The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation revealed its 2024 cohort of fellows on Tuesday, often recognized as recipients of the “genius grant."

The 22 fellows will each receive a $800,000 grant, distributed over five years, with complete freedom to use the funds as they see fit. These individuals were chosen through an extensive selection process spanning years, which involves input from their respective communities and peers. Fellows are not allowed to apply for the award, and they remain unaware of their nomination unless they are ultimately selected.

The multidisciplinary award aims to “enable” individuals with a history of exceptional work and the potential for future groundbreaking contributions, according to Marlies Carruth, director of the MacArthur Fellows Program.

The 2024 fellows are:

Loka Ashwood, a 39-year-old sociologist from Lexington, Kentucky, investigates how environmental issues, corporate practices, and state policies converge to negatively impact rural communities and erode their trust in democracy.

Ruha Benjamin, a 46-year-old transdisciplinary scholar and writer at Princeton University, examines how new technologies and medical research often exacerbate social and racial disparities and biases.

Justin Vivian Bond, a 61-year-old artist and performer from New York, has used their long career as a cabaret singer to advocate for civil rights, provide comfort and humor to the LGBTQ community, and inspire other transgender artists.

Jericho Brown, a 48-year-old poet at Emory University, whose lyrical works explore contemporary culture through personal vulnerability and innovative forms, is recognized for their contributions to the literary world.

Tony Cokes, a media artist at Brown University, has used his video works to deliver social critique. Cokes, who is 68 and resides in Providence, Rhode Island, frequently incorporates text and fragments from contemporary culture in his art, which often addresses issues such as police brutality and torture.

Nicola Dell, a 42-year-old computer and information scientist at Cornell Tech in New York, has researched the ways in which technology can be used for intimate partner abuse. She has also developed tools and programs to assist survivors of such abuse.

Johnny Gandelsman, a violinist and producer based in New Paltz, New York, has reinterpreted classical works by exploring different styles and techniques. Gandelsman, who is 46, has also been instrumental in promoting the work of contemporary composers.

Sterlin Harjo, a 44-year-old filmmaker from Tulsa, Oklahoma, is known for his work that explores the daily lives of Native American communities. This includes his co-created television series “Reservation Dogs”.

Juan Felipe Herrera, a 75-year-old poet, educator, and writer from Fresno, California, is dedicated to expressing the shared experiences of the Mexican-American community. His often bilingual work transcends genres and draws inspiration from contemporary events as well as the cultures of pre-colonial societies.

Ling Ma, 41, Chicago, is a fiction writer whose often surreal or speculative stories delve into and illuminate contemporary experiences of alienation, immigration, and materialism.

Jennifer L. Morgan, 58, New York, is a historian at New York University whose research focuses on enslaved African women, exposing how the wealth of slaveowners and the expansion of the economy relied upon their exploitation and forced reproductive labor.

Martha Muñoz, 39, New Haven, Connecticut, is an evolutionary biologist at Yale University whose research delves into the factors that influence the speed and patterns of evolution.

Shaikaja Paik, 50, Cincinnati, is a historian of modern India at the University of Cincinnati whose work examines caste discrimination and its connection to gender and sexuality in the lives of Dalit women.

Joseph Parker, 44, Pasadena, California, is an evolutionary biologist who studies rove beetles at the California Institute of Technology. His research focuses on the evolutionary origins of the symbiotic relationship between these beetles and other species.

Ebony G. Patterson, 43, Kingston, Jamaica and Chicago, is a multimedia artist known for creating intricate, layered, and immersive works using a diverse range of materials to explore social histories, often blending vibrant landscapes with objects of mourning.

Shamel Pitts, 39, Brooklyn, New York, is a dancer and choreographer whose collaborative work with the artist group TRIBE, which he founded, envisions futures free from oppression, particularly for members of the African diaspora.

Wendy Red Star, 43, Portland, Oregon, is a visual artist who uses archival materials to challenge colonial narratives and center the perspective of Native Americans.

Jason Reynolds, 40, Washington, D.C., is a children's and young adult writer whose genre-bending books often reflect the experiences of Black children. As a former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, he encouraged children to tell their own stories.

Dorothy Roberts, 68, Philadelphia, is a legal scholar and public policy researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. Her work examines racial disparities in child welfare and healthcare systems, particularly highlighting how these systems have denied agency to Black women over their bodies.

Keivan G. Stassun, 52, Nashville, Tennessee, is a science educator and astronomer at Vanderbilt University. In addition to his research on star evolution, he has been a staunch advocate for recruiting science students from diverse backgrounds, including those with neurodiversity.

Benjamin Van Mooy, a 52-year-old oceanographer from Woods Hole, Massachusetts, studies plankton at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and its crucial role in supporting marine life.

Alice Wong, a 50-year-old San Francisco resident, is a writer, editor, and disability justice activist who founded the Disability Visibility Project in 2014. This project, along with other campaigns, aims to highlight the experiences of disabled people and the discrimination and barriers they encounter.

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