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Recent accolades garnered by the University of Washington include an AIS Early Career prize, the Tomassoni-Chisesi distinction in theoretical physics, and the National Science Foundation CAREER recognition.

Foster School’s Mingwen Yang awarded AIS early career prize

Mingwen Yang, assistant professor of Information Systems and Operations Management at the Foster School of Business, has been bestowed the AIS Early Career Award by the Association for Information Systems.

AIS stands as a foremost international body committed to promoting the practice and exploration of information systems. Founded in 2014, the award acknowledges remarkable early-career scholars who have significantly contributed to research, instruction, and service within the information systems domain on both local and global scales.

A 2024 awardee, Yang was honored for her significant contributions and commitment to enriching the field through research and education.

“I am profoundly appreciative and honored to receive the Association for Information Systems (AIS) Early Career Award, a significant milestone in the early phase of my academic path,” remarked Yang.

David Kaplan honored with Tomassoni-Chisesi Prize for advancements in theoretical physics

David Kaplan, professor of physics at UW, has been awarded the Tomassoni-Chisesi Prize for his advancements in theoretical physics. This award, conferred by Sapienza University of Rome, amounts to around $45,000 and was presented on March 18, 2025, by Giorgio Parisi, the 2021 Nobel Laureate in Physics.

Kaplan was honored for resolving a long-standing issue in physics: how to efficiently simulate “chiral” particles — which possess handedness, behaving differently when left- or right-handed — on digital platforms. His domain wall methodology, introducing a fifth dimension to lattice simulations, has established itself as a principal tool in particle physics.

Reflecting on the personal importance of this acknowledgment, Kaplan noted that the breakthrough has been years in the making. “I encountered the problem for the first time in 1981 during a visit to Princeton,” he recounted. “Nobel laureate David Gross explained it, and I didn’t fully grasp it at the time — but tucked it away in my thoughts as something intriguing.” That initial spark led to a 1992 theory involving a five-dimensional framework consisting of two surfaces. It wasn’t until 2019, however, that he realized how a single-surface geometry — resembling a doughnut or sphere — could produce particles similar to those observed in nature, encompassing the weak force. “The jury is still out … but I sense that I am on the right track now, which is quite thrilling.” When queried about his intentions for the prize money, Kaplan expressed his desire to contribute to the UW Department of Physics — “which facilitated the work.”

Regarding such a phenomenal breakthrough, we inquired about what drives him to continue probing intricate and profound questions in physics. Kaplan’s response was straightforward: “I don’t require motivation to ponder complex problems in physics,” he stated. “I do it while showering, walking to work, and even in my dreams… I find it all obsessively fascinating and enjoyable.”

Marchand Secures $800K NSF CAREER award to further synthetic DNA studies

Jorge Marchand, assistant professor of chemical engineering at UW, has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award exceeding $800,000 from the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, Systems and Synthetic Biology Program.

The NSF CAREER Award is the agency’s highest accolade for early-career faculty, honoring those possessing the potential to emerge as academic leaders in both research and education.

With this recognition, Marchand’s laboratory will innovate sequencing technologies capable of accurately reading and interpreting semi-synthetic DNA alphabets — genetic frameworks that utilize more than the four natural DNA bases present in all known life. In essence, while natural DNA employs a four-letter code (A, T, C, G), Marchand’s team is investigating the ramifications of broadening that alphabet to six letters. Their research intends to uncover the effects on biological systems when the genetic code is fundamentally modified.

“Life has evolved to utilize a four-letter DNA alphabet,” Marchand noted. “How much of biology fails or succeeds when we transition that alphabet to six letters remains uncertain. Novel technology is required to explore these inquiries, which we will advance with this award.”

Marchand expressed pride in the acknowledgment of his lab’s “ambitious vision in engineering biology for compatibility with extended genetic alphabets.”

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