Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research
Research Medal Award Winner
Ruth D. Gates
Marine Biology
Ruth Gates is a researcher with the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Gates capitalizes on the combination of close proximity to living coral reefs and world-class research infrastructure to address questions on how corals and reefs function. Her work crosses spatial scales and molecules to ecosystems—it employs tools from the fields of molecular, cell and computational biology, biochemistry, physiology and ecology. Her goal is to build human, biological and educational capacity to slow and stop declines in reef integrity, and to improve the prognosis for coral reefs in the face of intensifying impacts from climate change and human use.
She mentors postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and undergraduates, and works with a diversity of national and international collaborators that encompass biologists, engineers, writers and artists.
Research Medal Award Winner
Ruth D. Gates
Marine Biology
Ruth Gates is a researcher with the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Gates capitalizes on the combination of close proximity to living coral reefs and world-class research infrastructure to address questions on how corals and reefs function. Her work crosses spatial scales and molecules to ecosystems—it employs tools from the fields of molecular, cell and computational biology, biochemistry, physiology and ecology. Her goal is to build human, biological and educational capacity to slow and stop declines in reef integrity, and to improve the prognosis for coral reefs in the face of intensifying impacts from climate change and human use.
She mentors postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and undergraduates, and works with a diversity of national and international collaborators that encompass biologists, engineers, writers and artists.
The Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research is awarded by the in recognition of scholarly contributions that expand the boundaries of knowledge and enrich the lives of students and the community.
Please contact your Campus Chancellor's Office for more information on the application process.
Current Winners
Go to for stories on the latest honorees.
1965-2015 Honorees
2012–2015 | 2011–2007 | 2006–2002 | 2001–1965