Arts & Sciences

On Friday, May 15, graduate student speaker Sejal Popat and undergraduate student speaker Mason Shaver will join Chancellor Andrew D. Martin, honorary degree recipients and Commencement speaker Andy Cohen at WashU’s 165th Commencement ceremony. Here, they look back on their journeys to and through WashU.

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

WashU researchers led a population-based study of thousands of college students showing that a phone app with text coaching increased access to care and eased symptoms of depression, anxiety and eating disorders.

A $1.5 million pledge from Distinguished Trustee Andy Newman for the Living Earth Collaborative will support critically endangered primates. The new project aims to transform how biodiversity is documented, modeled and protected worldwide.

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.

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.

Arts & Sciences honored seven alumni for their achievements, service and commitment to the liberal arts.

Goldwater Scholar and biology major Noah Kabbaj is on the front lines of research aimed at helping people overcome treatment-resistant mental health conditions, including severe depression. After graduating from WashU, Kabbaj plans to earn his PhD in neuroscience.

Isabella Caffarelli, a senior majoring in applied mathematics and minoring in astrophysics in Arts & Sciences, is looking forward to a new research challenge after she graduates from WashU: helping brain scientists use advanced algorithms to sort and understand neurological data in a cleaner, more coherent way.