Trudy Mackay elected Laureate Distinguished Fellow by the International Engineering and Technology Institute

Trudy Mackay, director of the Clemson University Center for Human Genetics, has been elected a Laureate Distinguished Fellow of the International Engineering and Technology Institute (IETI).

She is recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on the genetics of complex traits and for groundbreaking research that uses Drosophila melanogaster - the common fruit fly - to study the genetic and environmental basis of human diseases.

The IETI is an international organization dedicated to fostering interdisciplinary research and collaboration across engineering, technology and related scientific fields.

The organization is honoring her pioneering work in the field of quantitative genetics, particularly her contributions to understanding the genetic architecture of complex traits and its profound impact on agriculture and human genetics.

The IETI said Mackay's innovative strategies have provided valuable insights into the complex interplay between genes and the environment, leading to practical applications in agricultural improvement and human health.

She joins a list of Fellows that include winners of some of science's most prestigious awards, including the Nobel Prize, the Turing Award, the Fields Medal and the Wolf Prize.

"This came as a total surprise - I had no idea I was even nominated! I am greatly honored to be a Laureate Distinguished Fellow of the IETI," said Mackay, who is the Self Family Endowed Chair of Human Genetics at Clemson.

The fellowship is Mackay's latest honor.

In 2021, she was elected to the American Philosophical Society, the oldest learned society in the United States, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1743. Mackay is the first professor in state of South Carolina and Clemson to become a member.

Mackay is a recipient of Trinity College's Dawson Prize in Genetics, which is awarded to geneticists of international prominence. She is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society of London and the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. Mackay received the 2016 Wolf Prize for Agriculture.