Record-Setting Class of AAAS Fellows Named

Ten NC State faculty members have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest scientific society and publisher of the journal Science.

This is the largest class of AAAS fellows elected from NC State since the university was founded in 1887. AAAS has been awarding fellowships since 1874.

Here are the fellows as they were cited by AAAS:

• Ruben Carbonell, the Frank Hawkins Kenan Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering, for distinguished contributions to the field of chemical and biomolecular engineering, particularly innovations in multiphase reactor design, high-pressure thin-film coating and novel bioseparation processes.
• Phil Castellano, Goodnight Innovation Distinguished Chair in the Department of Chemistry and co-director of the Organic and Carbon Electronics Cluster, for distinguished contributions to the fields of solar energy conversion, photochemistry and photophysics, particularly for developing photochemical upconversion and strategies for manipulating excited state behavior.
• Elizabeth Dickey, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and co-director of the Center for Dielectrics and Piezoelectrics, for distinguished contributions to materials engineering research and education, particularly for the utilization of electron microscopy techniques for quantifying atomic- to micrometer-scale structure of materials.
• Peter Fedkiw, Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor and Head of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, for distinguished contributions to electrochemical engineering, including electrochemical-based mass transfer separation processes, optimal control of electrochemical reactors and composite electrolytes for rechargeable lithium batteries.
• Lewis Owen, professor and head of the Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, for distinguished contributions to the field of quaternary paleoenvironmental change and landscape evolution in tectonically active regions.
• Jean Ristaino, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology and director of the Emerging Plant Disease and Global Food Security Cluster, for distinguished contributions to the science of plant pathology, particularly the population biology of historic plant disease outbreaks.
• Munindar Singh, Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor in the Department of Computer Science, for distinguished contributions to the field of computer science, particularly to foundations of multiagent systems and their applications in service-oriented computing, sociotechnical systems, and governance.
• Brian Space, professor of chemistry, for distinguished contributions in theoretical chemistry including insights into interfaces and porous materials, particularly developing theories of nonlinear spectroscopy and force fields in complex systems.
• Paul Turinsky, professor emeritus of nuclear engineering, for distinguished contributions to nuclear engineering, particularly the development of simulation technology for the safety, economic operation and life extension of nuclear power facilities.
• Cliff Wang, adjunct professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, for distinguished contributions to the field of science of security, and outstanding leadership in national research and transforming results into high impact cyber defense capabilities.

NC State has the second-highest number of AAAS fellows of any university this year. Ohio State and the University of California, Davis, tied for the most, with 11 each. Duke University has six new fellows, while the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has three.

Each year, the AAAS Council — the policymaking body of the society — elects members who have shown “scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.” Fellows are nominated by their peers and undergo an extensive review process.

AAAS named 489 fellows this year. They will be formally recognized in the journal Science on Nov. 27. A virtual induction ceremony will be held on Feb. 13, 2021.

If you are interested in being nominated or in nominating a colleague for election as an AAAS fellow, contact Maria Almanza, director of external faculty awards and recognition in the Office of Faculty Affairs.