Ranu Jung has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. 

Chosen by their peers, AAAS Fellows are selected for this honor based on “scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.”

“Partnerships have given me the privilege of pursuing science and engineering with the intention to benefit peoples’ health and well-being,” Jung said. “I am grateful for the recognition by my peers and excited about leading I³R as it fosters purpose-driven transdisciplinary research and translates it to ensure societal impact.”

Jung is one of the world’s foremost researchers in biomedical and neural engineering, with more than $27 million in research grants awarded as a principal or co-principal investigator, more than 100 refereed publications and 13 U.S. patents. She is the founding executive director and endowed Chair for the U of A’s Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research (I³R) and Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering. A champion for innovation and entrepreneurship, she develops devices that lead to scientific advances with clear pathways to clinical application. 

Jung was selected as a Fellow by her peers “for distinguished contributions in inspired technologies for humans for recovery and restoration of lost function, and development of the first wireless, implantable, intraneural-interface system for haptic restoration on upper-limb amputation.”

Among her many honors, Jung was named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2017, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 2013 and the Biomedical Engineering Society in 2020.  

In addition to Jung, current U of A faculty who are AAAS Fellows include:

• William McComas, Distinguished Professor, curriculum and instruction, 2016
• Ingrid Fritsch, professor, chemistry and biochemistry, 2015
• David Stahle, Distinguished Professor, geosciences, 2015
• Peter Ungar, Distinguished Professor, anthropology, 2012
• Frank Millett, Distinguished Professor, chemistry and biochemistry, 2009
• Michael Plavcan, professor, anthropology, 2008
• Karen Moldenhauer, professor, crop, soil and environmental sciences, 2006
• Peter Pulay, emeritus professor, chemistry and biochemistry, 2005
• Charles Wilkins, Distinguished Professor, chemistry and biochemistry, 1996

The new Fellows will receive an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin to commemorate their election (representing science and engineering, respectively) and will be celebrated later this year during an in-person gathering when it is feasible from a public health and safety perspective. The new class will also be featured in the AAAS News & Notes section of Science in January 2022.

About the American Association for the Advancement of Science: The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science, as well as Science Translational Medicine; Science Signaling; a digital, open-access journal, Science Advances; Science Immunology; and Science Robotics. AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes more than 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. The nonprofit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement, and more. For additional information about AAAS, visit www.aaas.org.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.