Eleven faculty elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences announced the election of 213 new members on Thursday, including 11 Harvard faculty. The class of 2018 includes authors Ta-Nehisi Coates and Viet Thanh Nguyen; former President Barack Obama, J.D. ’91; Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor; and Academy- and Emmy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks.

Harvard’s inductees to the class of 2018 are Cynthia M. Friend, Theodore William Richards Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Materials Science at the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Susan M. Dymecki, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School (HMS); Naomi E. Pierce, Sidney A. and John H. Hessel Professor of Biology, curator of Lepidoptera in the Museum of Comparative Zoology; Patricia A. D’Amore, Charles L. Schepens Professor of Ophthalmology at HMS; Christopher A. Walsh, Bullard Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at HMS; J. Wade Harper, Bert and Natalie Vallee Professor of Molecular Pathology at HMS; Gita Gopinath, John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and of Economics; Jeffry A. Frieden, Stanfield Professor of International Peace; Pippa Norris, Paul F. McGuire Lecturer in Comparative Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School; Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Victor S. Thomas Professor of History and of African and African American Studies; and Rebecca M. Henderson, John and Natty McArthur University Professor at Harvard Business School.

Founded in 1780, the Academy honors exceptional scholars, leaders, artists, and innovators and engages them in sharing knowledge and addressing challenges facing the world. The Academy’s projects and publications generate ideas and offer recommendations to advance the public good in the arts, citizenship, education, energy, government, the humanities, international relations, science, and more.

“Membership in the Academy is not only an honor, but also an opportunity and a responsibility,” said Jonathan Fanton, president of the American Academy. “Members can be inspired and engaged by connecting with one another and through academy projects dedicated to the common good. The intellect, creativity, and commitment of the 2018 class will enrich the work of the academy and the world in which we live.”