The College of Arts & Sciences’ 2026 Dean’s Medalists have been busy. During their time at the UW, they have co-authored official reports on homelessness, presented humanities research at conferences, published in academic journals, designed gallery exhibitions, explored the far reaches of the universe, and mentored their peers — all while maintaining stellar grades.
Selected from nominations submitted by faculty, the Dean’s Medal honors one graduating senior from each of the College’s four divisions — Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.
Dean’s Medalist in the Social Sciences includes incoming Graduate Student Yuanxi Li
In her coursework and research, Yuanxi Li found connections between her two majors, sociology and informatics. She has participated in multiple research projects addressing societal issues, including cyberbullying, gender bias, homelessness, and vaccine hesitancy, and is co-author on five research papers currently under review for publication, in fields ranging from sociology to human-computer interaction.
“What most distinguishes Yuanxi is not simply her academic record but the thoughtful way she approaches learning and scholarship,” says Audrey Dorélien, associate professor of sociology. “She is motivated by the deeper pursuit of knowledge and the challenge of getting it right.”
Li received a Mary Gates Research Scholarship for a project focused on the cyberbullying of transgender teens nearing adulthood. When she presented her findings at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium, she received a Population Health Recognition Award for innovation and excellence in population health research. After the symposium, Li continued that research, asking professors Rosalind Kichler (Sociology) and Lindah Kotut (Information School) to join her as co-authors. Both enthusiastically accepted.
“I have had a handful of undergraduate students ask about publishing their research,” says Kichler, “but I had never been invited by an undergraduate student to be a co-author on their already developed project!”