Prestigious Honorary Societies

Current Faculty and recent Faculty Emeriti

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1780, during the American Revolution, to gather knowledge and to advance learning for the public good.  Since its inception, more than 14,500 members have been elected to the Academy.  The AAAS is both an honorary society that recognizes the excellence of its members and an independent research center that brings together leaders from across disciplines, professions, and perspectives to address significant challenges to society.

Membership is a prized honor, and only current members may submit nominations, vote for candidates, and serve on selection panels.  Members are experts and leaders from the full range of disciplines and professions related to the arts and sciences, as well as from business, government, public affairs, and philanthropy.  Among the Academy's members are more than 250 Nobel laureates and 60 Pulitzer Prize winners.

Purdue faculty and administrators elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences:

Year Name Primary Unit
2024 Mung Chiang President and Roscoe H. George Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
2022 Laura J. Pyrak-Nolte Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy
2020 Eugene H. Spafford Professor of Computer Science and Executive Director Emeritus of the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance (CERIAS)
2019 Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. President Emeritus
2017 Kathleen C. Howell Hsu Lo Distinguished Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics
2015 Enrique Iglesia Michel Boudart Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering
2013 Rakesh Agrawal Winthrop E. Stone Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering
2011 Leah H. Jamieson Ransburg Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
2010 Graham Cooks Henry B. Hass Distinguished Professor of Chemistry
2010 Freydoon Shahidi Distinguished Professor of Mathematics
2004 Arden L. Bement David A. Ross Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Nuclear Engineering

Members are elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Membership is a widely accepted mark of excellence in science and is considered one of the highest honors that a scientist can receive. Current NAS membership totals approximately 2,400 members and nearly 500 international associates, of whom approximately 190 have received Nobel prizes. Nominations for membership occur throughout the year, culminating in a final ballot at the NAS's annual meeting in April.

Purdue faculty elected to the National Academy of Sciences:

Year Name Primary Unit
2024 Supriyo Datta Electrical and Computer Engineering
2022 Clint Chapple Biochemistry
2019 Christopher H. Greene Physics and Astronomy
2015 Robert Graham Cooks Chemistry

Election to National Academy of Engineering (NAE) membership is one of the highest professional honors an engineer can receive. Members have distinguished themselves in business, in technical positions, as university faculty, and as leaders in government and private engineering organizations. Members are nominated and elected to NAE membership by their peers (current NAE members). Those selected are inducted into the NAE at the annual meeting every fall. 

Purdue faculty elected to the National Academy of Engineering:

Year Name Primary Unit
2023 John W. Sutherland Environmental and Ecological Engineering
2021 Santokh Badesha Electrical and Computer Engineering
2021 Laura J. Pyrak-Nolte Physics and Astronomy
2020 Stephan R. Biller Industrial Engineering/Management
2018 Ajay P. Malshe Mechanical Engineering
2017 Kathleen Howell Aeronautics and Astronautics
2014 Jan P. Allebach Electrical and Computer Engineering
2013 Weng C. Chew Electrical and Computer Engineering
2012 Supriyo Datta Electrical and Computer Engineering
2009 Mark Lundstrom Electrical and Computer Engineering
2009 Doraiswami Ramkrishna Chemical Engineering
2008 Enrique Iglesia Chemical Engineering
2008 Kumares C. Sinha Civil Engineering
2007 Gintaras V. Reklaitis Chemical Engineering
2006 Rakesh Agrawal Chemical Engineering
2005 Leah H. Jamieson Electrical and Computer Engineering
2001 Sangtae Kim Chemical Engineering
1999 Michael R. Ladisch Agricultural and Biological Engineering
1994 Jeffrey J. Siirola Chemical Engineering
1987 R. Byron Pipes Materials Engineering

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), established in 1970 under the name Institute of Medicine, is an independent organization comprised of eminent professionals from health and medicine, as well as related fields in the natural, social, and behavioral sciences. Through its domestic and global initiatives, the NAM works to address critical issues in health, medicine, and related policy. The NAM currently has more than 2,400 members. The annual nomination cycle begins on November 1 and closes on February 1 (only current NAM members can forward nominations for new members); election of new members takes place in late summer with new members announced in conjunction with the NAM annual meeting in October.

Purdue faculty elected to the National Academy of Medicine:

Year Name Primary Unit
2010 Connie M. Weaver Nutrition Science

The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) recognizes academic inventors who have created or facilitated outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.  The inaugural class of Fellows was announced in 2012.  Currently the NAI has more than 1,700 Fellows worldwide, representing more than 300 prestigious universities and governmental and nonprofit research institutes. Nominations for new Fellows are typically open from May to July each year; then they are reviewed by the NAI Fellows Advisory and Selection Committees, and new fellows are officially announced in December each year.

Purdue faculty elected to the National Academy of Inventors:

Year Name Primary Unit
2023 Ernesto Marinero Materials Engineering
2023 David Love Electrical and Computer Engineering
2023 Masanobu Yamamoto Basic Medical Sciences
2022 Amy R. Reibman Electrical and Computer Engineering
2022 J. Paul Robinson Veterinary Medicine
2021 Santokh Badesha Electrical and Computer Engineering
2021 Ajay P. Malshe Mechanical Engineering
2021 Nien-Hwa Linda Wang Chemical Engineering
2020 Mung Chiang Electrical and Computer Engineering
2020 Haiyan Wang Materials Engineering
2020 Alexandra Boltasseva Electrical and Computer Engineering
2019 Jessica E. Huber Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
2019 Jules Janick Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
2018 Mark S. Cushman Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
2015 Charles A. Bouman Electrical and Computer Engineering
2015 Sherry L. Harbin Biomedical Engineering
2014 Robert Graham Cooks Chemistry
2014 Philip S. Low Chemistry
2014 Jan P. Allebach Electrical and Computer Engineering
2013 Michael R. Ladisch Agricultural and Biological Engineering
2013 Rakesh Agrawal Chemical Engineering

In 1874, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) began selecting Fellows—individuals who have made significant contributions to research; teaching; technology; services to professional societies; administration in academe, industry, and government; and communicating and interpreting science to the public. Fellows are elected annually by the AAAS Council from a list of approved nominations from the section steering groups.

View the list of Purdue faculty who are active AAAS Fellows.

In accordance with Purdue policies, all persons have equal access to Purdue University’s educational programs, services and activities, without regard to race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, genetic information, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability or status as a veteran. See Purdue's Nondiscrimination Policy Statement. If you have any questions or concerns regarding these policies, please contact the Office of the Vice President for Ethics and Compliance at vpec@purdue.edu or 765-494-5830.


Purdue University, 610 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, IN 47907, (765) 494-4600

© 2023-2024 Purdue University | An equal access/equal opportunity university | Copyright Complaints | Maintained by Office of the Provost

Trouble with this page? Disability-related accessibility issue? Please contact Office of The Provost at purdueprovost@purdue.edu.