The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), which was founded in 1848 and is the world’s largest general scientific society, has announced their 2023 Fellows. This lifetime honor follows a nomination and review process to recognize scientists, engineers, and innovators for their distinguished achievements toward the advancement or applications of science. The 2023 Fellows class—among them five scientists at Berkeley Lab—includes 502 scientists, engineers, and innovators spanning 24 scientific disciplines who are being recognized for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements.
The two newly named Fellows from the Biosciences Area are Jian-Hua Mao, a senior scientist in the Biological and Systems Engineering (BSE) Division, and Trent Northen, Deputy Director for Science of the Environmental Genomics & Systems Biology (EGSB) Division.
Mao has been recognized for his “distinguished contributions to the field of cancer genetics, particularly the identification of tumor-susceptibility genes.” His research focuses on advancing our understanding of how different variants of genes – both inherited variants and those that spontaneously develop in our bodies – interact with environmental exposures to mediate the formation of tumors. This work has implications for cancer prediction, prevention, and treatment on an individual level.
An innovator of metabolomic and fabricated ecosystem technologies, Northen was elected for his distinguished contributions to the field of systems biology. His pioneering technologies enable studies integrating functional environmental genomics, microbiomes, ecology, and computational biology. His research has provided novel insights into soil carbon cycling with important implications in soil carbon sequestration and sustainable bioenergy.
Read more in the Berkeley Lab News Center.
