The Distinguished Alumni Award (DAA)—Caltech’s highest honor for alumni—is presented this year to four alumni who, because of both personal commitment and professional contributions, have made remarkable impacts in a field, on the community, or in society more broadly.  ‍

Deborah D.L. Chung (BS ’73 ENG, MS ’73 ES)

SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University at Buffalo

For her groundbreaking research that helped launch the field of multifunctional structural materials; for her invention of smart concrete and other nanostructured materials with intrinsic capabilities potentially useful to society; and for her stalwart efforts to diversify science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Athanassios Fokas, PhD (PhD ’79 AMA)

Professor Emeritus of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge

For his contributions spanning science, medicine, and the arts, including advances in partial differential equations, mathematical physics, the life sciences, and nuclear imaging for diagnosis and discovery; and for his work explaining and enlivening science and mathematics for the public.

F. William Studier (PhD ’63 BIPH)

Former Group Leader for Molecular and Structural Biology, Brookhaven National Laboratory

For his technologies that have helped extend millions of lives through therapies, diagnostics, and vaccines; for his seminal work exploring the genetics and biochemistry of bacteriophage T7; and for his innovative techniques for high-throughput analysis of DNA, RNA, and T7 proteins.

Donald Truhlar (PhD ’70 CH)

Regents Professor and Distinguished University Teaching Professor, University of Minnesota

For his breakthroughs in theoretical and computational chemistry research, which have earned him a place among the world’s most influential chemists and provided the basis for the first accurate measurements of, or models for, a number of key chemical interactions.

The Caltech Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor the Institute bestows upon a graduate, and it is given in recognition of “a particular achievement of noteworthy value, a series of such achievements, or a career of noteworthy accomplishment.”

Living alumni who have attained any degree (BS, MS, Engineer, or PhD) at Caltech may be considered eligible for this award. No anonymous or self-nominations will be accepted. Graduates on the faculty or staff of Caltech are not eligible, except those who have achieved the rank of Emeritus/Emerita Professor.

Members of the Institute’s Board of Trustees are not eligible until they have achieved the rank of Life Trustee. Selections are made by the President of Caltech based on recommendations from a committee comprising faculty, staff, and alumni; the President’s recommendations are confirmed by the Board of Trustees.

Since the award’s inception in 1966, Caltech has recognized 280 alumni for contributions and achievements in a variety of industries and disciplines such as science, engineering, business, education, medicine, and the arts.