MacArthur Foundation

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced its 2026 class of MacArthur Fellows, the so-called genius grants. The fellowships award unrestricted stipends, typically several hundred thousand dollars, to individuals working across arts, sciences, journalism and other fields, based on exceptional creativity and promise for future work. Winners usually learn of the award only days before the public announcement, and the annual reveal draws wide attention to the honorees' work.

Two Illinois-based researchers — a University of Chicago physicist and a University of Illinois environmental scientist — have been named among this year's MacArthur Fellows, receiving the foundation's prestigious 'genius grants'. The awards, which come with a substantial no-strings-attached stipend, recognize exceptional creativity and promise across science, the arts and public life.

Physicist Vincenzo Vitelli, based in Chicago, has been selected for a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the prestigious award often called a 'genius grant' that recognizes exceptionally creative individuals with substantial no-strings-attached funding. The honor places him among a select group of fellows across the arts, sciences, and academia announced by the foundation.

The MacArthur Foundation has announced its new class of Fellows, the annual 'genius grants' recognizing exceptional creativity across fields. This year's cohort stands out for researchers whose work connects science with social justice, applying scientific expertise to issues of equity and fairness. The awards, which come with substantial no-strings-attached funding, spotlight recipients working at the intersection of research and public good.

University of Chicago physicist Vincenzo Vitelli has been named a 2026 MacArthur Fellow, receiving the so-called 'genius grant' from the MacArthur Foundation. The fellowship recognizes individuals with exceptional creativity and comes with a no-strings-attached award. Vitelli is known for work in theoretical condensed matter physics, and the honor places him among a select group of fellows across the arts and sciences this year.

A theoretical physicist at the University of Chicago has been named a MacArthur Fellow, receiving the fellowship widely known as a 'genius grant'. The award recognizes exceptional creativity and promises significant unrestricted funding for future work. The honor is being reported by Chicago media outlets, and the university's physics community is celebrating the recognition of one of its faculty members.

The MacArthur Foundation has announced its 2026 class of MacArthur Fellows, naming 20 recipients of the so-called 'genius grant'. The award, given annually, provides fellows with a substantial no-strings-attached fellowship to pursue their work across fields spanning science, the arts, and public life. Coverage is highlighting the new fellows and their individual achievements.