Seven University of Michigan faculty members named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Seven University of Michigan faculty members have been named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for their significant contributions in scholarly and professional fields.
Ruma Banerjee, Liliana Borcea, Aaron Dworkin, Matthew Fletcher, Sergey Fomin, Stephanie Fryberg and Ivette Perfecto are among 269 new members to join the academy’s ranks this year. They are being honored for their excellence and leadership across academia, the arts, industry, public policy and research.
“In its earliest days, the academy sought members who would help address issues and opportunities confronting a young nation,” said Nancy Andrews, chair of the academy’s board of directors. “We feel a similar urgency and have elected a class that brings diverse expertise to meet the pressing challenges and possibilities that America and the world face today.”
Banerjee is the Vincent Massey Collegiate Professor of Biological Chemistry and is associate editor for Chemical Reviews and the Journal of Biological Chemistry. She is an expert in the chemical biology of hydrogen sulfide signaling, regulation of mammalian sulfur metabolism in health and disease, and structural enzymology of human B12 trafficking proteins.
Ruma Banerjee
Ruma Banerjee
Borcea is the Peter Field Collegiate Professor of Mathematics with research expertise in scientific computing and applied mathematics, particularly in the scattering and transport of electromagnetic waves. She has made significant contributions to her field and was selected as the AWM-SIAM Sonia Kovalevsky Lecturer for her outstanding scientific contributions.
Liliana Borcea
Liliana Borcea
Dworkin is the former dean and current professor of arts leadership and entrepreneurship at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. A successful entrepreneur, Dworkin founded the globally recognized Sphinx Organization, which aims to transform lives through the power of diversity in the arts. He has been named a 2005 MacArthur Fellow, President Obama’s first appointment to the National Council on the Arts and member of President Biden’s Arts Policy Committee.
Aaron Dworkin
Aaron Dworkin
Fletcher is the Harry Burns Hutchins Collegiate Professor of Law. He currently sits as an appellate judge for several Indian tribes, including the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, the Colorado River Indian Tribes and the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians. Fletcher’s expertise includes federal Indian law, American Indian tribal law, Anishinaabe legal and political philosophy, constitutional law, federal courts and legal ethics.
Matthew Fletcher
Matthew Fletcher
Fomin, the Robert M. Thrall Collegiate Professor of Mathematics, is a prominent mathematician whose research has made significant contributions in combinatorics, algebra, geometry and representation theory. He is an expert in cluster algebras, discovered Y-systems and generalized associahedra, and worked on total positivity, the Laurent phenomenon and its applications to Somos sequences.
Sergey Fomin
Sergey Fomin
Fryberg is the University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor of Psychology. Her expertise centers on how social representations of race, culture and social class impact the development of self, psychological well-being, physical health and educational attainment. Fryberg has provided expert testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs regarding the negative impact of racist stereotypes on Indigenous people. She also has served as an expert witness in the Keepseagle v. USDA class action lawsuit and consults with National Tribal TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families).
Stephanie Fryberg
Stephanie Fryberg
Perfecto is the James E. Crowfoot Collegiate Professor of Environmental Justice. She specializes in biodiversity and arthropod-mediated ecosystem services in rural and urban agriculture, and her expertise includes the spatial ecology of the coffee agroecosystem, small-scale sustainable agriculture, biodiversity and food sovereignty.
Ivette Perfecto
Ivette Perfecto
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center and honorary society founded in 1780 during the American Revolution. Its mission is to honor excellence and advance the public good in the arts, humanities, science and other fields. The academy conducts research, provides analysis and advice to policymakers, convenes scholars and experts, and promotes the understanding and appreciation of science and the arts. Membership in the academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of science and the arts.