UC scholars and alumni elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

What is the universe made of? How do black holes work? What can physics tell us about space, time and the laws that govern everything around us? These are the kinds of questions explored by Raphael Bousso, professor and chancellor's chair in the UC Berkeley Department of Physics.

Professor Bousso's work in theoretical physics and cosmology has helped expand how scientists think about the universe at its most fundamental level. His research examines ideas that sit at the edge of human understanding, from quantum gravity to the structure of space-time. While the concepts can be abstract, the stakes are sweeping: Bousso's work contributes to fields that seek to explain not just what exists in the universe but how it all fits together.

At the intersection of engineering, biology and medicine, Kyriacos A. Athanasiou, Henry Samueli chair in engineering and distinguished professor of biomedical engineering at UC Irvine, is working toward solutions for some of the body's most difficult-to-heal tissues. Professor Athanasiou's research in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine focuses on repairing or replacing damaged tissues, including cartilage and other structures that play a critical role in mobility and quality of life.

By applying engineering principles to biological challenges, Athanasiou's work helps move the field closer to treatments that could someday change how doctors approach injuries, chronic conditions and tissue loss. It's a powerful example of how research can bridge the lab and the clinic, turning complex science into new possibilities for healing and recovery.

Inside every cell, countless tiny systems are working constantly to keep the body functioning. Ramanujan Hegde, a molecular biologist and UCSF alumnus, studies one of those essential systems: how proteins are made, processed and moved to the right place inside cells. These processes may happen at a microscopic scale, but they are fundamental to life. When they break down, the effects can contribute to disease, including conditions linked to protein misfolding or malfunction.

Hegde's research helps scientists understand the cell's internal quality-control systems and the pathways that allow proteins to do their jobs. By clarifying how these basic mechanisms work, his discoveries add to the foundation for future advances in biology and medicine.

From sea otters and seals to African lions and polar bears, Terrie M. Williams, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, studies animals that capture the imagination while revealing urgent truths about the natural world. Professor Williams examines how large mammals move, hunt, survive and adapt, especially as their environments change.

Williams' work connects physiology, behavior and conservation, helping scientists understand what animals need to thrive in the wild. That knowledge is increasingly important as climate change, habitat loss and human activity place new pressures on ecosystems. By studying animals in real-world conditions, Williams' research helps inform efforts to protect vulnerable species and better understand the changing environments they call home.

Questions of justice, sovereignty and self-determination are central to the work of Angela R. Riley, professor of law and American Indian studies at UCLA. Professor Riley focuses on Indigenous peoples' rights, tribal sovereignty and Native governance, examining how legal systems can recognize the authority, traditions and autonomy of Native nations.

Riley's scholarship brings history, culture and law into conversation, offering a clearer understanding of issues that affect tribes, courts, policymakers and public institutions. By centering Indigenous perspectives and legal frameworks, Riley's work offers an important lens for understanding how law can better reflect the histories, priorities and lived realities of Native nations.

Who gets to define knowledge, nature and politics? Marisol de la Cadena, professor of anthropology and science and technology studies at UC Davis, approaches that question through the lens of Indigenous studies and the politics of knowledge.

Professor de la Cadena's work explores how different communities understand land and collective life, especially when those ways of knowing do not fit neatly within Western academic or political frameworks. Her scholarship has helped expand conversations about culture, community and the relationships between people and the natural environment.

The ideas behind ideas are at the center of Paolo Mancosu's scholarship. As Willis S. and Marion Slusser professor of philosophy at UC Berkeley, Mancosu studies how mathematical concepts take shape and how people come to understand them.

Mancosu's work brings philosophy and the history of mathematics together to explore what makes an argument convincing, how knowledge builds over time and why certain ideas endure. Even when the subject matter gets abstract, it connects to something surprisingly familiar: how people think, learn and make sense of complicated ideas. Mancosu's research helps illuminate the foundations of mathematics and reasoning, showing that even the most theoretical ideas have a story to tell.

A groundbreaking visual artist whose work helped define feminist art, Mary Kelly, UCLA professor emerita, has spent her career exploring how women's lives are shaped by culture, family and power. Kelly is known for creating installations that combine written language with deeply personal subject matter, using familiar experiences - including motherhood and domestic life - to ask bigger questions about gender and representation.

For decades, has been one of the most recognizable voices in American news, bringing national and international coverage to millions of viewers. A journalist and UCLA Extension alumna, Salinas has helped shape Spanish-language broadcast media and made sure Latino communities, immigration, politics and culture are part of the national conversation. Her reporting has given viewers trusted information, a strong public-service focus and a fuller understanding of issues affecting their families and communities.

Few careers show the link between research and university leadership as clearly as that of Henry T. Yang, chancellor emeritus and distinguished professor of mechanical engineering at UC Santa Barbara.

Yang built a strong career in engineering while also serving for decades as chancellor, helping UC Santa Barbara grow into a major research university. During his time leading the campus, he supported the people and ideas that make a university thrive, from strong academic programs to work that brings different fields together. His engineering background also kept him closely connected to UC's research mission and the spirit of discovery that drives it.

Yang's career shows the wide reach a university leader can have, both through their own work and by helping create a place where students, faculty and staff can learn, discover and contribute to the public good.