Dean for Research Peter Schiffer and 17 alumni named AAAS Fellows

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) recently elected Peter Schiffer, the dean for research at Princeton University, to be one of its 471 new lifetime fellows. Also elected were 17 undergraduate and graduate alumni.

This designation "honors members whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications in service to society have distinguished them among their peers and colleagues," the organization said in a press release.

Schiffer wears several hats at Princeton. In addition to serving as the dean for research, he is the vice president for the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and the Class of 1909 Professor of Physics. 

He received his B.S. in physics from Yale University in 1988 and his Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University in 1993. At Stanford, his dissertation work was supervised by Douglas Osheroff, 1996 Nobel laureate in physics. Schiffer has authored or co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and supervised more than 20 doctoral students and dozens of undergraduate researchers. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, NASA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Army Research Office, among others.

Other Princetonians honored this year by AAAS include:

• Amy H. Andreotti, Iowa State University, a 1994 Ph.D. graduate in chemistry
• Susan L. Brantley, The Pennsylvania State University, a member of the Class of 1980 concentrating in chemistry, and a 1987 Ph.D. graduate in geological and geophysical sciences
• Lauren Averett Byers, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, a member of the Class of 1998, concentrating in molecular biology
• Troy Alan Carter, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), a 2001 Ph.D. graduate in astrophysics
• Fred Chang, University of California-San Francisco, a member of the Class of 1984, concentrating in biology
• Yong P. Chen, Purdue University and Aarhus University of Denmark, a 2005 Ph.D. graduate in electrical engineering
• George Cybenko, Dartmouth College, a 1978 Ph.D. graduate in mathematics
• Robert L. Klitzman, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, a member of the Class of 1980, concentrating in history
• Richard J. Krauzlis, National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health, a member of the Class of 1985, concentrating in biology
• Venkataraman Lakshmi, University of Virginia, a 1996 Ph.D. graduate in civil engineering
• Emily R. Liman, University of Southern California, a member of the Class of 1985, concentrating in biology
• Jonathan C. Mattingly, Duke University, a 1998 Ph.D. graduate in applied and computational mathematics
• Krishnaswamy Nandakumar, Louisiana State University, a 1979 Ph.D. graduate in chemical engineering
• Ilya Nemenman, Emory University, a 2000 Ph.D. graduate in physics
• Robin Patel, Mayo Clinic, a member of the Class of 1985, concentrating in chemistry
• Cynthia Rudin, Duke University, a 2004 Ph.D. graduate in applied and computational mathematics
• David P. Saltzberg, UCLA, a member of the Class of 1989, concentrating in physics