Six Stanford scholars among this year’s recipients of the Sloan Research Fellowships

Six Stanford assistant professors are among recipients of the 2016 Sloan Research Fellowships, which recognize scholars who show promise early in their careers.

WILLIAM CHUEH, assistant professor of materials science and engineering and a center fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy; MICHAEL BERNSTEIN and GREGORY VALIANT, assistant professors of computer science; THOMAS CHURCH, assistant professor of mathematics; NOAH GOODMAN, assistant professor of psychology; and JONATHAN FAN, assistant professor of electrical engineering, are among the 126 outstanding researchers who have garnered the honor this year.

Awarded annually since 1955, the fellowships award $55,000 to researchers whose achievements and potential identify them as part of the next generation of scientific leaders.

“Getting early-career support can be a make-or-break moment for a young scholar,” said PAUL L. JOSKOW, president of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “In an increasingly competitive academic environment, it can be difficult to stand out, even when your work is first rate. The Sloan Research Fellowships have become an unmistakable marker of quality among researchers. Fellows represent the best-of-the-best among young scientists.”

Drawn from 52 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, the 2016 Sloan Research Fellows represent a diverse variety of research interests. The fellowships are awarded in eight scientific and technical fields – chemistry, computer science, economics, mathematics, computational and evolutionary molecular biology, neuroscience, ocean sciences, and physics. Candidates must be nominated by their fellow scientists, and winning fellows are selected by an independent panel of senior scholars on the basis of a candidate’s independent research accomplishments, creativity and leadership potential.

A full list of this year’s fellows is available at the Sloan Foundation website.