MacArthur names 20 fellows, awards $800,000 each

The MacArthur Foundation named 20 people to its 2026 fellowship class, awarding each $800,000 in unrestricted funding over five years. The interdisciplinary group includes artists, scientists and scholars whose work ranges from climate change and sustainable agriculture to memory, migration and justice. Seven Black recipients include musician Immanuel Wilkins, economists Ellora Derenoncourt, artist Rodney McMillian, choreographer Trajal Harrell, novelists Bryan Washington and Maaza Mengiste, and public artist Chip Thomas. Among other fellows are University of Illinois scientist Kaiyu Guan, who uses satellite data and modeling to help farmers assess crops, and Duke cognitive scientist Felipe De Brigard, whose research examines memory and imagination. Texas State forensic anthropologist Kate Spradley was recognized for work identifying and returning the remains of migrants buried in an unmarked cemetery in southern Texas.