Seven University of Michigan faculty members have been named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for their significant contributions in scholarly and professional fields.
Ruma Banerjee, Liliana Borcea, Aaron Dworkin, Matthew Fletcher, Sergey Fomin, Stephanie Fryberg and Ivette Perfecto are among 269 new members to join the academy’s ranks this year. They are being honored for their excellence and leadership across academia, the arts, industry, public policy and research.
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The AAAS conducts research, provides analysis and advice to policymakers, convenes scholars and experts, and promotes the understanding and appreciation of science and the arts. Membership in the academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of science and the arts.
“In its earliest days, the academy sought members who would help address issues and opportunities confronting a young nation,” said Nancy Andrews, chair of the academy’s board of directors. “We feel a similar urgency and have elected a class that brings diverse expertise to meet the pressing challenges and possibilities that America and the world face today.”
Banerjee is the Vincent Massey Collegiate Professor of Biological Chemistry and professor of biological chemistry in the Medical School, and is associate editor for Chemical Reviews and the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
She is an expert in the chemical biology of hydrogen sulfide signaling, regulation of mammalian sulfur metabolism in health and disease, and structural enzymology of human B12 trafficking proteins.
Borcea is the Peter Field Collegiate Professor of Mathematics and professor of mathematics in LSA, with research expertise in scientific computing and applied mathematics, particularly in the scattering and transport of electromagnetic waves.
She has made significant contributions to her field and was selected as the AWM-SIAM Sonia Kovalevsky Lecturer for her outstanding scientific contributions.
Dworkin is the former dean and current professor of music at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. A successful entrepreneur, Dworkin founded the globally recognized Sphinx Organization, which aims to transform lives through the power of diversity in the arts.
He has been named a 2005 MacArthur Fellow, was President Obama’s first appointment to the National Council on the Arts, and is a member of President Biden’s Arts Policy Committee.
Fletcher is the Harry Burns Hutchins Collegiate Professor of Law and professor of law in the Law School, and professor of American culture in LSA. He is an appellate judge for several Indian tribes, including the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, the Colorado River Indian Tribes and the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians.
Fletcher’s expertise includes federal Indian law, American Indian tribal law, Anishinaabe legal and political philosophy, constitutional law, federal courts and legal ethics.
Fomin, the Robert M. Thrall Collegiate Professor of Mathematics and professor of mathematics in LSA, is a prominent mathematician whose research has made significant contributions in combinatorics, algebra, geometry and representation theory.
He is an expert in cluster algebras, discovered Y-systems and generalized associahedra, and worked on total positivity, the Laurent phenomenon and its applications to Somos sequences.
Fryberg is a University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor and professor of psychology in LSA, and founding director of the Research for Indigenous Social Action and Equity Center. Her expertise centers on how social representations of race, culture and social class impact the development of self, psychological well-being, physical health and educational attainment.
Fryberg has provided expert testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs regarding the negative impact of racist stereotypes on Indigenous people. She also has served as an expert witness in the Keepseagle v. USDA class action lawsuit and consults with National Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
Perfecto is the James E. Crowfoot Collegiate Professor of Environmental Justice and professor of environment and sustainability in the School for Environment and Sustainability, and professor of environment in the Program in the Environment.
She specializes in biodiversity and arthropod-mediated ecosystem services in rural and urban agriculture, and her expertise includes the spatial ecology of the coffee agroecosystem, small-scale sustainable agriculture, biodiversity and food sovereignty.
