Nov 26, 2019

Dear colleagues,

On behalf of Chancellor Gillman, we are pleased to congratulate nine UCI researchers who have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It is my honor to recognize these exceptional scholars for their accomplishments, which have significantly contributed to a broad range of fields, from pediatric neurology and chemistry to labor economics and library sciences. With this year’s cohort, UCI now has 176 AAAS fellows.

Below are the new fellows from UCI and the AAAS citation for each:

  • Tallie Z. Baram, the Danette Shepard Chair in Neurological Sciences and Director of the Conte Center at UCI, for distinguished contributions to the understanding of childhood and febrile seizures as well as early life adversity on brain development and their enduring consequences
  • Michael Franz, Chancellor’s Professor of Computer Science and Director of the UCI Secure Systems and Software Laboratory, for distinguished contributions to computer science, particularly to the areas of just-in-time compilation and optimization and techniques for computer security
  • Julia M. Gelfand, a Distinguished Research Librarian for Applied Sciences and Engineering, for significant and distinguished contributions to professional societies, advancements to the study of scientific publishing and grey literature, and service as a distinguished science librarian
  • John S. Lowengrub, Chancellor’s Professor of Mathematics and Biomedical Engineering, for his distinguished research accomplishments in mathematical biology
  • David Neumark, Distinguished Professor of Economics, for prominent contributions to the field of labor economics, econometrics and field-based experiments
  • Eric Rignot, Donald Bren Professor and Chancellor’s Professor of Earth System Science, for innovations in detecting glacier changes leading to the first continent-wide assessment of mass balance for Antarctica and Greenland using remote sensing methods
  • Zuzanna Siwy, Professor of Physics & Astronomy, Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering, for distinguished contributions to the chemistry and physics of synthetic nanopores as templates for biomimetic channels, as well as ionic diodes and ionic transistors
  • David Van Vranken, Professor of Chemistry and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education, a respected leader in chemical reactivity and mechanisms in the areas of biology, chemical catalysis and organic synthesis
  • Marcelo A. Wood, Professor and Chair of Neurobiology & Behavior, for distinguished contributions to the fields of memory and addiction, particularly for the study of mechanisms underlying neuronal function, as well as distinguished teaching

New fellows will each receive an official certificate and a gold-and-blue rosette pin at the AAAS’s annual meeting in February. Please join me in congratulating our remarkable colleagues on this outstanding achievement.

Sincerely,

Enrique J. Lavernia, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Distinguished Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering