Notables

Fuzhong Zhang, a renowned expert in synthetic biology, has been named the Francis F. Ahmann Professor in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis.

The College Writing Program in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis recently celebrated the 2025 winners and finalists of the James E. McLeod First-Year Writing Prize.

Lana Lin’s “The Autobiography of H. Lan Thao Lam” has been longlisted for the 2025 National Book Award for nonfiction. The book is published by Dorothy, an independent publishing project co-founded by WashU’s Danielle Dutton and Martin Riker.

Researcher Deanna Barch, a professor at WashU, has received a lifetime achievement award from the Association for Psychological Science.

Diana J. Montaño and Christina Ramos, both faculty members in the Department of History in Arts & Sciences, have been selected as Georgie W. Lewis Career Development Professors.

Proscovia Nabunya, an associate professor at the Brown School, has been named director of the school’s International Center for Child Health and Development.

The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis has named Andrew Witt the inaugural Kavita and Krishna Bharat Professor, a role that focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence with art, architecture and design, effective Jan. 1. The professorship includes a joint appointment at the McKelvey School of Engineering.

Jeannie Kelly, MD, a renowned expert in the care of women with opiate use disorders during pregnancy, has been named the new director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine & Ultrasound in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at WashU Medicine.

Jessie Minton, vice chancellor for technology and chief information officer at WashU, received a prestigious award from the HMG Strategy Global Leadership Institute during the organization’s recent summit.

Elizabeth Pollina, an assistant professor of developmental biology at WashU Medicine, has been recognized by the Vallee Foundation for innovative research in neuroscience.