The Cognitive and Information Sciences faculty selects one person annually to honor with UC Merced’s Distinguished Cognitive Scientist Award. The recipient is invited to campus to receive the award, and they deliver a broad public talk detailing their influential and groundbreaking research.
2026 Award Ceremony and Public Event
The 2026 Distinguished Cognitive Scientist Award Ceremony will be held on Friday April 24, 2026, 3:30-5pm, in the UC Merced Conference Center Ballroom. Sharon Thompson-Schill (U. Penn) will deliver a public talk that will be accessible to the interested public. All are welcome, from UC Merced and beyond!
Recipients
2026: Sharon Thompson-Schill
2024: Morten H. Christiansen
2023: Mary Hegarty
2022: Melanie Mitchell
2019: Colin Camerer
2018: Lawrence Barsalou
2017: Mahzarin Banaji
2016: Olaf Sporns
2015: Danielle McNamara
2014: Dana Ballard
2013: Helen Neville
2012: Michael Turvey
2011: Patricia Churchland
2010: Michael Mozer
2009: Linda Smith
2008: George Lakoff
Updated 2021
