Six Named AAAS Fellows

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Six Northwestern University faculty members have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society.

The six professors were nominated for meritorious efforts to advance science or its applications. New fellows will be honored Feb. 16 at the 2013 AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston.

The faculty members are:

Michael J. Bedzyk, professor of materials science and engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. He was chosen for innovative experimental and theoretical contributions to the physics of materials, using novel synchrotron X-ray scattering and spectroscopy techniques impacting several scientific and technological fields. 

Franz M. Geiger, professor of chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. He was honored for his distinguished contributions to unraveling important yet previously unidentified molecular aspects of environmental interfaces, including atmospheric aerosols and geochemical surfaces, using non-linear, laser-based spectroscopy.

Mercouri G. Kanatzidis, the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. He was honored for the development of innovative syntheses for materials discovery and the creation of high-performance thermoelectric materials through the concept of nanostructuring. 

Luís A. Nunes Amaral, professor of chemical and biological engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. He was selected for distinguished contributions to the theoretical and computational study of complex systems, particularly for the development of a cartographic framework for characterizing large networks. 

Ajit C. Tamhane, professor of industrial engineering and management sciences in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. He was honored for excellence in statistical research; for substantive collaboration in the chemical engineering discipline; for excellence in communicating statistical science; and for broad administrative accomplishments. 

John M. Torkelson, the Walter P. Murphy Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. He was chosen for outstanding contributions to the field of polymer science and engineering and for formulating core principles underlying dynamics in confined polymer systems and nanoparticle-polymer interactions. 

AAAS is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world. It publishes the journal Science, as well as newsletters, books and reports. In 2012, AAAS elected 702 of its members as fellows.