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From left, Brian W. Bowen, Loïc Le Marchand and Kristin Pauker

The 2016 Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research was awarded to Brian W. Bowen, Loïc Le Marchand and Kristin Pauker.

The research medal is awarded by the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents in recognition of scholarly contributions that expand the boundaries of knowledge and enrich the lives of students and the community.

Regents’ medal honorees

Brian W. Bowen

Research professor, UH Mānoa, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology’s Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Brian Bowen has made outstanding contributions to the conservation of marine species such as sea turtles, shrimp, sturgeon and white sharks. Since joining the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology in 2003, he has trained 23 graduate students and sits on the committees of another 14 graduate students. He has published approximately 200 peer-reviewed publications, garnering more than 13,000 citations. This sought-after speaker has given 16 guest lectures in the past three years and, over his career, has presented 90-plus times. His competitive grants represent more than $6 million of extramural funding. This American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow earned the Kobe Award for lifetime achievement in aquatic biology.

Loïc Le Marchand

Professor, UH Mānoa, University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center’ epidemiology program

Loïc Le Marchand has contributed significantly to the field of cancer epidemiology and was one of the first epidemiologists to study the role of genes and the environment on cancer incidence. His work has been nationally and internationally recognized. He was a member of the 2015 International Agency for Research in Cancer committee that reviewed evidence for processed meat as a carcinogen, and was recognized on the 2015 Thomson Reuters’ World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds and Highly Cited Researchers list. Extremely successful at obtaining grant support, he brings in several millions of dollars to the university annually. He always strives to build a research environment that fosters the training of new scientists.

Kristin Pauker

Assistant professor, UH Mānoa, College of Social Sciences’ psychology department

Kristin Pauker is described by a nominator as a young scholar whose thoughtful and careful research has contributed to developmental science with an impressive scope and breadth. She is making significant contributions to developmental and social psychology in the areas of intergroup attitudes, racial bias, interracial anxiety and essentialist beliefs. Using cutting-edge methodology, her research particularly focuses on the timely and important topic of racial prejudice. Since joining UH Mānoa in fall 2011, Pauker has published 12 peer-reviewed journal articles and a book chapter, with four manuscripts currently under review and a number under preparation. She has also been successful in obtaining federal funding to support her scholarly works.

Get more information, including a list of past honorees.

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