SBS Professor Erin Leahey Receives Convergence Award, Charles Gomez and Manuel Muñoz Named Certificate of Excellence Honorees
Credit: Office of Research and Partnerships
Erin Leahey, professor in the School of Sociology in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, has been named an Excellence in the Humanities and Social Sciences recipient through the 2026 Convergence Awards. Presented by the University of Arizona Office of Research and Partnerships, the awards are among the university’s highest honors for interdisciplinary research, recognizing work that exemplifies inquiry, innovation and societal impact.
The Convergence Awards recognize individuals and teams advancing transformative research across disciplines and demonstrating leadership through collaboration, new knowledge, and solutions that expand the reach and relevance of the university’s research enterprise.
The Office of Research and Partnerships described Leahey as a “leader in the interdisciplinary field known as the science of science,” whose research examines scientific practice, careers, innovation and disruption. Her 2023 publications in Nature and American Sociological Review documented declining disruptiveness in scientific papers and patents and examined how novelty type affects scientific impact. These widely cited papers have helped shape global science policy conversations. Leahey also received the 2023–24 Fulbright-Schuman Innovation Award, and her current research explores open data’s impact on collaboration, humility in scientific inquiry, and university technology transfer.
“I am honored to receive this award, especially because I have taken a convergent approach to studying convergence itself,” Leahey said. “With collaborators and students across many disciplines, universities, and countries, I have been privileged to investigate trends in science, like the rise of interdisciplinary scholarship and team science, as well as key tensions in scientific practice. I am grateful to Dean Poloni-Staudinger for nominating me, and to the deans, professors and mentors who served as signatories.”
Additionally, two College of Social and Behavioral Sciences faculty were recognized as Certificate of Excellence Honorees: Charles Gomez, professor in the School of Sociology, for his National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award (2024), and Manuel Muñoz, professor in the Department of English, who was named a 2023 MacArthur Fellow.
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