The MacArthur Fellowship, commonly referred to as the “Genius Grant,” was awarded this year to Moriba Jah, a UT associate professor of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics.

Jah is one of 25 individuals chosen to receive $800,000 over the next five years. The grant is a “no strings attached” reward used as an “investment in a person’s originality, insight and potential,” according to the MacArthur Foundation. He received the grant on account of his research on space environmentalism, and more specifically, his work toward monitoring space pollution, informing the public about it and holding those responsible accountable. 

“My dharma is really centered on the belief that all things are interconnected and that humanity’s wicked problems can only be solved by facing stewardship and having a successful conversation with our environment,” Jah said. “Because that is my soul’s purpose, kind of thing, … I’m coming at this through a lens of space environmentalism, and I want environmentalism to become mainstream across humanity, and I want to recruit empathy from humanity to solve this problem.”

Jah said he wants to show an “interconnectedness to humanity” and keep people from feeling independent from issues like climate change.

“What I want to show people is that true independence doesn’t exist,” Jah said. “While there are consequences of actions that are occurring around the globe that we may escape in our lifetime, the people that we care about and love … will not escape it. Eventually, the consequences will be suffered by people down the line.” 

Jah, who will begin teaching at MIT in January as a Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professor,  hopes to increase awareness of space environmentalism through artistic mediums such as music.

“One of the people in the (MIT) cohort with me is rapper Lupe Fiasco. … I’m going to try to see if he and I can write a rap song about space, environmentalism and debris,” Jah said. “I’m trying to make a pitch for a TV show. … The only way through this isn’t just through the hard sciences, but (also) through the arts, because that’s really what can connect with people.”

Jah said that he “hasn’t fully accepted” that he received this grant, and hopes that one day he will be able to revel in the honor. Jah plans to use the grant to make environmentalism more mainstream across humanity.