July 15, 2022
Seven UW faculty members elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences
Another beautiful day on the University of Washington’s Seattle campus.University of Washington
Seven professors at the University of Washington are among 25 new members of the Washington State Academy of Sciences, according to a July 15 announcement. Joining the academy is a recognition of “their outstanding record of scientific and technical achievement, and their willingness to work on behalf of the Academy to bring the best available science to bear on issues within the State of Washington.”
Twenty of the incoming members for 2022 were selected by current WSAS members, while the other five were chosen by virtue of recently joining one of the National Academies.
UW faculty selected by current Academy members are:
- Azita Emami, the Robert G. and Jean A. Reid Executive Dean of Nursing, “for pioneering research in cultural competence, conducting international collaborative research with professionals and family caregivers of older adults with dementia, advancing assessment of cultural awareness and its impact on healthcare, and supporting establishment of UW’s Center for Global Health Nursing and the first Center for Anti-Racism in Nursing.”
- Xiaosong Li, the Harry and Catherine Jaynne Boand Endowed Professor of Chemistry, co-associate chair of the Department of Chemistry, and associate vice provost for research cyberinfrastructure, “for a body of work that supercharges computational chemistry, including pioneering work in time- dependent electronic structure theory and quantum mechanical techniques,” and “for exemplary collaborative efforts, as well as leadership in developing educational pathways for underrepresented minority students in STEM.” Li is also a faculty member in the UW Clean Energy Institute and the UW Molecular & Engineering Sciences Institute.
- Jim Pfaendtner, the Steven and Connie Rogel Endowed Professor of Chemical Engineering, professor of chemistry, and chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering, “for pioneering contributions that advanced the frontiers of molecular simulation, impacting the prediction of enzyme activity in ionic liquids, peptide interactions with surfaces and molecular design.” Pfaendtner is also a faculty member in the Clean Energy Institute and the Molecular & Engineering Sciences Institute, as well as a senior data fellow with the UW eScience Institute and staff scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
- František Tureček, the Klaus and Mary Ann Saegebarth Endowed Professor of Chemistry, “for pioneering fundamental and applied studies in mass spectrometry, physical chemistry, and newborn screening” as well as “propagation of science, science education, and technical expertise contributions to startup companies in Washington state.”
- Jihui Yang, the Kyocera Professor in Materials Science & Engineering and vice dean of the College of Engineering, “for pioneering contribution to the discovery of new thermoelectric and energy storage materials for clean energy, and for exceptional leadership to promote interdisciplinary collaboration among academia, industry, and national laboratories for creating transformational and sustainable impact for Washington.” Yang is also a faculty member in the Clean Energy Institute and the Molecular & Engineering Sciences Institute.
- Dr. Xiaoming Yang, professor of radiology and director of the UW Medicine Image-Guided Bio-Molecular Intervention Laboratory, “for work as an internationally prominent physician-scientist in the field of image-guided minimally invasive interventional therapies” and “for pioneering contributions and outstanding achievements in developing innovative and cutting-edge medical imaging and interventional radiology for effective management of life-threatening diseases, such as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and cancer.”
In addition, Dr. Jay Shendure, UW professor of genome sciences, investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and faculty member in the Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute, was selected by virtue of his election to the National Academy of Sciences “for pioneering a variety of genome sequencing and analysis methods, including exome sequencing and its earliest applications to gene discovery for Mendelian disorders and autism; cell-free DNA diagnostics for cancer and reproductive medicine; massively parallel reporter assays; saturation genome editing; whole organism lineage tracing; and massively parallel molecular profiling of single cells.”
New members to the Washington State Academy of Sciences will be formally inducted in September.
Tag(s): Azita Emami • Clean Energy Institute • College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • Department of Chemical Engineering • Department of Chemistry • Department of Genome Sciences • Department of Materials Science & Engineering • Department of Radiology • eScience Institute • František Tureček • Jay Shendure • Jihui Yang • Jim Pfaendtner • Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute • School of Medicine • School of Nursing • Washington State Academy of Sciences • Xiaoming Yang • Xiaosong Li
