Five Duke University Professors Elected to National Academy of Sciences: Pioneering Research and Insights from the Prestigious Institution

Recently, five esteemed faculty members from Duke University have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). This honor recognizes their exceptional and ongoing contributions to original research. Along with 120 new members and 24 new international members, these Duke professors have been acknowledged for their remarkable work.

John Aldrich, a Pfizer Inc./Edmund T. Pratt Jr. University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Political Science, specializes in American politics and elections. He focuses his scholarship on understanding the complexities of political systems and their impact on society. Meanwhile, David Beratan, the R.J. Reynolds Professor of Chemistry at Duke, is also a professor of biochemistry and physics, developing theoretical approaches to better understand complex molecular and macromolecular systems.

Richard Mooney, the George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor for Research in Neurobiology at Duke University, studies songbirds to gain insight into the neural mechanisms that guide learning, behavior, and perception. Tai-ping Sun is a professor of biology at Duke who uses Arabidopsis as a model plant to explore the regulation of plant growth and development. Jenny Tung is a professor of evolutionary anthropology and biology at Duke who has also been named a MacArthur Fellow in 2019 due to her long-term study on social determinants of health using baboons in Kenya. She has made significant contributions to our understanding of how genetics shape behavior across different species.

The National Academy of Sciences is a prestigious private, nonprofit institution established under President Abraham Lincoln’s charter signed in 1863. It grants membership based on scientific achievements that provide valuable science policy advice to federal government agencies and other organizations alongside its sister institutions: The National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine.

In conclusion, these distinguished faculty members from Duke University have earned recognition for their outstanding contributions to original research by being elected into one of the most prestigious scientific institutions worldwide – The National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Their work continues to inspire future generations within their respective fields while providing valuable insights into various aspects of science, engineering