Seven University of California, Irvine researchers in areas ranging from engineering and chemistry to sociology and anthropology have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society. 

A total of 416 AAAS members are being honored this year for their efforts to further science or its applications. New fellows will each receive an official certificate and a gold-and-blue rosette pin on Feb. 16, 2019, at the organization’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

The honorees were formally announced Nov. 27 in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science. Those from social sciences are:

• Carter Butts (pictured top), professor of sociology, for distinguished contributions to the modeling of relational structure and dynamics, in humans and nonhumans, alone and in groups, using mathematical, computational and statistical approaches.
• Leo Chavez (pictured bottom), professor of anthropology, for distinguished contributions to the field of medical anthropology, human migration, and applied and public policy anthropology, particularly in regards to Mexican-origin populations of the United States.

UCI's other recipients are:

• John Chaput, professor of pharmaceutical sciences, for distinguished contributions to the field of chemical biology, particularly for the development of engineered polymerases that enable the evolution of artificial genetic polymers.
• Fillmore Freeman, professor of chemistry, for distinguished contributions to the fields of computational quantum chemistry, heteroatom chemistry, oxidation chemistry and reaction mechanisms.
• Pramod Khargonekar, vice chancellor for research and distinguished professor of electrical engineering & computer science, for contributions to systems and control theory, applications to manufacturing and energy, and leadership in engineering research, education and innovation.
• Stephen White, professor emeritus of physiology & biophysics, for distinguished contributions to the understanding of cell membrane biophysics, particularly the structure of membranes, lipid bilayers and membrane proteins.
• Zachary Fisk, professor emeritus in physics & astronomy, for pioneering scientific discoveries regarding the magnetic and transport properties of important magnetic and superconducting materials, including heavy fermion compounds and high-temperature superconducting cuprates.

With this year’s class, UCI has 167 AAAS fellows.

-Tom Vasich, UC Irvine