9 UCI researchers named AAAS fellows
Honor is conferred for distinguished contributions to their fields
Irvine, Calif., Nov. 21, 2016 — Nine University of California, Irvine researchers in areas ranging from anthropology and psychology to computer science and biology have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society.
A total of 391 AAAS members are being honored this year for their efforts to further science or its applications. New fellows will receive an official certificate and a gold-and-blue rosette pin on Feb. 18, 2017, at the organization’s annual meeting in Boston.
“The AAAS plays an important role with the advancement of scientific research, education and outreach in the U.S.,” said Pramod Khargonekar, UCI vice chancellor for research. “These brilliant scientists – who represent a broad spectrum of academic pursuits – personify UCI’s research innovation and excellence, and we are proud of their achievements.”
The new fellows will be formally announced Nov. 25 in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science. Those from UCI are:
Tom Boellstorff Steve Zylius / UCI
- Tom Boellstorff, professor of anthropology, for significant contributions in research via cross-cultural studies of gender/sexuality and the mediation of identities through digital media, along with service to the profession of anthropology
- Jonathan Feng, professor of physics & astronomy, for leadership in theoretical physics and cosmology, particularly in elucidating the nature of dark matter, and for communicating the excitement of particle physics to a broad audience
- David Fruman, professor of molecular biology & biochemistry, for distinguished contributions in biology, especially for studies of signaling transduction from phosphoinositide 3-kinase and its role in normal cell development and disease
- Ramesh Jain, Donald Bren Professor of Computer Science, for notable additions to the fields of computer vision, multimedia information management and experiential computing, resulting in transforming the multimedia community with several successes in innovation and entrepreneurship
- Elizabeth Loftus, Distinguished Professor of psychology & social behavior and criminology, law & society, for significant contributions to social psychology, particularly human memory and its application to legal proceedings, and for dedicated service to AAAS on its board of directors
- William Maurer, dean of the School of Social Sciences, for noteworthy advances in the fields of law and economic anthropology, specifically in banking and the meaning of money in different cultures
- Hal Stern, Ted & Janice Smith Family Foundation Dean of the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences, for high-impact contributions to statistical methodology and important applications, for the development and application of Bayesian methods, and for national service and university administration
- Sheryl Tsai, professor of molecular biology & biochemistry, for distinguished work in chemistry and biology, particularly regarding the structure and function of metabolic enzymes
- Gene Tsudik, Chancellor’s Professor of computer science, for contributions to internet security and privacy
With this year’s class, UCI has 150 AAAS fellows.
About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.
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About the American Association for the Advancement of Science: AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of Science (www.sciencemag.org) – which has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal – as well as Science Translational Medicine, Science Signaling, Science Advances, Science Immunology and Science Robotics. Founded in 1848, the nonprofit AAAS (www.aaas.org) encompasses nearly 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. It is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement and more. For the latest research news, log on to EurekAlert! (www.eurekalert.org), a service of AAAS.