In FY2019, our faculty researchers earned widespread recognition, from National Science Foundation Early Career Awards to invitations to join prestigious national academies to Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers. Below are just a few of our standouts.
- David Bishop, professor of electrical and computer engineering and of physics, and director of the NSF Engineering Research Center in Cellular Metamaterials, was invited to join the National Academy of Engineering. The NAE noted his decades of work in high-capacity optical switch technology. The honor comes on the heels of Bishop’s 2018 induction into the National Academy of Inventors.
- Leonid Levin, professor of computer science and expert on a range of subjects, from complex algorithms to information theory, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Membership at the NAS, which recognizes distinguished and continuing achievements in original research, is considered one of the highest honors a scientist can receive.
- Dean of the College of Engineering Kenneth R. Lutchen and Professor of Engineering John White were elected fellows of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering, an elite group of the world’s foremost biomedical engineers.
- Cara Stepp, associate professor of speech, language, and hearing sciences, and Steve Ramirez, assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences, received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the US government to outstanding young scientists and engineers who show exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology.
- In 2019, professor of English and award-winning author Xuefei Jin (GRS’94), who writes under the name Ha Jin, was named one of four new William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professorship winners, BU’s highest faculty honor. The other recipients are: Ann McKee, professor of neurology and pathology; Christopher Chen, professor of biomedical engineering and of materials science and engineering; and Michael Hasselmo, professor of psychological and brain sciences.
- James Traniello, professor of biology, was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for contributions to experimental behavioral ecology through the study of social insects like ants and termites.
- Vinod Sarin, professor of mechanical engineering and materials science engineering, was elected a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. Sarin, an expert in surface coatings as well as other areas, holds more than 80 patents.
- The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, a national organization of student affairs professionals, named Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore (Wheelock’87) a Pillar of the Profession.
- Sahar Sharifzadeh, physicist and engineering assistant professor, was named one of 11 Rising Stars of Science in the prestigious Scientific American rankings.
- Malika Jeffries-EL, associate professor of chemistry, was named an American Chemical Society fellow, an honor extended to just two percent of the ACS’ 163,000 members.