Three college faculty honored as AAAS fellows
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and publisher of the Science family of journals, has announced the election of three faculty members of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to its newest class of fellows.
A distinguished lifetime achievement within the scientific community, the 2024 class is comprised of 471 scientists, engineers and innovators across 24 disciplines.
“This year’s class of Fellows are the embodiment of scientific excellence and service to our communities,” said Sudip S. Parikh, Ph.D., AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals. “At a time when the future of the scientific enterprise in the U.S. and around the world is uncertain, their work demonstrates the value of sustained investment in science and engineering. “The Fellows are a distinguished cadre recognized for their achievements across disciplines, from research, teaching, and technology to administration in academia, industry and government to excellence in communicating and interpreting science to the public
The new Fellows will receive a certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin, representing science and engineering, respectively, to commemorate their election. They will be celebrated at a forum in Washington, D.C. on June 7, 2025.
Please join us in congratulating the newly elected Fellows of AAAS.
William Barbazuk: For distinguished contributions to the field of computational biology and bioinformatics, particularly using comparative genomics to provide insight into genome architectures and evolution in scientifically and economically important plant species.
William Barbazuk is a professor with the Department of Biology and is a recognized expert in plant genomics, genome analysis, bioinformatics and computational biology. Barbazuk develops and employs computational, comparative and functional genomics approaches to study genome architecture, function and evolution. His research projects involve collecting primary genome annotation data in the form of genome sequences and catalogues of genes and developing methods and tools to leverage next generation sequence capacities to address fundamental evolutionary questions concerning genome and transcriptome evolution.
Mark Brenner: For outstanding paleoenvironmental change research and publishing, multidisciplinary contributions and collaborations across geology, geography, and archaeology.
Mark Brenner is a professor with the Department of Geological Sciences. He is a limnologist/paleolimnologist with special interests in tropical and subtropical lakes and watersheds. Brenner’s research is interdisciplinary and addresses long-term interactions among climate, environment and humans. His extensive fieldwork has taken him to Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, Colombia, Haiti, Dominican Republic, China, Cambodia, Madagascar, and Florida. Brenner is a 2022 recipient of the International Paleolimnology Association (IPA) “Rick Battarbee Lifetime Achievement Award.”
John Krigbaum: For distinguished contributions to the field of anthropology, particularly for the use of the stable isotope composition of bones and teeth to study past diets and population mobility.
John Krigbaum, is a professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology and has been teaching at UF for 24 years. Krigbaum is a broadly trained biological anthropologist with active research interests in bioarchaeology, zooarchaeology, and paleoanthropology. He directs the Bone Chemistry Lab where he leads collaborative training and research initiatives using a variety of isotope systems and tissues recovered from archaeological and paleontological sites. Krigbaum has contributed to leadership in myriad forms at the department, college, and university levels, and is a faculty leader with the UF Quest program which seeks to revitalize undergraduate education helping to prepare students to thoughtfully navigate a complex and interconnected world.
Read more and see the full list of 14 UF faculty members elected to the 2024 class of AAAS Fellows here.
