (INSA) Fellows

Sriram Shastry
Physics, 1999

Inverse Problems International Association (IPIA) Calderón Prize

François Monard
Mathematics, 2023

MacArthur Foundation Fellow (Genius Grant)

Beth Shapiro
Ecology & Evolution, 2009

National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Membership

Emily Brodsky
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2024

Michael Dine
Physics, 2019

Francis Nimmo
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2020

Susan Strome
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, 2019

James Zachos
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2017

National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal

Terrie Williams
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2024

National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) Early Career Award

Myriam Telus
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2020

National Medal of Science

Sandra Faber
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2013

National Science Foundation (NSF) Career Award

Alexander Ayzner
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2019

Nicole Feldl
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2018

Francois Monard
Mathematics, 2020

Jordan Ward
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, 2020

Nemmers Prize in Earth Sciences

Emily Brodsky
EPS, 2022

NIH Director's New Innovator Award

Upasana Sharma
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, 2019

Nobel Prize Laureate

Carol W. Greider
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, 2009

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring

Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz
Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2021

Packard Foundation Fellowship for Science & Technology

Ryan Foley
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2016

Alexie Leauthaud
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2017

Royal Society Fellows

Francis Nimmo
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2024

Royal Society of Canada (RSC) A.G. Huntsman Award for Excellence in the Marine Sciences

Adina Paytan
Institute of Marine Sciences, 2019

Royal Society of Chemistry Fellows

Ted Holman
Chemistry, 2024

Pradip Mascharak
Chemistry, 2021

Royal Astronomical Society Gold Medal

Sandra Faber
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2020

Searle Scholars Award

Joshua Arribere
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, 2019

Upasna Sharma
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, 2020

Simons Foundation Pivot Fellowship

Xavier Prochaska
Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2022

Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) Fellows

Dan Costa
Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS), 2021

Society for Research on Biological Rhythms (SRBR) Aschoff's Ruler Award

Carrie Partch
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2018

SRBR Junior Faculty Research Award

Carrie Partch
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2016

The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Fellows

Sriram Shastry
Physics, 2000

Internal Honors and Awards

Ron Ruby Award for Teaching Excellence in Physical & Biological Sciences

Pedro Morales-Almazan
Mathematics, 2024

Nandini Bhattacharya
Mathematics, 2021

Peter Weiss
Chemistry, 2021

Robin Dunkin
Ecology & Evolution, 2019

Bakthan Singaram
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2019

UC Santa Cruz Alumni Achievement Award

Mark Phillips
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2023

Natalie Batalha
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2018

UC Santa Cruz Science Division Outstanding Faculty Award

Don Smith
Microbiology & Environmental Toxicology, 2023

Daniel Costa
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2022

Puragra GuhaThakurta
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2021

Steven Ritz
Physics, 2020

Doug Kellogg
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, 2019

Glenn Millhauser
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2018

J. Xavier Prochaska
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2017

Pradip Mascharak
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2016

Susan Strome
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, 2015

Ana Christina Ravelo
Ocean Sciences, 2014

Manny Ares
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, 2013

Pete Raimondi
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2012

Michael Dine
Physics, 2011

Robert Coe
Earth & Planetary Sciences, 2010

Phil Crews
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2009

Douglas Lin
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2008

Anthony Fink
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2007

Peggy Delaney
Ocean Sciences, 2006

Peter Young
Physics, 2005

Stan Woosley
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2004

Bruce Cooperstein
Mathematics, 2003

Kenneth Bruland
Ocean Sciences, 2002

Barry Bowman
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, 2001

Russ Flegal
Environmental Toxicology, 2000

Sandra Faber
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 1999

Gary Griggs
Earth Sciences, 1998

Joe Miller
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 1997

Thorne Lay
Earth Sciences, 1997

Mary Silver
Ocean Sciences, 1996

Abe Seiden
Physics/SCIPP, 1995

Charles Daniel
Biology, 1994

David Kliger
Chemistry & Biochemistry, 1993

James Gill
Earth Sciences, 1993