Five Smithsonian staff are recipients of the Secretary’s Distinguished Scholar Awards

Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch has announced five winners of the prestigious Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar Award for the years 2022 through 2024. The Award, which has celebrated excellence in all branches of Smithsonian scholarship for more than two decades, acknowledges longstanding commitment to the Smithsonian along with sustained achievement in research, coupled with a demonstrated ability to communicate the substance of that research to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.

The previous cadence of two annual awards—one recognizing achievement in the Sciences and another in the Humanities—was severely disrupted by the pandemic. Our announcement today of five Distinguished Scholars at one time represents something of a post-pandemic catch-up, while simultaneously showcasing the remarkable work of senior Smithsonian researchers. The Awards will still be associated with specific years.

2022 Distinguished Scholar in the Humanities

Dr. Ellen Lupton
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

The 2022 Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar in the Humanities is Dr. Ellen Lupton of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Her book, Thinking with Type, is considered the definitive guide to using typography in all forms of visual communication, while her other works address topics of immediate concern presented with specific references and inventive graphic treatments of complex ideas.

2023 Distinguished Scholar in the Humanities

Carlene E. Stephens
Curator Emerita, Division of Work and Industry
National Museum of American History

The 2023 Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar in the Humanities is Carlene Stephens of the National Museum of American History, who played a leading role in founding the Robotics and AI Working Group, and more recently collaborated with colleagues at the Library of Congress, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and National Parks Canada to recover some of the earliest sound recordings extant, including the voice of Alexander Graham Bell.

2023 Distinguished Scholar in the Sciences

Dr. Mark Reid
Senior Astronomer
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard and Smithsonian

The 2023 Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar in the Sciences is radio astronomer Dr. Mark Reid of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, whose use of Very Long Baseline Astronomy—radio telescopes separated by thousands of kilometers that allow for observations of extremely small structures—has fundamentally increased our knowledge of how our solar system fits into the immense spiral galaxy we call the Milky Way.

2024 Distinguished Scholar in the Humanities

Dr. Massumeh Farhad
The Ebrahimi Family Curator of Persian, Arab, and Turkish Art, Senior Associate Director for Research

The 2024 Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar in the Humanities is Dr. Massumeh Farhad of the National Museum of Asian Art, whose ground-breaking research, acclaimed exhibitions, and unparalleled expertise have challenged many common and long-held assumptions on the arts of the Islamic world, making her not only an internationally renowned art historian and curator, but also a mentor extraordinaire for generations of young scholars.

(Calligrapher) Mir Ali Heravi
Lawa’ih (Effulgences of light) by Jami (d.1492)
Courtesy National Museum of Asian Art

2024 Distinguished Scholar in the Sciences

William J./ McShea
Wildlife Ecologist
National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

The 2024 Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar in the Sciences is Dr. William McShea of the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, who has pioneered the application of radio tracking, camera trapping, satellite mapping, and DNA barcoding to solve critical research and conservation challenges. His achievements include eMammal.si.edu, an online database for the worldwide compilation and curation of mammal camera trapping data.

Screenshot from eMammal.si.edu

Each Distinguished Scholar will deliver an in-person and webcast discussion of some aspect of their work at the time of the presentation of their award by Secretary Bunch. The schedule for the five lectures will be developed and announced over the coming weeks.

We congratulate the winners for their exceptional accomplishments.

The call for nominations for the 2025 Distinguished Scholars will be forthcoming in the next months.