National & International Faculty Honors

UC Davis is home to globally renowned visionaries in the arts and education, law and letters, engineering, and the physical and life sciences, assuring its place as one of the top public universities in the country. Click through the categories on the right to view a sampling of the many premier faculty honors received. For more faculty distinctions by discipline and related stories, visit the colleges and schools linked here.

Biswanath Mukherjee, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Computer Science, has received the 2026 Eric E. Sumner Award of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Patsy Owens sitting outside with a field of trees and greenery behind her. She is smiling with her hands on her knees.

Patsy Owens, Associate Dean of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Professor of Human Ecology, received the Environmental Design Research Association’s 2025 Great Places Place Book Award, for the monograph, Outdoor Environments for People: Considering Human Factors in Landscape Design. She shares the award with co-authors Yiwei Huang (Assoc. Prof., Purdue) and Jayoung Koo (Assoc. Prof., Augsberg University).

Dr. Diane Farmer in the middle of a surgery.

Diana Farmer (center), Distinguished Professor and Chair of Surgery, and Surgeon in Chief of UC Davis Children’s Hospital, has received the ACTS Edward H. Ahrens, Jr. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Patient-Oriented Research. (Photo: Wayne Tilcock, UC Davis Health)

Neil Hunter, Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, has been elected a Fellow of The Royal Society, UK. (Image: TJ Ushing / UC Davis)

Evolutionary Geneticist Graham Coop smiling while holding blow-up dinosaur

Graham Coop, Professor of Evolution and Ecology in the College of Biological Sciences, has been elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. (Katrina Huynh/UC Davis)

Class of 2025 AAAS Fellows: Alexander Aue (Statistics), Dario Cantu (Viticulture & Enology), Frédéric Chédin (Molecular & Cellular Biology), Raissa D’Souza (Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering), Simona Ghetti (Psychology), Stephanie Hampton (Environmental & Science and Policy), Dawn Sumner (Earth & Planetary Sciences), Huaijun Zhou (Animal Science).

Professor Aldrin Gomes in his lab wearing a lab suit.

Aldrin Gomes, Prof. in the departments of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, College of Biological Sciences, and Physiology and Membrane Biology, School of Medicine, has received the US Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring.

Professor Marisol de la Cadena crossing her arms, smiling. She is wearing a scarf and glasses.

Marisol de la Cadena, a professor of anthropology and science and technology studies, has been awarded the Vega Medal from the Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography.

A photo of both Professors Marina Leiti and Jeremy Munday standing next to one another outdoors. Their hands are by their hips.

Marina Leite, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Jeremy Munday, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, have been elected Fellows of the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

Professor Kurt Rohde standing in front of an orchestra.

Kurt Rohde, Professor of Music, received a commission from the Serge Koussevitzky Foundation to compose a new work for Brightwork New Music, a non-profit corporation for contemporary classical music with a focus on West Coast composers and performers.

VC Renetta Garrison Tull standing by a granite wall.

Renetta Garrison Tull, Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and adjunct professor of electrical and computer engineering, was appointed President of the Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions (LACCEI).

A photo of Professor Bogad in front of the theatre building on campus

L. M. Bogad, Professor of Theatre and Dance, has been awarded a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Residency for Summer 2025, and a Creative Fellowship from the Wolfsonian Museum of Florida International University.

Professor Susan Handy standing at a podium

Susan Handy, Distinguished Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, has received an Honorary Doctorate for Smart and Sustainable Mobility, from the Technical University of Delft (TU Delft).

Junshan Zhang, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been elected a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

Kevin Johnson, Distinguished Professor of Law, Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law and Professor of Chicana/o Studies, has received a Distinguished Law and Policy Achievement Award from the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation.

Subhash Risbud, Distinguished Professor emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering, has received the 2025 James I. Mueller Award from the American Ceramic Society.

Dr. Amy Kapatkin performing surgery, masked up and in a surgery gown with her hair wrapped up in a net. She is on the right hand side.

Amy Kapatkin (right), Professor of Surgery and Radiological Sciences in the School of Veterinary Medicine, has received the American College of Veterinary Surgeons Founders’ Award for Career Achievement.

Dr. Garen Wintemute, Professor and Physician in Emergency Medicine, the Susan P. Baker-Stephen P. Teret Chair in Violence Prevention, and Director of the Violence Prevention Research Program, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Raquel Aldana, Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Law, was reappointed a special advisor to the Latin American Council of the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative.