Seven members of the University of California community have been named recipients of the 2025 MacArthur Foundation fellowships, also known as “genius” grants. The winners include six alumni and one current faculty member, recognized for their achievements in fields ranging from science and engineering to art and filmmaking.
The MacArthur Fellowship awards each recipient $800,000 with no restrictions, allowing them to pursue their work freely. Since the program’s inception in 1981, more than 100 UC faculty and alumni have received this honor. In recent years, nearly a quarter of all recipients have been affiliated with UC.
Kristen Mack, vice president of communications at the MacArthur Foundation, commented on this year’s fellows: “The 2025 MacArthur Fellows expand the boundaries of knowledge, artistry, and human understanding. They focus our attention on microbial worlds and distant stars, community vitality and timeless traditions, sacred and improvisational music, and shared histories of our time on Earth. With virtuosity, persistence, and courage, they chart new paths toward collaborative, creative, and flourishing futures.”
Among the UC honorees is Teresa Puthussery, a neurobiologist and optometrist at UC Berkeley. Her research investigates how neural circuits in the retina encode visual information for the brain. Puthussery described her reaction to the award: “It wasn’t until they started reading out a description of my work that I was convinced that they had called the right person. It’s certainly just really unexpected, and so humbling and gratifying.” Her work aims to improve understanding of vision loss and explore ways to restore sight.
Kareem El-Badry, a UC Berkeley alumnus and current assistant professor at Caltech, was recognized for his research on the formation and evolution of stellar and galactic systems. El-Badry stated, “I appreciate that both awards [Sloan and MacArthur] come with minimal restrictions, giving me the opportunity to explore new or potentially risky projects that would be harder to get funded through a federal grant. At all stages in a research career, I think it’s important to look for opportunities to branch out and try something new.”
William Tarpeh, a UC Berkeley engineering graduate now at Stanford University, develops sustainable methods for recovering resources from wastewater. He expressed gratitude for the support of his community: “I am honored to be included in the MacArthur community of leaders committed to understanding and improving our world. This award is a testament to my community — the students and postdocs who took a chance on a new lab with a unique mission, my mentors who sharpened my skills, my colleagues who inspire me with creativity and dedication, and my family and friends for their endless support. I am excited to continue the work of redefining wastewater and creating circular, sustainable methods for improving quality of life while protecting the environment for generations to come.”
Garrett Bradley, an artist and filmmaker who graduated from UCLA, has earned recognition for her innovative blending of documentary, narrative, and experimental cinema. She said in an interview with Seventh Row: “I’m not just entering somebody’s life, and I don’t see them as subjects. I get to know people, and I let them get to know me.” Her works have been shown at major festivals and museums worldwide.
Gala Porras-Kim, who holds two degrees from UCLA, creates installations exploring the layered meanings of cultural artifacts. She explained her approach: “To me, it’s always been more interesting to look at the framing of historical material than the objects themselves.” Her projects have examined nonverbal communication traditions and the preservation of cultural history.
Toby Kiers, a UC Davis alumna now based at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, investigates symbiotic relationships between plants, fungi, and microbes. Kiers’ research has highlighted the active roles microbes play in ecosystems and their potential lessons for human systems.
Tuan Andrew Nguyen, who studied at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts, uses films and sculptures to examine histories of war, displacement, and resistance. Kevin Appel, chair of the UC Irvine Department of Art, said: “Tuan’s work embodies the spirit of critical imagination that defines our department, weaving together art history and activism into profoundly moving narratives. His commitment to storytelling as a form of repair and resistance has inspired so many of our students and colleagues. This recognition is deeply deserved.”
Nguyen’s works often combine archival materials with personal testimonies to address intergenerational trauma and cultural memory. He has exhibited internationally and co-founded art collectives in Vietnam.
These seven UC-affiliated fellows join a distinguished group of scholars and creators recognized by the MacArthur Foundation for their contributions to their fields.
