Sixteen researchers affiliated with the University of California were elected to the National Academy of Sciences during its annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in recognition of their achievements in scientific and engineering research.
The 16 UC researchers were among 72 new members and 18 foreign associates from 13 countries elected at the academy's 141st annual meeting. No other institution in the country had more then four new member and no other institution in the world had more then five new members.
Membership in the National Academy of Sciences is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer. Total active NAS membership is 1,949 – with this latest election, there are now 345 researchers affiliated with the University of California who are members.
“Membership in the National Academy of Sciences is a tremendous honor,” said UC President Robert C. Dynes, who himself has been an NAS member since 1989. “The university's strong membership in the National Academies is a testament to the outstanding research that is being conducted at UC.
“The election of these UC researchers underscores the quality, diversity and breadth of their work, which is crucial to the economic growth, health and global competitiveness of both California and the nation.”
The newly elected University of California members are:
- Armand Paul Alivisatos, Chancellor's Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science, UC Berkeley.
- Phillip Colella, senior staff mathematician and group leader, Applied Numerical Algorithms Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA.
- Shaun R. Coughlin, professor of medicine and director, Cardiovascular Research Institute, UC San Francisco.
- Andrea M. Ghez, professor of physics and astronomy, UCLA.
- Jacob N. Israelachvili, professor, department of chemical engineering, UC Santa Barbara.
- Raymond Jeanloz, professor in earth and planetary science and in astronomy, UC Berkeley.
- Edward G. Jones, professor of psychiatry and director, Center for Neuroscience, UC Davis.
- David Julius, professor, cellular and molecular pharmacology programs in cell biology and neuroscience, UC San Francisco.
- Elizabeth F. Loftus, distinguished professor, department of psychology and social behavior and department of criminology, law, and society, UC Irvine.
- M. Brian Maple, Bernd Matthias Professor of Physics, UC San Diego.
- Erin K. OShea, associate investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and professor and vice chair, department of biochemistry and biophysics, UC San Francisco.
- George F. Oster, professor of cell and developmental biology and of environmental science, policy and management, UC Berkeley.
- Peter H. Quail, research director, Plant Gene Expression Center, and professor of plant biology, UC Berkeley.
- Peter Walter, investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and professor and chair, department of biochemistry and biophysics, UC San Francisco.
- Tilahun D. Yilma, professor of virology and director, International Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Tropical Disease Agents, UC Davis.
- Charles S. Zuker, investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and professor of biology and of neurosciences, division of biological sciences, UC San Diego.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to the furtherance of science and its use for the general welfare. It was established in 1863 by a congressional act of incorporation, signed by President Abraham Lincoln, which calls on the academy to act as an official adviser to the federal government, upon request, in any matter of science or technology. For more information about the NAS:
