From deep space to democracy: Trio of UCLA professors elected to National Academy of Sciences

UCLA's Eric Becklin, Martin Gilens and Craig Manning have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their achievements in original research and their impact in advancing knowledge within their fields.

The three professors, whose areas of expertise range from astronomy and Earth sciences to politics and public policy, are part of the academy's newest class of 120 members and 30 international members. Membership in the academy is one of the most prestigious honors a U.S. scholar can receive and requires election by one's peers.

The academy, established in 1863 under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln, elects members annually and today has more than 2,700 active members who can be called on by the federal government to provide guidance on issues related to science, technology and social sciences.

Eric Becklin
Professor emeritus of physics and astronomy
UCLA College

Becklin, an experimental astrophysicist, was instrumental in developing infrared astronomy and helped guide the field's growth from its beginnings in the 1960s to its current fundamental role in research. By devising and deploying new telescopic instruments that could detect heat radiation instead of visible light, he helped open a new window on the universe, allowing astronomers to study objects previously obscured by cosmic dust, extremely faint stars and distant galaxies. His own landmark discoveries included the first observation of the Milky Way's core, the identification of high-mass protostars in the Orion Nebula and the early detection of failed stars known as brown dwarfs. Becklin has served as director of the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and as chief science advisor for the international Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy.

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Martin Gilens
Professor of public policy, political science and social welfare
UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

Gilens, a leading scholar of American politics and public policy, is widely recognized for his research on inequality, public opinion, mass media and democratic responsiveness. His work has shaped contemporary understanding of how policy outcomes reflect - or diverge from - the preferences of citizens across socioeconomic groups. He is the author of several books, including "Democracy in America? What Has Gone Wrong and What We Can Do About It" (2017), "Affluence and Influence: Economic Inequality and Political Power in America" (2012) and "Why Americans Hate Welfare: Race, Media and the Politics of Antipoverty Policy" (1999).

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Craig Manning
Distinguished professor of Earth, planetary and space sciences
UCLA College

Renowned for his work in experimental petrology, geochemistry and thermodynamic modeling, Manning studies what happens deep below the Earth's surface, in places so hot and pressurized that rocks can flow and water behaves in surprising ways. He has conducted research both in the laboratory and around the world - from Colorado to Greenland to the Himalayas - exploring how fluids move through the Earth's crust and mantle, driving processes that shape continents, form mineral deposits and even influence earthquakes. His findings have yielded new insights into the effects of extreme pressure on carbon and ice inside planetary cores and refined our scientific understanding of Earth's carbon cycle over geologic time scales.