Record

Six WashU seniors from the Department of BIology in Arts & Sciences and WashU McKelvey Engineering have won annual awards recognizing their achievements.

Cal J. Halvorsen, a gerontological social work scholar and an associate professor at the WashU Brown School, will step into a new leadership role this summer as co-director of the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging. 

Vicki Match Suna, executive vice president and vice dean for real estate development and facilities at NYU Langone Health, has received the 2026 Dean’s Medal from the WashU Sam Fox School.

WashU Medicine researchers at the Bright Center for Human Vision have developed gene therapies that help retinal cells clear toxic proteins in mouse and human models of retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited degenerative condition that causes blindness.

Architectural designer Catherine Chen has been selected as the winner of the 2026 James Harrison Steedman Memorial Fellowship in Architecture. The biennial award is organized by the WashU Sam Fox School and AIA St. Louis.

Bo Li, a renowned expert in data sciences, has been named a Stanley A. Sawyer Professor in WashU Arts & Sciences.

Salma Abdalla, at WashU Public Health, and Liz Chiarello, in WashU Arts & Sciences, have been named 2026 Public Scholarship faculty fellows in recognition of their work that connects rigorous research with public audiences.

The WashU Brown School presented its 2026 Awards of Distinction on April 23, honoring alumni and supporters for their work advancing positive change in communities worldwide.

Peter H. Raven, the George Engelmann Professor of Botany Emeritus in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died April 25, 2026. He was 89.

A grant of nearly $800,000 will fund the development of an “AI Scientist” system aimed at improving biomedical research efficiency, with an initial focus on neurodegenerative disease.