Subhash Khot, a professor in NYU’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, and Julia Wolfe, a professor in NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, have been named 2016 MacArthur Fellows by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Two NYU Faculty Win MacArthur “Genius Grants”
Julia Wolfe, left, a professor in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and Subhash Khot, center, a professor in the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, have been named 2016 MacArthur Fellows. Also among this year’s 23 fellows is playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, right, who received a masters degree in Performance Studies from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Images courtesy of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Subhash Khot, a professor in NYU’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, and Julia Wolfe, a professor in NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, have been named 2016 MacArthur Fellows by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

MacArthur fellows are recipients of the foundation’s “genius grants,” who each receive $625,000 over a five-year period to pursue intellectual, social, and artistic endeavors.

Also among this year’s 23 fellows is playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who received a masters degree in Performance Studies from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2007.

“While our communities, our nation, and our world face both historic and emerging challenges, these 23 extraordinary individuals give us ample reason for hope,” said MacArthur President Julia Stasch. “They are breaking new ground in areas of public concern, in the arts, and in the sciences, often in unexpected ways. Their creativity, dedication, and impact inspire us all.”

Khot, a theoretical computer scientist in Courant’s Department of Computer Science, focuses on computational complexity, which seeks to understand the power and limits of efficient computation. Khot was previously awarded the National Science Foundation’s Alan T. Waterman Award and the Rolf Nevanlinna Prize. In addition, he has received an NSF CAREER Award, a Sloan Foundation Fellowship, and a Microsoft New Faculty Fellowship, among other honors.

Wolfe, an associate professor of music composition in NYU Steinhardt’s Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions, was awarded the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Music for her composition “Anthracite Fields.” She has written a major body of work for strings, from quartets to full orchestra, and has also composed for Anna Deveare Smith’s “House Arrest” and won an Obie award for her score to Ridge Theater's Jennie Richie.

Jacobs-Jenkins’ works include “Neighbors” (2010), “Appropriate” (2012), “An Octoroon” (2014), and “Gloria” (2015). His plays have been performed at such venues as Lincoln Center Theatre/LCT3, Soho Rep, the Public Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Actors Theater of Louisville, and Center Theatre Group, among others. He is currently a Residency Five playwright at Signature Theatre and master-artist-in-residence in the Playwriting MFA program at Hunter College.
 

Two NYU Faculty Win MacArthur “Genius Grants”

Subhash Khot, a professor in NYU’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and a 2016 MacArthur "Genius Grant" recipient. Image courtesy of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Two NYU Faculty Win MacArthur “Genius Grants”

Julia Wolfe, an associate professor of music composition in NYU Steinhardt’s Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions and a 2016 MacArthur "Genius Grant" recipient. Image courtesy of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Two NYU Faculty Win MacArthur “Genius Grants”

Among this year’s 23 MacArthur "Genius Grant" recipients is playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, above, who received a masters degree in Performance Studies from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2007. Image courtesy of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

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