Becca Price, 2026 Distinguished Contributions to Lifelong Learning Award

Each year, the University of Washington recognizes members of our community whose work helps make our campuses stronger, more connected, and more compassionate through the Awards of Excellence.

Among this year’s honorees is Dr. Becca Price, recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Contributions to Lifelong Learning Award. The award recognizes Price’s sustained and deeply principled commitment to teaching, mentorship, and inclusive learning. Through programs such as STEP-WISE/STEP-UP and Future Faculty, Price has mentored postdoctoral scholars, undergraduate students, and early-career educators across disciplines at the University of Washington and affiliated research institutions, including the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center—helping learners grow, reflect, and thrive in academic, research, and public service careers.

For Price, lifelong learning extends far beyond formal education. “I love being a professor—and getting older—because I am always learning,” she shared.

Price credits colleagues across the UW Bothell’s School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences and the broader UW community with shaping her understanding of inclusive teaching and justice-centered education, values that play a central role in her work. Reflecting on her approach to mentorship, Price emphasized the importance of helping students and postdoctoral scholars remain open to discovery, both within their own disciplines and across others.