Wendy Brown and Matias Zaldarriaga Elected as Members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Wendy Brown, UPS Foundation Professor in the School of Social Science, and Matias Zaldarriaga, Richard Black Professor in the School of Natural Sciences, have been elected as members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (AAA&S), an honor that recognizes accomplishments and leadership in academia, the arts, industry, public policy, and research.
Recognized for her work as a political theorist, Brown is one of the preeminent voices across the history of political thought, political economy, Continental philosophy, cultural theory, and critical legal theory. Brown investigates the subterranean powers shaping contemporary Euroatlantic polities, with particular attention to the political identities, subjectivities, and expressions they spawn. She is the author of a dozen books, most recently In the Ruins of Neoliberalism: The Rise of Antidemocratic Politics in the West.
In his field, Zaldarriaga is recognized as an influential contributor to our understanding of the early universe, particle astrophysics, and cosmology as a probe of fundamental physics. His work seeks to uncover clues about the earliest moments of our universe encoded in the Cosmic Microwave Background, the faint glow of radiation generated by the Big Bang, and in the distribution of matter in the late universe.
Numerous past IAS Members, Visitors, and Visiting Professors across all four Schools—Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Historical Studies, and Social Science—are also among this year’s inductees. They include Roman Bezrukavnikov, Jamsheed K. Choksy, Panagiota Daskalopoulos, Wendy Griswold, Haruzo Hida, Shamit Kachru, Mae M Ngai, Endre Szemerédi, Claire Voisin, and Sijue Wu. Additionally, Jennifer Lee, incoming Member (2022–23) in the School of Social Science, was elected to the Academy.
The AAA&S, founded in 1780, is both an honorary society that recognizes and celebrates the excellence of its members and an independent research center convening leaders from across disciplines, professions, and perspectives to address significant challenges. This year’s election of 261 new members continues a 240-year tradition electing and engaging exceptional individuals at the top of their fields.
