Four Elected as AAAS Fellows

Four faculty from the University of California, Davis, have been elected as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, class of 2025. They are among nearly 500 scientists, engineers and other innovators that the society recognized this year for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements.

Here are the new fellows, with their fellowship citations: 

Joanna Chiu

Department of Entomology and Nematology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

“For contributions to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which circadian clocks integrate environmental and metabolic signals to regulate animal biological rhythms.”

Gitta Coaker

Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

“For distinguished contributions to plant pathology and immunity, particularly elucidating how plant receptors and bacterial components interface in disease, and for outstanding leadership and service to foster early career researchers.”

Janine LaSalle

Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine

“For interdisciplinary research in human genetics, specifically epigenetics of autism, epigenetic mechanisms in neurodevelopmental disorders and the placenta, and the use of systems approaches to understand gene x environment epigenetics.”

David Segal

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine

“For distinguished contributions to the field of molecular and translational genetics, particularly developing zinc finger, TALE, and CRISPR gene editors and applying them towards the treatment of neurologic disorders.”

It has been 100 years since Professor Tracy I. Storer became the first UC faculty member affiliated with the Davis campus elected as a Fellow of the AAAS. Elected in 1926, Storer had come to Davis in 1923 to establish the Department of Zoology.

The new fellows will be recognized at the annual Fellows Forum in Washington, D.C., on May 29.