In 2020, Calakos was appointed the Lincoln Financial Group Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology. She was also elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for "pioneering work in optogenetic approaches, and substantial contributions in the area of synaptic plasticity with a focus on striatal circuity of the basal ganglia." Two years later, she was also named a National Academy of Medicine for her role as a clinician, scientist, and mentor in the field of movement disorders.
