Pam Ronald, faculty scientist in EGSB and scientific lead of plant pathology at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of her distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. She joins 100 scientists and engineers from the U.S. and 25 from across the world as new lifelong members and foreign associates.
All new NAS members and foreign associates are nominated by existing NAS members for outstanding contributions to their field. Only 100 or fewer researchers make it through the selection process each year. The four new members bring the number of Berkeley Lab scientists elected as NAS members to 84.
On top of being one of the highest honors a scientist or engineer can receive, membership to NAS also provides a platform for advocacy and leadership. Since its creation in 1863, NAS has served as a nonpartisan, nonprofit institution that offers science, engineering, and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations.
Pam Ronald is also a distinguished professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis. Ronald’s research focuses on plant genes that control resistance to disease and tolerance to environmental stressors, with the goal of using genetic engineering to improve food security for the world’s poorest farmers. Read more in the Berkeley Lab News Center.
