March 17, 2025
Alumni Updates: Winter/Spring 2025
Read the latest noteworthy achievements from Harvard Griffin GSAS alumni, including a MacArthur "Genius Grant" winner, a Balzan Prize recipient, and other celebrated milestones across the sciences, sociology, and the humanities.
Genius Selection
Martha Muñoz, PhD '14, biology, was named a 2024 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellow last fall in recognition of her research on how species adapt to different environments and circumstances. Often referred to as a "genius grant," the fellowship supports the Yale University professor's extraordinary work, which reveals that organisms are endowed with the capacity to shape not just the types of selection they experience, but also the intensity of that selection through their behavior. "Simply by altering when they're active, where they're active, who they interact with," Muñoz says, "organisms can in some cases shield themselves from natural selection. Conversely, organisms can also expose themselves to natural selection by interacting with new resources and entering new environments, accelerating evolutionary change. It's very much a two-way street."
More Alumni News
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Michael Anne Kyle, PhD '21, health policy, was named a 2024 Wunderkind by the health, medicine, and life sciences journalism site STAT last fall. The list recognizes "the unheralded heroes of science and medicine, poring over hundreds of nominations from across North America in search for the next generation of scientific superstars." | Image
Julia Gonski, PhD '19, physics, received a grant from the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Early Career Research Program for her cutting-edge work advancing microelectronics and machine learning to help hunt for new physics. The award supports outstanding early career scientists performing research that supports the DOE Office of Science mission. |
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Michael N. Hall, PhD '81, microbiology and molecular genetics, received the Balzan Prize for his contributions to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate cell growth and aging. Endowed with 750,000 Swiss francs each, the prizes are awarded to scholars and scientists who have distinguished themselves in their fields on an international level. | Image
Anna Huang, PhD '19, computer science, joined MIT's departments of electrical engineering and computer science and music and theater arts as an assistant professor. She will help develop graduate programming focused on music technology. |
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Karl Haushalter, PhD '01, chemistry, was named Harvey Mudd College's next vice president for academic affairs. As chair of the school's Department of Chemistry, Haushalter has enhanced student involvement and secured significant philanthropic support for departmental initiatives. He begins his new role effective July 1, 2025. | Image
Scott Newstok, PhD '02, English and American literature and language, was appointed inaugural executive director of the Spence Wilson Center for Interdisciplinary Humanities at Rhodes College last fall. The center will gather faculty, students, visiting scholars, and community members to address complex global questions through humanistic inquiry. |
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Kenneth L. Taylor, PhD '68, history of science, emeritus professor at the University of Oklahoma, was presented the Vladimir V. Tikhomirov History of Geology Award for 2024. Established in 2012 by the International Union of Geological Sciences, the Tikhomirov Medal is awarded once every four years for scientific contributions and achievements in the field. | Image
Natasha Warikoo, PhD '05, sociology, Anthony Abraham Jack, PhD '16, sociology, and Matthew Clair, PhD '18, sociology, were all recognized with the Eastern Sociological Society's Public Sociology Award for "cutting-edge sociological research" and "meaningful public work using that research." |
