2018 MacArthur Foundation 'genius grant' winners
This Sept. 17, 2018 photo Provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation shows Rebecca Sandefur, a legal scholar and associate professor of sociology at the University of Illinois teaching at the university in Champaign, Ill. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation on Thursday Oct. 4, 2018 named Sandefur and 24 other academics, activists, artists, scholars and scientists, MacArthur fellows. The recipients will receive $625,000 over five years to use as they please. (Photo by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation via AP)
People from a wide range of fields are among this year's MacArthur fellows . The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation on Thursday named 25 people, including academics, activists, artists, scholars and scientists, who will receive $625,000 over five years to use as they please. The Chicago-based foundation has awarded the so-called "genius grants" each year since 1981 to help further the pursuits of people who have shown outstanding talent. The 2018 fellows are:
Matthew Aucoin: Composer, conductor and artist-in-residence, Los Angeles Opera.
Julie Ault: New York City artist and curator.
William J. Barber II: Pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church, Goldsboro, North Carolina.
Clifford Brangwynne: Biophysical engineer and associate professor, Princeton University.
Natalie Diaz: Associate Professor, Department of English, Arizona State University.
Livia S. Eberlin: Assistant professor Department of Chemistry, University of Texas-Austin.
Deborah Estrin: Computer scientist and professor, Department of Computer Science, Cornell Tech.
Amy Finkelstein: Health economist, professor of economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Gregg Gonsalves: Global health advocate, assistant professor of epidemiology, Yale University.
Vijay Gupta: First violin, Los Angeles Philharmonic, co-founder and artistic director of Street Symphony.
Becca Heller: New York lawyer, co-founder of International Refugee Assistance Project.
Raj Jayadev: Co-founder Silicon Valley De-Bug, San Jose, California.
Titus Kaphar: Painter, founder and president NXTHVN, New Haven, Connecticut.
John Keene: Writer, Department of African American and African Studies, Rutgers University.
Kelly Link: A Northampton, Massachusetts writer.
Dominique Morisseau: Playwright, Signature Theatre, New York City.
Okwui Okpokwasili: Choreographer and performer, New York City.
Kristina Olson: Associate professor, Department of Psychology, University of Washington.
Lisa Parks: Professor, comparative media studies and writing, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Rebecca Sandefur: Legal scholar, Department of Sociology, University of Illinois.
Allan Sly: Professor, Department of Mathematics, Princeton University.
Sarah T. Stewart: Professor, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis.
Wu Tsang: New York City filmmaker and performance artist.
Doris Tsao: Neuroscientist and professor of biology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology.
Ken Ward Jr.: Investigative journalist, Charleston Gazette-Mail, West Virginia.