Academic Accolades

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3 Pitt faculty honored by the American Association of Immunologists

Three faculty members in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine were recently honored by the American Association of Immunologists (AAI).

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2 Pitt people named 2026 American Council of Learned Societies fellows

Two faculty members in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences — Paula Kupfer and Michelle Granshaw — were awarded 2026 American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) fellowships.

Sanghamitra Das

Das won the 2026 Bluestone Rising Scholar Prize

Sanghamitra Das, assistant professor in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Anthropology, won the 2026 Bluestone Rising Scholar Prize from CASTE: A Global Journal on Social Exclusion.

Karen Arndt

Arndt was named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Karen Arndt, professor in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Biology, was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Molly Warsh

Warsh received the Leopold-Hidy Award

Molly Warsh, associate professor in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, earned the Leopold-Hidy Award from the editors of the journal Environmental History.

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4 Pitt students won DAAD RISE scholarships

Four Pitt students have earned scholarships to study at leading German universities and scientific institutes through the DAAD Research Internships in Science and Engineering program.

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12 Pitt students were named to the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has named its 2026 class of Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) scholars, and several Pitt students are among the awardees and honorable mentions.

Fernando Tormos-Aponte

Tormos-Aponte earned an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant

Fernando Tormos-Aponte, assistant professor in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Sociology, earned a $500,000 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to study energy resilience in Puerto Rico. 

Karen Bursic

IISE recognizes Bursic with Fellow Award

The Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers (IISE) recognized Karen Bursic, professor in the Swanson School of Engineering, with a Fellow Award.

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2 Pitt students were selected as 2026 Roosevelt Network Fellows

Two Pitt students, Sahiti Kulkarni and Abbigayle Garvin, have been selected as 2026 Roosevelt Network Fellows. 

Ilknur Lider

Lider named president of the American Association of Teachers of Turkic Languages

Ilknur Lider, instructor of Turkish in the Department of Linguistics, has been named president of the American Association of Teachers of Turkic Languages.

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4 Pitt faculty won the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring

Four University of Pittsburgh faculty members earned the 2026 Provost’s Award for Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring.

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16 faculty honored with 2026 Chancellor’s Distinguished Awards

Sixteen Pitt faculty members have earned the 2026 Chancellor’s Distinguished Awards for exemplifying excellence in public service, research and teaching.

Jason Deakings

Deakings made the New Pittsburgh Courier 40 Under 40 list

Jason Deakings, assistant professor in the School of Public Health, was named to the New Pittsburgh Courier’s Fab 40 Under 40 list for 2026.

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School of Medicine student made the Pittsburgh Business Times 30 Under 30 list

Benjamin Leslie, current student in the School of Medicine, was named to the Pittsburgh Business Times’ 30 Under 30 list.

Alissa Klots

Klots won two prizes for her first book

Alissa Klots, associate professor in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, earned two awards for her book, “Domestic Service in the Soviet Union: Women’s Emancipation and the Gendered Hierarchy of Labor,” published by Cambridge University Press in 2024.

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Manuck honored by the American Psychological Association

For the first time, the American Psychological Association has awarded one of the most prestigious awards in psychological science to a faculty member in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Psychology.

Panther statue

9 Pitt affiliates were named New Pittsburgh Courier Women of Excellence

Sarah Ashmeg, clinical assistant professor in the School of Medicine, Kyaien Conner, director of the Center on Race and Social Problems, and Tiffany Gary-Webb, associate director of the Center for Health Equity, were named to the 2025 class.

John Kellum

Kellum elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors

John Kellum, Distinguished Professor of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, has been elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

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8 Pitt undergraduates earned Gilman Scholarships

Eight University of Pittsburgh undergraduates have been awarded Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships for the October 2025 application cycle.

Grace Kenney

Kenney won a New Investigator Grant

Grace Kenney, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry, has received a New Investigator Grant from the Charles E. Kaufman Foundation. These grants are awarded to researchers at the beginning of their independent careers who are pursuing basic scientific research.

Justin Kitzes

Kitzes won a Bezos Earth Fund AI Grand Challenge grant

Justin Kitzes, an associate professor in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Biological Sciences, was part of a team selected as one of 15 global awardees in the Bezos Earth Fund’s AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge.

Scaife Hall

3 Pitt faculty elected to the National Academy of Medicine

John Byrd, Terence Dermody, and Kate Rubins, faculty in the School of Medicine, have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

Fall leaves in front of the Cathedral of Learning

7 Pitt faculty earned Dr. Larry E. Davis Awards

The annual celebration recognizes Pitt faculty whose achievements reflect the late Davis’ vision for mentorship, academic excellence and public service.

Caitlin Bruce

Bruce won a National Communication Association book award

Caitlin Bruce, an associate professor in the Department of Communication, has earned national recognition for her scholarship exploring youth culture and graffiti as public expression.

Pitt’s ACS Student Affiliates group

Pitt student group earned American Chemical Society honors

The American Chemical Society (ACS) recognized Pitt’s ACS Student Affiliates group with two awards for 2024-25: the Outstanding ACS Student Communities Award and the Green Chemistry Award. 

George Reid Andrews

Andrews honored by the Conference on Latin American History

George Reid Andrews, Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of History, has been honored with the Conference on Latin American History (CLAH) Distinguished Service Award.

Alexander Deiters

Deiters earned an American Chemical Society award

Alexander Deiters, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, was awarded a 2026 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award from the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Dave Newman

Newman won the Pushcart Prize for his short story

Dave Newman, assistant professor of creative and professional writing, was awarded a Pushcart Prize for his story, “The Last Thing That Happened Before I Became A Med Tech.”

Marianne Novy

Novy won an International Impact Award for Biography

Marianne Novy, Professor Emerita of English and Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies, received an International Impact Award for Biography--Unsung Heroes and Everyday Lives and Family--Adoption and Foster Care for her recent book, Adoption Memoirs: Inside Stories.