Four UIC researchers named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

University of Illinois Chicago faculty members Nancy Freitag, Jun Sun, Zaijie (Jim) Wang and Philip Yu have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, earning one of the most distinguished recognitions in the scientific community.

The four researchers are among nearly 500 scientists elected as 2025 fellows, a lifetime honor. Fellows are recognized for their role in shaping public policy, advancing scientific research and influencing national and global perspectives on critical issues.

Freitag is professor and head of the department of pharmaceutical sciences in the Retzky College of Pharmacy and a professor of microbiology and immunology in the College of Medicine. She has over 30 years of experience investigating the pathogenic mechanisms of bacteria and interactions in host infections.

Freitag uses the pathogen listeria monocytogenes, well known as a cause of food-borne illnesses, to probe how microbes adapt to become pathogenic to humans. The tug-of-war between pathogens and human cells is endlessly intriguing, she said.

"Humans are trying to fight off the microbes, and the microbes are trying to overcome these defenses. Understanding more about what types of strategies both sides use to control or outcompete the other is really fascinating," she said.

Recent projects in Freitag's lab focus on how anesthesia can increase susceptibility to hospital-acquired infections, a major public health concern, and on listeria's ability to cross the placenta in pregnancy and infect a fetus.

Freitag credits her colleagues in the colleges of pharmacy and medicine with supporting her innovative research.

"The combined expertise from people in different fields has really allowed us to advance our projects," she said.

Sun, professor of gastroenterology and hepatology in the College of Medicine, studies the role of the microbiome in diseases including cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and vitamin D deficiency.

Sun's investigations of the microbiome, the ecosystem of microorganisms that live in and on the body, provide insight into better prevention, diagnosis and treatment of some of the most debilitating conditions.

"ALS is quite a devastating disease," leading to loss of muscle control and death, Sun said. Her work has identified disrupted gut bacteria in patients with ALS. "In our studies, we look for early signs of the disease in the microbiome in the GI tract."

The election as a society fellow, Sun said, is an opportunity to reflect on her career, and it recognizes the roles of her trainees and students. "It's a great honor," she said.

Wang joined UIC's faculty in 2001 and is distinguished professor of pharmacology and pharmaceutics in the Retzky College of Pharmacy. He studies the mechanisms of pain, how pain is treated and ways to fight the addictive nature of painkillers.

Wang also studies the gut-brain axis. In particular, he researches the molecular mechanisms of chronic pain and drug addiction, with a long-term goal of developing new therapeutics for these conditions.

"Recently, we have been studying the role of gut microbiome in the pathogenesis of chronic pain and addiction," Wang said.

Conditions like sickle cell disease, cancer and multiple sclerosis can produce lasting, debilitating pain.

"Unfortunately, there are very limited therapeutic options, and some of the drugs for treating chronic pain come with high addiction liability," he said. "New and better therapies are needed and will require a better understanding of causes."

Yu is a distinguished professor and the Wexler Chair in Information Technology in the College of Engineering's Department of Computer Science. He has contributed to the fundamental principles of data mining, with a long-standing focus on extracting knowledge from big data.

Yu is also a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. In recent years, he has developed graph foundation models, akin to large language models but designed for structured data.

"As AI continues to advance, it has become an essential part of nearly every field of scientific research," Yu said. "This recognition highlights how contributions from computer science are playing a key role in driving progress across many areas of science."

The new class of fellows will be recognized at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on May 29.