In this Laurels column, a professor is listed to the Time’s list of 100 most influential people, a faculty member receives an international fellowship and professors are awarded for their additions to research. Additional honors will be announced in a forthcoming edition of Dateline UC Davis.
Dateline UC Davis welcomes news of faculty and staff awards for publication in Laurels. Send information to dateline@ucdavis.edu.
Time100
Time has named Distinguished Research Professor Tony Tyson, of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, to its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
In the write-up about Tyson, who is chief scientist of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, Time published:
"The new Vera C. Rubin Observatory is beginning the work it was created for: a 10-year time-lapse of the entire southern sky known as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). The Chilean observatory’s first images were released in June. ...
Thirty years ago, astronomer Tony Tyson had the vision to suggest this intriguing path, and the persistence to build something many thought impossible. Throughout the construction, Tony, as chief scientist, played a critical role in tackling some of the thorniest research problems, pushing the boundaries of detector and survey design and transforming a bold idea into a flagship observatory. The LSST will reveal millions of new objects every night — from asteroids to distant supernovae to collisions of neutron stars — and will map 20 billion galaxies and 20 billion stars, opening new discovery windows into the dark and dynamic universe, and yielding a treasure trove of data for scientists to explore."
-College of Letters and Science
International Academy of Food Science and Technology
Nitin Nitin, professor of food science and technology, has been elected to the International Academy of Food Science and Technology, the International Union of Food Science and Technology announced.
Those elected are acknowledged by their peers as outstanding representatives of international food science and technology.
The International Academy of Food Science collectively forms a diverse pool of the highest-level scientific expertise in food science and technology and related disciplines from which it draws non-aligned expert advice on scientific matters. Fellows serve as independent professional leaders who engage and endorse high standards of ethics and scientific endeavors.
-Zann Gates
European Society for Molecular Imaging Award
Simon R. Cherry, a distinguished research professor emeritus of biomedical engineering, has received the 2026 ESMI Award from the European Society for Molecular Imaging.
The organization’s namesake honor is among the most prestigious handed out in imaging science, celebrating a researcher for their outstanding long-term contributions to the interdisciplinary field.
Cherry has transformed imaging science across his more than 35-year career. Among his many achievements is his work to engineer the world’s first total body PET scanner, EXPLORER, alongside Professor of Biomedical Engineering Ramsey Badawi.
-Matt Marcure
Humboldt Research Award
Graduate School of Management Professor Prasad Naik has been awarded the prestigious Humboldt Research Award, a lifetime achievement honor recognizing internationally leading scholars whose work has had a lasting impact on their disciplines.
Naik is the first faculty member from the Graduate School of Management to receive the honor, marking a milestone moment for the school and underscoring its growing research stature on the global stage.
Naik’s research has long focused on quantitative modeling and marketing strategy, with particular influence in areas such as competitive dynamics, innovation and emerging market behavior. His work is widely cited and has shaped both academic thinking and real-world marketing practice, which is a combination that aligns closely with the Humboldt Foundation’s emphasis on impact.
Media Resources
This article was compiled by Kat Arthur, an intern with the Office of Strategic Communications who writes for Dateline UC Davis.
The Dateline staff can be reached by email.