PhD candidate Akshan deAlwis was among this year's recipients of the award after being nominated by the department and successfully delivering a 3-minute presentation on his work. The Dean's Award is intended to distinguish students as among the top 5% of all graduate students educated and trained in their respective department or program. In honor of his achievement, deAlwis received a monetary award and a certificate of recognition. 

DeAlwis specializes in epistemology and philosophy of cognitive science. His research examines the nature of reasons and reasoning in humans, animals, and machines. His work has appeared in the Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Mind & Language, and The Oxford Handbook of the Cognitive Science of Belief.