Honors and Awards
Read further to learn more about our notable and award winning faculty.
John Taylor recognized by British Mycological Society
The PMB professor was awarded the organization’s 2024 John Webster Award for his outstanding contribution to fungal biology research over an extended career.
Patrick Shih named 2024 Spark Award recipient
Shih joins professors Daniel Nomura, Joseph Shapiro, and other UC Berkeley faculty members as recipients of funding, resources, and entrepreneurial mentorship.
Michi Taga recognized with Leon A. Henkin Citation
The citation honors exceptional faculty commitment to the educational development of students from underrepresented groups.
Three Rausser College graduate programs are among the best in the U.S.
The latest U.S. News & World Report rankings place Berkeley programs in microbiology, environmental science, and environmental policy and management in the top 5.
Rausser College faculty and affiliates among the most highly cited in their fields
The selected researchers rank in the top 1% in the number of scholarly citations worldwide over the last decade.
Recognition for Dr. Diane Burgess
PMB recognizes Dr. Diane Burgess' achievements and wishes her continued good luck in her retirement.
John Coates honored by the American Society for Microbiology
Coates, a professor in PMB and head of the Energy and Biosciences Institute, was recognized for improving scientific understanding of microbes in the environment.
UC Berkeley, Berkeley Lab researchers receive $11.6 million in Department of Energy funding
The award will support research to develop biofuel and bioproducts from photosynthetic micro-alga by PMB professors Sabeeha Merchant and Krishna Niyogi, and research biologist Melissa Roth.
Ben Williams named 2022 Hellman Fellow
The program supports junior faculty research across the UC system.
Two PMB undergraduates honored with departmental awards
Nada Lamie and Kenneth Trang are recognized for excellence in undergraduate studies.
Barbara Baker and N. Louise Glass sign NAS registry of membership
Both professors were elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2021 and were honored during the National Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting last week.
PMB graduate students, alumna receive National Science Foundation awards
Four current and incoming students, and one alumna will be supported by the prestigious research fellowship.
Alum Pamela Ronald awarded Wolf Prize in Agriculture
Ronald, PhD ’90, is recognized for pioneering work on disease resistance and environmental stress tolerance in rice.
PMB faculty recognized for number of citations
The Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher 2021 list includes PMB’s Sheng Luan, Kris Niyogi, and Igor Grigoriev.
Ksenia Krasileva receives National Institutes of Health New Innovator Award
The grant is part of NIH’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program.
Sophia Ewens highlighted by U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science
Ewens, a researcher at the Energy Biosciences Institute and graduate student in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, was noted for her recent publication in the journal PNAS.
Two Rausser College instructors receive Faculty Award for Outstanding Mentorship
Professor Mary Wildermuth received the university-wide honor that recognizes outstanding mentorship in teaching and pedagogy.
Two faculty elected to the National Academy of Sciences
Barbara Baker and N. Louise Glass, both molecular biologists, join the 2021 cohort of elected members.
Mary Wildermuth and Dhruv Patel receive Extraordinary Teaching award
The two instructors were among five in the College honored for exceptional, innovative teaching during the pandemic.
Rausser graduate students receive National Science Foundation awards
Two doctoral students within our department have been awarded the prestigious research fellowship.