Faculty/staff honors: CRNS fellow-ambassador, Richard R. Ernst prize and a National Science Foundation award
Our take
The University of Washington continues to solidify its position as a powerhouse of scientific innovation, as evidenced by recent accolades including a fellowship-ambassador role with France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the prestigious Richard R. Ernst Prize, and a National Science Foundation CAREER award. These aren't just shiny trophies; they represent a sustained commitment to pushing the boundaries of knowledge and tackling complex challenges. The breadth of these awards—spanning international collaboration, groundbreaking contributions to magnetic resonance, and early-career support for materials research—highlights the diverse strengths within UW’s research ecosystem. It’s particularly compelling to see this recognition alongside ongoing work addressing critical issues within our state, like the surprising Coyote density is 9 times higher in Seattle than in Washington’s wild lands – demonstrating how UW research extends far beyond the lab and into everyday life. And considering the innovative approaches being pioneered elsewhere, like the UW, WA Department of Health show it’s possible to test wastewater for STIs, the potential for impactful discoveries feels almost limitless.
The Ernst Prize, in particular, carries significant weight. Richard R. Ernst’s contributions to magnetic resonance are foundational to fields ranging from chemistry and medicine to materials science. To be recognized with an award bearing his name speaks volumes about the caliber of the UW researchers being honored. The NSF CAREER award signals a commitment to nurturing the next generation of scientific leaders. These early-career grants are crucial for providing researchers with the resources and freedom to pursue high-risk, high-reward research ideas – the kind of projects that can truly transform our understanding of the world. Furthermore, the CNRS fellowship underscores the increasing importance of international collaborations in driving scientific progress. Sharing expertise and resources across borders accelerates discovery and fosters a global community of researchers. The work happening at WSU, like the From weather data to smarter farms with WSU exemplifies the power of leveraging data for tangible, real-world improvements, a philosophy clearly reflected in these UW honors.
These achievements aren't happening in a vacuum. They're part of a larger trend within the Pacific Northwest – a region increasingly recognized as a hub for scientific innovation and technological advancement. The combination of strong public universities, a thriving tech industry, and a culture that values creativity and problem-solving is creating a fertile ground for groundbreaking discoveries. This recognition also elevates the profile of Washington state as a destination for top researchers and students, further strengthening the region's intellectual capital. The consistent flow of awards and recognition to institutions like UW and WSU isn’t just good for the universities themselves; it’s a boon for the entire state, attracting investment, creating jobs, and improving the quality of life for all Washingtonians.
Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see how these individual accolades translate into broader, systemic changes within the university and beyond. Will these successes spur increased funding for research and development? Will they inspire a new generation of students to pursue careers in STEM fields? Perhaps most importantly, how will these discoveries be translated into practical solutions that address pressing global challenges, from climate change and disease to food security and sustainable energy? The momentum is certainly there, but sustained effort and strategic investment will be crucial to ensuring that this period of scientific flourishing continues for years to come.
Recent recognition of the University of Washington includes France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the Richard R. Ernst Prize for contributions to magnetic resonance, and a National Science Foundation CAREER award from the division of materials research.
UW professor named CNRS fellow-ambassador
Julian Olden, UW professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, was welcomed into the 2026 cohort of fellow-ambassadors by France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). Active across all scientific fields for more than 80 years, CNRS is Europe’s largest fundamental research agency.
Launched in 2023, the CNRS Fellow-Ambassador program brings internationally recognized researchers to France to foster scientific collaboration. As one of nine members selected this year, Olden joins a group that includes Nobel laureates and other globally renowned researchers, with nearly 30 active fellow-ambassadors.
As part of the program, Olden will spend time in France over the next three summers, collaborating with scientists on research aimed at addressing sustainability challenges facing freshwater ecosystems.
The opportunity closely aligns with Olden’s broader research program, which focuses on advancing the science and practice of freshwater conservation. His work spans climate change, conservation biology, invasive species, and freshwater community ecology, with an emphasis on bridging fundamental research and practical conservation challenges through quantitative approaches.
Olden noted that France has long been home to some of the world’s most talented scientists.
“The opportunity to work alongside them—exchanging ideas, tackling shared challenges in freshwater sciences and building lasting research partnerships—is something I look forward to enormously,” Olden said.
Chemistry professor receives 2026 Richard R. Ernst Prize for contributions to magnetic resonance
Stefan Stoll, UW professor of chemistry, was one of four researchers awarded the 2026 Richard R. Ernst Prize in Magnetic Resonance, presented at the EUROMAR 2026 conference in Gothenburg, Sweden. The annual prize recognizes scientific achievements that expand the capabilities and impact of magnetic resonance.
Stoll was recognized for his contributions to electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) through widely adopted computational tools and data analysis methods, particularly EasySpin, software developed and maintained by Stoll and colleagues. The software has become a standard resource in magnetic resonance laboratories, allowing researchers to simulate and analyze complex EPR spectra.
EPR experiments produce signals that scientists use to learn about the structure and behavior of molecules and materials. EasySpin helps researchers interpret those signals by allowing them to model what an experiment should look like under different conditions and compare those simulations with real-world data. That capability supports research ranging from understanding how the structure and movement of proteins affect their function to studying molecular systems with potential applications in quantum sensing.
For Stoll, the award also brings attention to a part of the scientific process that can operate behind the scenes: developing and maintaining the software researchers rely on to do their work. He noted that although scientific software is essential to many research pipelines and workflows, securing federal or foundation funding for its development can be difficult.
“It’s very exciting for scientific software development to get some recognition,” Stoll said.
Stoll also credited the EasySpin user community with helping drive continued improvements to the software’s scope, performance, accessibility and usability.
UW professor of physics receives NSF CAREER Award to study electron interactions in quantum materials
Arthur Barnard, UW assistant professor of physics, received a 2026 National Science Foundation CAREER Award of more than $600,000 from the Division of Materials Research.
The NSF CAREER Award is the agency’s most prestigious honor for early-career faculty, recognizing those with the potential to become academic leaders in both research and education.
With the award, Barnard and his team will study how interactions between electrons give rise to unusual forms of electronic order in two-dimensional quantum materials, including superconducting states and electronic crystals. The researchers will use a new measurement technique developed in Barnard’s Classical and Quantum Nanosystems Lab that allows them to deliberately change how electrons interact while simultaneously measuring how the material responds.
In other words, rather than only observing the properties of a quantum material, Barnard’s team can adjust one of the forces shaping those properties and watch what changes. Understanding how these interactions produce behaviors such as superconductivity could help researchers learn how to more precisely control the electronic properties of materials, foundational knowledge for the development of future electronic and quantum technologies.
Barnard said his lab has spent the past several years developing what he described as a “one-of-a-kind tool” to help researchers better understand how superconductivity and other phenomena emerge in atomically thin materials.
“Now, with NSF CAREER funding, we are beginning to put this tool to work and looking forward to what we will discover,” Barnard said.
The project will also provide research training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students and support the development of open-source hardware and STEM modules that offer hands-on experience with van der Waals material assembly and electronic measurements.
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