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Four MIT faculty members are among the roughly 250 leaders from academia, the arts, industry, public policy, and research elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the academy announced April 22. Thirteen additional MIT alumni were also honored.
One of the nation’s most prestigious honorary societies, the academy is also a leading center for independent policy research. Members contribute to academy publications, as well as studies of science and technology policy, energy and global security, social policy and American institutions, the humanities and culture, and education.
MIT faculty elected from MIT in 2026 are:
- Isaiah Andrews PhD ’14, Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor of Economics;
- David Atkin, Barton L. Weller (1940) Professor of Economics;
- Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics; and
- Benjamin Paul Weiss, Robert R. Shrock Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences
MIT alumni elected this year include Mark Aguiar PhD ’99 (Economics); Mark G. Allen SM ’86, PhD ’89 (Chemical Engineering); Magdalena Balazinska PhD ’06 (EECS); Keren Bergman SM ’91, PhD ’94 (EECS); Sara Cherry PhD ’00 (Biology); Cynthia J. Ebinger SM ’86, PhD ’88 (EAPS); Charles L. Epstein ’78 (Mathematics); Shanhui Fan PhD ’97 (Physics); Atif Mian ’96, PhD ’01 (Mathematics with Computer Science and Economics); Sarah E. O'Connor PhD ’01 (Chemistry); Darryll J. Pines SM ’88, PhD ’92 (Mechanical Engineering); Phillip (Terry) Ragon ’72 (Physics); and Mansour Shayegan ’79, EE ’81, SM ’81, PhD ’83 (Electrical Engineering).
“We celebrate the achievement of each new member and the collective breadth and depth of their excellence – this is a fitting commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary,” said Academy President Laurie Patton.
Since its founding in 1780, the academy has elected leading thinkers from each generation, including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century, Maria Mitchell and Daniel Webster in the 19th century, and Toni Morrison and Albert Einstein in the 20th century. The current membership includes more than 250 Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners.
