Trustees

Victoria B. Bjorklund, IAS Trustee since 2006, will be presented with the insignia of Knight of the Légion d’Honneur, France’s most prestigious decoration, on September 10, 2025. The honor recognizes Bjorklund’s extraordinary commitment to building French-American ties through philanthropy and her remarkable service to French nonprofit initiatives.

Mario Draghi, Trustee of the Institute for Advanced Study since 1998, has been announced as the recipient of the 2025 Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation, "for his role as a key figure in the defence of European integration and international cooperation, being widely recognized for his leadership and firm commitment to the fundamental values and advancement of the European Union."

Marina von Neumann Whitman, Trustee Emerita of the Institute for Advanced Study and pioneering economist who broke barriers in academia, government, and corporate leadership, died on May 20, 2025. As the daughter of John von Neumann, one of the Institute's founding Faculty members (1933–55) in the School of Mathematics, Whitman had a lifelong connection to IAS.

The Institute for Advanced Study is creating a new professorship in the theory of computing, supported by a gift from John Overdeck, the chair of the Institute’s Board of Trustees. The Betsey Lombard Overdeck Theory of Computing Professorship, in the Institute’s School of Mathematics, will be held by Irit Dveer Dinur, a preeminent theorist in computational complexity.

David Rubenstein, Trustee of the Institute for Advanced Study since 2005, will be conferred the highest honor from Eisenhower Fellowships for his philanthropic generosity, innovative leadership, and commitment to serving others.

IAS Trustee David M. Rubenstein has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden. This prestigious honor is the nation's highest civilian award. Rubenstein was recognized "for his philanthropy and generous support for the restoration of historic landmarks and the country’s cultural institutions."

Pauline Yu, Director's Visitor (2014), Trustee of the Institute for Advanced Study, and prominent scholar of Chinese literature, was officially presented with a 2022 National Humanities Medal by President Joe Biden in a private ceremony held at the White House on Monday, October 21, 2024.

The Institute for Advanced Study has made two new appointments to its Board of Trustees: Paul DiMaggio, a Professor of Sociology at New York University, and Anoop Prasad, Managing Director and member of the Executive Committee of D. E. Shaw & Co. Their appointments were unanimously adopted by the Board on October 26, 2024.

Described as "one of the most distinguished theoretical physicists of our time," IAS Trustee Emeritus Martin Rees has been announced as the winner of the 2024 Wolf Prize in Physics. Also recognized with a 2024 Wolf Prize in Mathematics was Noga Alon, a frequent Visiting Professor in the School of Mathematics. 

IAS Director and Leon Levy Professor David Nirenberg, School of Social Science Visitor Michèle Lamont (1997), and IAS Academic Trustee Eve Marder have been elected to the American Philosophical Society (APS), one of the oldest learned societies in the U.S.