The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellows are a distinguished cadre of scientists, engineers and innovators who have been recognized for their significant achievements across disciplines. These scientists run the gamut by performing cutting-edge research in their labs and classrooms; bringing scholarly distinction to academic administration, industry, and government; and championing excellence in communicating and interpreting science to the public.
In a tradition stretching back to 1874, these individuals are elected annually by the AAAS Council. Newly elected Fellows are recognized for their extraordinary achievements at the ceremonial Fellows Forum, a time-honored event at the AAAS Annual Meeting where they are presented with a certificate and blue and gold rosette.
Eligible nominees are members whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished and who have been a continuous AAAS member for at least four years leading up to the year of nomination. Fellows have included Thomas Edison, W.E.B DuBois, Maria Mitchell, Steven Chu, Ellen Ochoa and Irwin M. Jacobs.
Election as an AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor and all Fellows are expected to meet the commonly held standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity. Learn more on the AAAS website.
Michigan State University Fellows - last updated May 2025.
Christoph Adami, Professor, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Evangelyn C. Alocilja, Professor, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
Sam Austin, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Physics and Astronomy; National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory
Bruno Basso, MSU Research Foundation Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, W. K. Kellogg Biological Station and AgBioResearch
Christoph Benning, University Distinguished Professor, MSU Research Foundation Professor Director, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, DOE-MSU Plant Research Laboratory
John Besley, Ellis N. Brandt Professor of Public Relations, Department of Advertising and Public Relations
Federica Brandizzi, MSU Research Foundation Professor, Department of Plant Biology
Marc Breedlove, Barnett Rosenberg Professor of Neuroscience, Departments of Psychology and Zoology
Zachary Burton, Professor Emeritus, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Thomas Carr, Professor, Psychology and Social Science, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
Andrea Case, Chairperson, Professor, Plant Biology, College of Natural Science
Christina Chan, Chairperson, University Distinguished Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Jiquan Chen, Professor, Landscape Ecology & Ecosystem Science
Jeffrey Conner, Professor, Department of Plant Biology
Melanie M. Cooper, Lappan-Phillips Professor of Science Education, and Professor, Department of Chemistry
Sean Crosson, Rudolph Hugh Endowed Professor, Deaprtment of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Dean DellaPenna, University Distinguished Professor and MSU Research Foundation Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; AgBioResearch
Thomas Dietz, University Distinguished Professor, Assistant Vice President for Environmental Research, Department of Sociology and Environmental Science and Policy
Jerry B. Dodgson, Professor, Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
Megan Donahue, Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Heather Douglas, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy
Diane Ebert-May, Graduate Director and University Distinguished Professor, Department of Plant Biology
Kevin Elliot, Professor, Department of Philosophy
James Steven Fairweather, Professor Emeritus, College of Education
Asgi Fazleabas, University Distinguished Professor and MSU Research Foundation Professor, Department of Obstetrics Gynecology & Reproductive Biology
Eunice F. Foster, Professor, Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences
Jefferey Freymueller, Endowed Chair for Geology of the Solid Earth, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Alexandra Gade, Professor and NSCL Chief Scientist, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Facility for Rare Isotope Beams
George Garrity, Professor, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Konrad Gelbke, University Distinguished Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy; National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory
Thomas Glasmacher, Director, Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, and University Distinguished Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Brage Golding, Professor Emeritus, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Lynne Goldstein, Professor Emeritus, Director of Campus Archaeology Program, Department of Anthropology
Jay Goodman, Professor Emeritus, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology
Erich Grotewold, Professor and Chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Nick Haddad, Professor, Department of Ecology
Lauren Harris, Professor, Department of Psychology
William Hartmann, Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Joseph (J.R.) Haywood, Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, and assistant vice president emeritus, Office of Research and Innovation
Eric Hegg, Associate Dean for Budget, Planning, Research and Administration; Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Kay Holekamp, University Distinguished Professor, Department of Zoology
Robert Hollingworth, Professor Emeritus, Department of Entomology
Gregg Howe, University Distinguished Professor and MSU Research Foundation Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; AgBioResearch, MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory
Xuefei Huang, MSU Research Foundation Professor, Department of Chemistry and institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering
Katharine Hunt, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry
Anil Jain, University Distinguished Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and Department of Electrical and Computing Engineering
Jiming Jiang, MSU Research Foundation Professor, Department of Plant Biology
A. Daniel Jones, Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and AgBioResearch
Ken Keegstra, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; AgBioResearch
Leo Charles Kempel, Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Cheryl Kerfeld, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Structural Bioengineering, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory
Joseph Krajcik, Director CREATE for STEM Institute and Lappan-Phillips Professor, Department of Teacher Education
Lee Kroos, Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Douglas Landis, University Distinguished Professor, Department of Entomology, director of MSU business operations with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
Robert L. Last, University Distinguished Professor, Barnett Rosenberg Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; AgBioResearch
Richard Lenski, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Julie Libarkin, Professor, Environmental Science and Policy Program
Jianguo “Jack” Liu, Rachel Carson Chair, Director of the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability; University Distinguished Professor of Fisheries and Wildlife; AgBioResearch
William A. Lovis Jr., Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, Curator Emeritus of Anthropology, MSU Museum
Tapabrata “Taps” Maiti, MSU Research Foundation Professor, Department of Statistics and Probability
Robert E. Maleczka, Jr., Professor, the Department of Chemistry
Laura McCabe, MSU Foundation Professor, Department of Physiology, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Associate Vice President of Research Regulatory Support, Office of Research and Innovation
Kenneth Merz, Joseph Zichis Chair, Department of Chemistry, and Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Shelagh Miller, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Beronda Montgomery, MSU Research Foundation Professor Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, faculty member in the MSU-U.S. Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory
Emilio Moran, John A. Hannah Professor, Department of Geography; Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability
Witold Nazarewicz, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor, and Chief Scientist Facility for Rare Isotope Beam
Richard Neubig, Chair, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Sue Nichols, Assistant Director, Strategic Communication, Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability
Filomena Nunes, Professor, Department of Physics and the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams
Charles Ofria, Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Thomas O'Halloran, University Research Foundation Professor, Department of Chemistry
Katherine Osteryoung, Professor, Department of Plant Biology; AgBioResearch
Donald Penner, Professor, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences; AgBioResearch
Thomas Pinnavaia, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry
Robert Pennock, Professor, Lyman Briggs College; Philosophy; Computer Science and Engineering; and Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior
Piotr Piecuch, University Distinguished Professor and MSU Research Foundation Professor, Department of Chemistry
William Porter, Boone and Crockett Professor of Wildlife Conservation, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
Gemma Reguera, Professor, Department of Microbiology, Genetics, and Immunology, and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Development in the College of Natural Science
Phil Robertson, University Distinguished Professor, Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Science; MSU Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Research Program,
Joan Rose, Homer Nolin Chair in Water Research, and Professor, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
Barbara Schneider, John A. Hannah Chair and University Distinguished Professor, Department of Education and Department of Sociology
Thomas D. Sharkey, University Distinguished Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Bradley Sherrill, Director, National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, and University Distinguished Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Shinhan Shiu, Professor of Plant Biology, Department of Plant Biology
Cheryl Sisk, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Neuroscience
James Smith, Professor Emeritus, Department of Entomology, Department of Integrative Biology, and Lyman Briggs College
Alvin Smucker, Professor, Department of Soil Biophysics; AgBioResearch
Patricia Soranno, Co-director of the Data-intensive Landscape Limnology Lab; Professor, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
William Taylor, University Distinguished Professor, Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability
Micheal Thoennessen, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Natural Science
Michael Thomashow, University Distinguished Professor and MSU Research Foundation Professor, MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory; AgBioResearch
James Tiedje, Director, Center for Microbial Ecology; University Distinguished Professor, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and Department of Crop and Soil Sciences; AgBioResearch
Mark Urban-Lurain, Associate Professor Emeritus, CREATE for STEM Institute
Mark Voit, Professor, Astrophysics and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies for the College of Natural Sciences
Jonathan D. Walton, Professor, Department of Plant Biology; MSU-DOE Plant Laboratory
Angela Wilson, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor, Department of Chemistry
Teresa K. Woodruff, President Emeritus, MSU Research Foundation Professor, Reproductive Medicine
William Wulff, Professor, Department of Chemistry
Remco Zegers, Associate Director for Experimental Nuclear Physics in the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory