Welcome to the September edition of Newsroom’s monthly “Have you heard?” roundup, your quick-hit guide to the faculty and staff breakthroughs, honors, milestones and memorable moments shaping our campus and community. Think of it as your regular dose of Bruin brilliance — smart, useful and worth sharing. From research awards and new leadership appointments to heartfelt remembrances, here’s what’s been happening recently.

Got news to share? Submit a story of kudos to [email protected]. We’re all ears!

Awards, grants and honors


Meet UCLA’s newest art genius

Rodney McMillian, a professor in the UCLA Department of Art and head of the department’s sculpture area, has been recognized as a 2026 MacArthur Fellow by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, joining 19 other “exceptional, creative and inspiring people” who make up this year’s class. The award comes with an $800,000 stipend, paid over five years with no strings attached. Congratulations, Rodney! 

Presenting UCLA Fielding’s newest Hall of Famers

Seven distinguished graduates of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health have been named members of the school’s “Hall of Fame” for 2026, recognizing their work since graduation as having a major impact on public health, both in Los Angeles and globally. 

The politics of what we see

Political Science professor Davide Panagia has been elected fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, one of Canada’s highest honors recognizing distinguished scholars, artists and scientists. His work explores how politics intersects with culture, art and technology — looking at topics like film, digital media and the ways people experience democratic life in multicultural societies.

Tracking the effects of the L.A. fires

A landmark study of the long-term health impacts of the 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires has received a $1.8 million grant from the Kao Family Foundation that will support the work for almost a decade. Led by UCLA Fielding Dean Dr. Kari Nadeau, physician and professor Dr. David Eisenman and professor Michael Jerrett, the research examines fire exposure using data provided by the L.A. Fire HEALTH Study team. It will expand research into the long-term physical and mental health impacts of the wildfires on residents, first responders and other affected communities.

Awards and honors — Sciences


Making AI work across African languages

Assistant professor of computer science at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering Saadia Gabriel has received a $250,000 Amazon Research Award to support Gabriel and her doctoral student Sheriff Issaka in developing AI models that can understand and connect spoken and written African languages across five linguistic groups. 

Could a cellular ‘spark’ lead to Parkinson’s treatments?

Assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry Danielle Schmitt has been selected to receive a $200,000 Impact Award from the Parkinson’s Foundation. Schmitt studies how a protein called PINK1 helps cells keep their energy-producing components, called mitochondria, healthy. Mutations in the PINK1 gene can disrupt this process and are linked to some forms of early-onset Parkinson’s disease.

Tiny designs, big honors

UCLA distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry Sarah Tolbert has won the International Mesostructured Materials Association Award. Tolbert, who has been a member of the UCLA faculty since 1997, is an internationally renowned materials chemist whose research spans a range of interdisciplinary areas, from battery systems to the design of ultrahard materials, and her work is recognized for its breadth, impact and scholarly excellence.

UCLA innovators shine

The UCLA Technology Development Group has won several awards at the inaugural University of California Regents Innovation Awards. The awards honored 23 exceptional UC innovators across five categories, chosen from a group of nominees that represented all 10 UC campuses and three affiliated national laboratories.Congratulations to Aydogan Ozcan, Jean-Pierre Hubschman, Gaurav Sant, Josh Green and Dr. Michael Jung, who received a lifetime achievement award! 

Awards and honors — Health sciences


Probing a pregnancy heart risk

Mansoureh Eghbali, professor in the department of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at UCLA, has received a four-year grant of more than $2.1 million from the National Institutes of Health to investigate the role of a molecule that acts like a tiny cellular switch —- and how it could protect against the unique type of damage caused by a heart attack during pregnancy. The funds will help Eghbali build on a current animal model to help inform future strategies to protect the health of pregnant women with cardiovascular disease.

A national honor for a kidney stone expert

UCLA Health’s Dr. Kymora B. Scotland has been recognized by the Endourological Society’s 2026 Arthur Smith Award, an honor granted to urologists who are within 10 years of completing their residency or fellowship. Dr. Scotland’s clinical expertise is in kidney stone treatment, management of benign prostatic hyperplasia and upper tract urothelial carcinoma, and her research investigates kidney stone pathogenesis and stone-associated infection.

Reshaping heart care

Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, director of the Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center at the David Geffen School of Medicine, has received the 2026 Heart Failure Society of America Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the field’s highest honors. The award recognizes his decades of leadership and transformative contributions to heart failure research, quality improvement and patient care. Fonarow has devoted his career to improving how evidence-based therapies are delivered to patients with heart failure.

Extraordinary impact


Lowering the cost of cancer treatment

New research led by Tina Shih, professor in UCLA Fielding’s Department of Health Policy and Management, has found that the use of low-cost alternatives (i.e., biosimilars) to biological cancer treatments can yield real savings for patients dealing with various types of cancers, including lymphoma, colorectal and breast cancer. The results provide evidence that market competition enabled by entry of biosimilars may help reduce the cost of cancer biologic drugs.

Judea Pearl is still asking big questions

Earlier this month, more than 50 colleagues, former students, friends and admirers gathered to honor Judea Pearl, Chancellor’s Professor Emeritus of computer science at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, on his 90th birthday. From transforming artificial intelligence to pursuing dialogue across divides, the UCLA pioneer has spent a lifetime turning uncertainty into understanding, asking questions about machine reasoning and cause and effect, and laying the groundwork for AI.

Living out UCLA’s True Bruin Values

UCLA’s True Bruin Values — integrity, excellence and belonging — come to life through the people who practice them every day. Meet two Bruins whose actions, large and small, show what our values look like in action: Vice Provost and Dean of the UCLA College Division of Undergraduate Education Adriana Galvan and Executive Director of UCLA Residential Life and First Year Experience Idriss Njike.

This research campaign is on a roll

UCLA Strategic Communications’ Research Powers Progress campaign has been recognized as an award finalist — twice! The campaign started last year to highlight the life-changing and lifesaving research coming out of UCLA every day has earned finalist honors for both a Shorty Impact Award and a PRNEWS Platinum Award. Kudos to the incredible, talented team behind this work!

Explore more honors, recognitions and grant awards on Newsroom’s Faculty Bulletin Board page and faculty and staff page.

Around campus


A major collaboration with Boeing

UCLA’s Quantum Innovation Hub has welcomed Boeing as an industry partner, marking an important milestone in the university’s effort to accelerate the development of next-generation quantum technologies through collaboration among academia, industry and government. The partnership will focus on advancing quantum networking technologies, including experimental hardware and system design that can help move quantum communications from laboratory research toward practical applications. 

A century of ghost stories at the Clark Library

UCLA’s William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, which marks its 100th anniversary as part of the university this year, already has much to offer book lovers, history buffs, researchers and romantics. Besides being home to the world’s most comprehensive collection of Oscar Wilde holdings, it also specializes in book arts and printing, book history, and Montana and the West. The library’s European revival-style structure, with its travertine marble and dark wood-paneled interior rooms, also tends to leave a strong impression on visitors who come for research, public programming or just to walk the grounds.

Happy 10th anniversary to the Luskin Center 

The UCLA Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center, one of a handful of conference hotels owned and operated directly by a major U.S. university, just turned 10! To date, the center has hosted scholars, dignitaries, families and collaborators from around the world; strengthened UCLA’s academic mission; expanded its cultural reach; supported its community values; and become a source of deep campus pride that is open to all guests, regardless of UCLA or University of California affiliation. 

In memoriam


A librarian who brought art off the shelves

Robert Gore, UCLA Library’s visual arts librarian and steward of its renowned artists’ book collection, died June 12. Gore joined UCLA Library in 2005 and spent more than two decades connecting students, faculty and researchers with the visual arts through instruction, research support and collection development. He became known for his expertise with artists’ books, original works that blur the boundaries between books, literature and art, and for finding creative ways to bring those materials directly into teaching and research across disciplines. During his tenure, UCLA Library became one of the largest holders of artists’ books in North America.

Championing access to healthcare

Ron Andersen, Wasserman Professor Emeritus in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health’s (FSPH) Department of Health Policy and Management and a beloved member of the FSPH community for the last 35 years, died Sept. 14. Andersen was a giant in the field of health services research, recognized by scholars and policymakers around the world for what came to be known as the Andersen Model — a framework for understanding and improving access to healthcare services. At UCLA Fielding, Andersen is equally revered as a treasured colleague, teacher, mentor and friend to many, whose kind spirit and impact will continue to be felt and remembered for years to come.

See more on Newsroom’s faculty and staff page.