Notables

Mark Rank, the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare, won the 2026 Independent Press Award in the category of sociology for his book “The Random Factor: How Chance and Luck Profoundly Shape Our Lives and the World Around Us.” 

Henric Krawczynski, a physicist at Washington University in St. Louis, has received the prestigious 2026 Bruno Rossi Prize in astrophysics.

Sociologist Kenneth “Andy” Andrews, an expert in the dynamics and influence of social movements, was installed as the Tileston Professor in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

WashU women’s soccer players and coaches have received numerous honors after the team won its second-straight NCAA championship in December.

Beverly R. Wendland, former provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at Washington University in St. Louis, has been named provost and vice president for academic affairs at West Virginia University, beginning July 1.

A University Marketing & Communications team at Washington University in St. Louis won a 2025 Regional Emmy Award, and received an additional nomination, from the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Biologist Toby Pennington recently was installed as the inaugural David and Dorothy Kemper Professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Trish Kohl, a professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, has been selected as a 2026 fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.

ShiNung Ching, an expert in neuroengineering, has been named chair of the Preston M. Green Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering.

Ron Himes, the Henry E. Hampton Jr. Artist-in-Residence in Arts & Sciences and founder of the St. Louis Black Repertory Company, has won a Lifetime Achievement Award from New York theater group AUDELCO.