N. Louise Glass, a senior faculty scientist in the Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division and professor in UC Berkeley’s Department of Plant & Microbial Biology, has been elected into the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) alongside 119 other distinguished new members and 30 international members.

Glass is a renowned fungal researcher focused on exploring the molecular mechanisms that fungal cells use to perform a wide variety of processes – such as cell to cell communication and plant cell wall deconstruction – and investigating how these processes affect ecosystems. She is a principal investigator for the Microbial Community Analysis & Functional Evaluation in Soils (m-CAFEs) Scientific Focus Area, a multi-institutional project aimed at understanding and controlling the interactions between plant roots and neighboring microbes to gain insights into carbon cycling, carbon sequestration, and plant productivity in natural and agricultural ecosystems.

The NAS was founded in 1863 to provide the country with a non-partisan council of scientific and technological leaders who could lend expertise and advice to the government. Every year, a new class of 120-150 members are elected by existing members in recognition of distinguished achievement in their respective fields. There is now a total of 2,461 active American members and 511 international members, and the number of NAS members with ties to Berkeley Lab has risen to 87.

Read more on the Berkeley Lab News Center.