Spring Honors Bloom for IPR Scholars

Five IPR faculty recognized with notable awards

Clockwise from top left: IPR faculty Charles F. Manski, Sally Nuamah, Martin Naunov,
Sera Young, and Chika Okafor.

As purple tulips and hyacinths come into full bloom Northwestern’s Evanston campus, they signal the arrival of spring—and the opening of awards season. Since March, five faculty at Northwestern’s Institute for Policy Research have received notable honors in recognition of their outstanding research and achievements. They are: 

• Sera Young, an IPR anthropologist, who became a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow.
• Sally Nuamah, an IPR social policy expert, who was named to the 2026 class of Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum and also as a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Resident.
• Charles Manski, an IPR economist, who received a Frontiers of Knowledge Award from the BBVA Foundation.
• Chika Okafor, an IPR legal scholar, and Martin Naunov, a political scientist and IPR associate, who were awarded Sheldon Danziger Pipeline Grants from the Russell Sage Foundation.

“We’re proud to see these faculty members recognized for work that is not only academically outstanding, but deeply engaged with the policy issues shaping people’s lives,” said Andrew Papachristos, IPR director and sociologist. “Their achievements highlight the impact IPR scholars are having both nationally and globally.”

In all, IPR faculty have tallied up an impressive roster of more than 20 honors across a variety of fields for their teaching and research since January. Read more about them below and here.

Sera Young Named a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow

Young was named one of 223 Guggenheim Fellows for 2026 in recognition of her influential scholarship and exceptional promise. A leading expert on pica, infant nutrition, and food insecurity, Young has reshaped global understanding of water insecurity through her co‑creation of the Water InSecurity Experiences (WISE) Scales, now used worldwide. Her work bridges rigorous research and real‑world impact, advancing equity in health, nutrition, and access to safe water globally and in U.S. communities.

Sera Young is a professor of anthropology and global health, a Morton O. Schapiro Faculty Fellow, and co-director of the Center for Water at Northwestern. Learn more about her Guggenheim award and her research. 

Sally Nuamah Honored as 2026 Young Global Leader and with a Rockefeller Bellagio Residency

The World Economic Forum selected Nuamah as a 2026 Young Global Leader. The three-year program of collaboration and exchange with the other 117 awardees recognizes her innovative scholarship and global leadership potential. She also received a prestigious 2026 Bellagio Center residency from the Rockefeller Foundation and will spend nearly a month on the shores of Italy’s Lake Como, examining African cultural production, sovereignty, and partisanship, as well as networking and collaborating with her fellow residents. Her award‑winning books reveal how inequalities in education and public institutions undermine civic engagement, particularly for Black communities. Through these fellowships, she will collaborate with global leaders across a variety of fields to inform solutions to pressing democratic and social challenges.

Sally Nuamah is associate professor of human development and social policy. Learn more about her Young Global Leader and Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio honors and research. 

Charles F. Manski Receives a Frontiers of Knowledge Award

Manski received the BBVA Foundation’s Frontiers of Knowledge Award for his pioneering contributions to understanding “deep uncertainty” in economic analysis. His research transformed econometric methods by challenging overly confident conclusions drawn from incomplete data. His work has reshaped policy analysis in education, labor, health, and now medicine, encouraging more credible decision‑making under uncertainty. The award honors his lasting impact on the rigor and integrity of social science.

Charles F. Manski is the Board of Trustees Professor in Economics and an IPR fellow. Learn more about his Frontiers of Knowledge award and research.

Chika Okafor and Martin Naunov Tapped for Sheldon Danziger Pipeline Grants

Okafor and Naunov were each awarded a Sheldon Danziger Pipeline Grant from the Russell Sage Foundation to help emerging faculty develop research projects on economic mobility and access to opportunity.

Okafor will examine criminal justice reform and employment, studying whether declining prosecution of low‑level offenses improves economic outcomes for affected individuals, particularly Black Americans. By linking prosecutorial data with census employment records, his work aims to provide the first national causal evidence on whether declination policies can meaningfully expand opportunity and economic mobility.

Naunov seeks to expand current understandings of prejudice and discrimination. He will study how bias emerges from auditory and visual cues—such as accents or speech patterns—distinct from group‑based prejudice. His work investigates credibility in courts, political backlash against candidates, and discrimination toward immigrants, Black Americans, and transgender individuals. His project advances new frameworks for understanding how subtle cues shape inequality in democratic and social institutions. 

Chika Okafor is assistant professor of law and an IPR fellow. Martin Naunov is assistant professor of political science and an IPR associate. Learn more about their Russell Sage Foundation pipeline grants and research.

Photo credits: Illustration by Lily Schaffer. Faculty headshots (clockwise from top left): Patricia Reese, Steve Drey, courtesy of Martin Naunov, Vanessa Bly, and Tony Rinaldo.

 

Published: April 30, 2026.