The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced the 2025 class of MacArthur Fellows, celebrating 22 exceptional individuals whose creativity and vision are shaping the future of art, science, and society. Each winner will receive $800,000, paid over five years, with no conditions attached — a hallmark of what’s widely known as the “Genius Grant.”
Since its creation in 1981, the fellowship has honored more than 1,100 people, recognizing innovation across every imaginable discipline — from medicine and technology to literature and community activism.
Celebrating Creativity Across Disciplines
This year’s honorees include artists, scientists, writers, educators, and social leaders. Each of them has made a distinct mark in their field, often working quietly for years before receiving the call that changed their lives.
Among the 2025 recipients are:
- Heather Christian, a composer and playwright known for blending spirituality and musical theater.
- Toby Kiers, an evolutionary biologist studying the hidden networks of fungi beneath the Earth’s surface.
- Tonika Lewis Johnson, a Chicago-based photographer exploring racial and spatial inequality through her acclaimed Folded Map Project.
- Hahrie Han, a political scientist whose research focuses on civic engagement and grassroots movements.
The MacArthur Foundation praised the new fellows for “expanding the boundaries of knowledge, artistry, and human understanding.”
A Life-Changing Call
Recipients do not apply for the fellowship — they are chosen through an anonymous nomination process and informed by phone, often in complete surprise.
For political scientist Hahrie Han, the call was so unexpected that she described herself as “flabbergasted.” Photographer Tonika Lewis Johnson had to pull her car over when she received the news. And for Toby Kiers, who studies underground fungal networks, the recognition was “like magic,” she said, adding that her research team calls themselves “subterranean astronauts.”
Innovation Rooted in Humanity
The work of these fellows reflects a powerful connection between innovation and community.
- Johnson’s photography highlights systemic segregation and social divides in Chicago.
- Christian’s music explores time and spirituality through the lens of human experience.
- Han’s studies have deepened understanding of how civic participation can transform faith communities and political life.
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Kiers’ pioneering research, meanwhile, focuses on mapping and protecting the global underground fungal web, a vital part of Earth’s ecosystem.
Full List of 2025 Fellows
The 2025 MacArthur Fellows include:
Ángel F. Adames-Corraliza, Matt Black, Garrett Bradley, Nabarun Dasgupta, Kristina Douglass, Kareem El-Badry, Jeremy Frey, Ieva Jusionyte, Jason McLellan, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Tommy Orange, Margaret Wickens Pearce, Sébastien Philippe, Gala Porras-Kim, Teresa Puthussery, Craig Taborn, William Tarpeh, and Lauren K. Williams — alongside Christian, Han, Johnson, and Kiers.
Each of these innovators brings a unique perspective that reflects the fellowship’s founding mission: to give creative people the freedom to pursue ideas that can change the world.