Liangfang Zhang, professor and chair of the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, as well as the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Chancellor’s Endowed Chair in Innovations for Engineering in Medicine, has been named a 2026 MacArthur Fellow for his pioneering approach using cell-mimicking nanoparticles to treat disease. (Credit: Photo courtesy of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation)

Two UC faculty, two former postdocs and an alumnus are among this year’s 20 MacArthur fellows, the latest recognition that UC researchers’ and artists’ work is pushing boundaries in science, medicine and culture.

Why it matters

• MacArthur fellowships, awarded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, are commonly known as “genius grants.”

• Fellows receive “no-strings-attached” awards of $800,000 to give them the freedom to pursue their creative visions.

• Fellows are selected for their outstanding originality and ability to impact society.

• Past fellows include UC Berkeley Nobelist and biochemist Jennifer Doudna, whose development of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology is allowing for previously unthinkable cures for genetic diseases including sickle cell anemia.

• To date, 104 UC faculty have been awarded MacArthur “genius grants,” making UC one of the country’s most prolific MacArthur institutions.

Watch videos about this year’s winners at the UC Newsroom

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