Two of the new MacArthur geniuses with UC ties: Artist Wendy Red Star (left), who earned her M.F.A. from UCLA in 2006, and Juan Felipe Herrera, who received his bachelor’s in anthropology in 1972 from UCLA and who is an emeritus professor at UC Riverside.

Five University of California alums are among the 22 winners of this year’s MacArthur fellowships. The awards, known as “genius grants,” recognize outstanding scholars, creators and activists whose talent and dedication reshape their fields and serve humanity.

Since the program’s 1981 founding, more than 100 UC alums and faculty have earned a spot on the illustrious roster from the MacArthur Foundation, which provides a $800,000, no-strings-attached grant to awardees. Our 2024 MacArthur fellows include an expert in how technology reproduces inequality, a writer uplifting Chicanx culture, an artist challenging colonial historical narratives, an astronomer creating opportunities for people underrepresented in STEM, and an activist expanding the visibility of people with disabilities.

Meet this year’s UC geniuses

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