UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Six Penn State faculty members in areas ranging from neuropharmacology to computer architecture have been elected to the 2023 cohort of fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society. This year, AAAS recognized a total of 502 scientists, engineers and innovators with this lifetime honor, bestowed by their peers, for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements.
Fellows were elected in 2023 and will be honored in 2024. They will receive an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin via mail to commemorate their election and will be invited to an in-person gathering in Washington, D.C., in September to celebrate the honor. The new class is also featured in the AAAS “News & Notes” section of Science magazine this month. Fellows from Penn State are:
- Ross Hardison, T. Ming Chu Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, for contributions to the field of molecular biology, particularly for developing genomic, epigenomic and bioinformatic approaches to identify gene regulatory elements and study mechanisms controlling gene expression
- Richard Mailman, Distinguished Professor and College of Medicine Distinguished Senior Scholar, for contributions to neuropharmacology and receptor theory, particularly in developing the mechanism of receptor functional selectivity
- Vijaykrishnan Narayanan, associate dean for innovation at the College of Engineering and A. Robert Noll Chair Professor of Computer Science & Engineering and Electrical Engineering, for contributions to the field of computer architecture and design automation, particularly for power-aware systems and emerging technologies
- Christopher Scott, Maurice K. Goddard Chair in Forestry & Environmental Resource Conservation and Professor of Ecosystem Science & Management, co-hired with the Institute of Energy and the Environment, for contributions to the fields of hydrology, water resources, environmental and forest carbon policy, and for his impactful engagement in water security and the water-energy-food nexus
- Blair Siegfried, associate dean for research and graduate education and director of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station, for contributions to the field of insecticide toxicology as it relates to biochemistry and molecular genetics of resistance, environmental protection and development of novel pest control methods
- Douglas Werner, John L. and Genevieve H. McCain Chair Professor, for contributions to the field of theoretical and computational electromagnetics, particularly for scientific advancements in transformation optics, metamaterials, nanoantennas and new algorithms for numerical modeling and optimization
With over $1 billion in annual research expenditures, Penn State ranks among the top 25 U.S. research universities and is one of only two institutions in the nation accorded land-grant, sea-grant, sun-grant and space-grant status. This year’s fellows represent Penn State College of Medicine, the College of Agricultural Sciences, the College of Engineering and the Eberly College of Science.