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Fourteen Emory faculty named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
collage of new Emory University AAAS Fellows

A record number of Emory faculty have been elected to the newest class of AAAS Fellows in recognition of outstanding efforts to advance science. They are (top row, L-R) R. Paul Johnson, Nadine J. Kaslow, Carlos A. del Rio, Neel R. Gandhi and Robert C. Liu; (middle row, L-R) Ighovwerha Ofotokun, Eric Anthony Ortlund, Deborah Bruner and Suresh S. Ramalingam; (bottom row, L-R) Lance A. Waller, Ravi Thadhani, Anthony J. Martin, Thomas R. Gillespie and K M Venkat Narayan.

Fourteen members of the Emory faculty have been named by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) as Class of 2025 Fellows. The AAAS, publisher of the Science family of journals, announced the new class on March 26, 2026.

AAAS selects Fellows for their outstanding efforts in the advancement of science based on research, teaching, administration and technology, as well as communicating and interpreting science to the public. Becoming an AAAS Fellow is considered a lifetime honor. In addition to advancing research, Fellows play a crucial role in shaping public policy and influencing national and global perspectives on critical issues.

Emory’s new fellows join a distinguished list of AAAS fellows going back to 1874, including Thomas Edison, W. E. B. DuBois, retired astronaut Ellen Ochoa, former Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and actor and science communicator Alan Alda.


The following Emory faculty were selected as 2025 AAAS Fellows:


Deborah Bruner, Professor and Robert W. Woodruff Chair in Nursing, Professor of Radiation Oncology

For numerous seminal contributions to practice-changing cancer clinical trials and national leadership in cancer-related research


Carlos A. del Rio, H. Cliff Sauls Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Chair, Department of Medicine

For describing the HIV care cascade and conducting studies that have led to the incorporation of HIV testing into care and improved linkage for persons with HIV


Neel R. Gandhi, Professor of Epidemiology, Global Health and Medicine (Infectious Diseases); Co-Director of the Emory/Georgia Tuberculosis Research Advancement Center

For distinguished contributions to the field of infectious disease epidemiology, particularly for characterizing the impact of drug resistance, transmission and HIV co-infection on the global tuberculosis epidemic


Thomas R. Gillespie, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental Sciences

For significantly advancing our understanding of zoonotic diseases and their connections to biodiversity, and influencing global health, conservation, and policy initiatives


R. Paul Johnson, Director, Emory National Primate Research Center; Professor of Medicine

For seminal contributions to understanding the immune response to HIV, and for national leadership in institutions that have pioneered AIDS-related research and research modeling other human diseases


Nadine J. Kaslow, Professor and Vice Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Chief Psychologist, Grady Health System

For distinguished leadership positions in multiple major psychology organizations, research that advances culturally responsive interventions for suicide and family violence, and for translating psychological science to the public


Robert C. Liu, Professor of Biology; Associate Director, Center for Mind, Brain & Culture

For establishing a computational neuroethological framework in rodents, revealing experience-dependent neuroplasticity in the sensory and social brain after natural social interactions during motherhood and pair bonding


Anthony J. Martin, Professor of Practice of Environmental Sciences 

For exceptional contributions to the fields of paleontology and ichnology, and for public engagement in those fields, as exemplified by his popular-science books


K M Venkat Narayan, Executive Director, Emory Global Diabetes Research Center; Ruth and OC Hubert Chair of Global Health; Professor of Endocrinology and Epidemiology

For substantial, multidisciplinary work in diabetes and noncommunicable diseases (NCD) epidemiology, pathophysiology, trials, translation research and public health


Ighovwerha Ofotokun, Professor Emeritus of Medicine

For distinguished contributions to the field of HIV medicine, enhancing knowledge of post-infection sequelae and age-related end-organ damage biology and burden


Eric Anthony Ortlund, Professor and Vice Chair of Biochemistry; Scientific Director of the Emory Integrated Metabolomics and Lipidomics Core 
 

For generating deep insight into how lipids and hormones allosterically regulate nuclear receptors and enzymes, and for pioneering studies to understand the evolution of new function within proteins


Suresh S. Ramalingam, Executive Director, Winship Cancer Institute; Roberto C. Goizueta Chair for Cancer Research; Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology

For research on immune checkpoint inhibitors and EGFR mutation that have resulted in new standards of care for lung cancer and have yielded novel biological insights


Ravi Thadhani, Adjunct Professor of Medicine (also affiliated with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center)

For groundbreaking research in the pathogenesis and therapy of preeclampsia, a leading cause of maternal mortality, and transformational leadership in academic medicine


Lance A. Waller,  Professor of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics; Professor of Population Biology, Evolution and Ecology 

For transformative contributions to statistical science and public policy, leadership in the broader scientific enterprise, and methodological innovations with real-world impact


The new Fellows will receive an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin (representing science and engineering, respectively) to commemorate their election, which will be celebrated at a forum in Washington, D.C. on May 29, 2026.


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