Eight Columbians Named AAAS Fellows

Eight Columbia faculty and researchers were named honorary fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the world’s largest general scientific societies, and the publisher of the Science family of journals.

“This year’s class of Fellows are the embodiment of scientific excellence and service to our communities,” said Sudip S. Parikh, 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 latest class of fellows includes 471 scientists, engineers, and innovators. Columbia’s fellows are:

Scott Banta

For leadership in chemical engineering and applications of protein engineering in biocatalysis, bioseparations, and bioenergy technologies 

Scott Banta, a professor of chemical engineering, began teaching at Columbia Engineering in 2004. In addition to addressing fundamental mechanisms in enzyme function, his work in synthetic biology aims to generate new technology solutions to grand challenges facing humanity. This includes alternative platforms for biomanufacturing, development of bioelectrochemical energy systems, and biological approaches for metal mining and processing. Before joining Columbia, he was a postdoctoral researcher at The Center for Engineering in Medicine at the Shriners and Massachusetts General Hospitals and Harvard Medical School. He earned a BSE in chemical engineering from the University of Maryland Baltimore County in 1997, and a MS and PhD in chemical engineering from Rutgers University in 2000 and 2002, respectively.

Uttiya Basu

For distinguished contributions to molecular immunology, including mechanisms of immunoglobulin gene diversification, induction of B cell lymphomas, and roles of the RNA exosome in maintaining cellular homeostasis

Uttiya Basu, professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, received his PhD in molecular biology from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. After finishing his postdoctoral training, which focused on molecular immunology, at Harvard Medical School, he joined the faculty at Columbia. His research currently focuses on the mechanisms that govern immune cell development during an immune response. For his research he has been awarded NIH Director’s Innovator Award, the Pershing Sohn Cancer Research Prize, and a Leukemia and Lymphoma Scholar award.

Kiros Berhane

For distinguished contributions to the field of environmental biostatistics, advancing understanding of air pollution and health, and commitment to capacity building in public health in sub-Saharan Africa

Kiros Berhane is chair of the Department of Biostatistics and the Cynthia and Robert Citrone-Roslyn and Leslie Goldstein Professor. He received his PhD in biostatistics from the University of Toronto and did postdoctoral research at Johns Hopkins. Prior to joining Columbia in 2020, he was a professor at the University of Southern California for more than 20 years. Berhane is a widely published expert on the development of statistical models that analyze complex and correlated data and the application of these models in public health, with a special focus on the health impacts of environmental factors and climate change. He was a Fulbright Scholar in 2016-2017, is a fellow of the American Statistical Association, and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute.

Sabrina Diano

For distinguished contributions to the field of neuroscience and metabolism, particularly for illuminating how the neuronal-non-neuronal informational exchange in the mammalian brain senses fuel availability and nutrients

Sabrina Diano, the Robert R. Williams Professor of Nutrition and director of the Institute of Human Nutrition, received her PhD in physiology at the University of Naples “Federico II” and then joined the faculty at Yale University. She was appointed director of Columbia’s Institute of Human Nutrition in 2020. Diano’s studies on nutrient sensing by the brain aim to identify mechanisms that enable brain cells to regulate energy and glucose metabolism in the entire body and how changes in these mechanisms induce the development of metabolic disorders. Diano was also elected this year as a member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering. Her work is supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Jean Gautier

For distinguished contributions to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms used to sustain cell proliferation and to maintain genome integrity

Jean Gautier, professor of genetics and development in the Institute for Cancer Genetics, received his PhD in developmental biology at the University of Toulouse, France, and joined Columbia in 1995. Gautier studies the mechanisms responsible for the maintenance of genome stability and how to exploit the genomic instability of cancer cells to design more effective and precise therapies for cancer patients. He has received the Dr. Harold and Golden Lamport Basic Science Award from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and his work is supported by the National Cancer Institute.

Robert Klitzman

For groundbreaking research on ethical, legal, and social challenges in medicine, guidance to policymakers and the public, and founding and directing one of the United States’ most comprehensive bioethics graduate programs

Robert Klitzman, professor of psychiatry, received his MD at Yale and completed his psychiatric residency at what is now NYP/Weill Cornell. He joined Columbia in 1989. His research has focused on decision-making related to genetic testing, HIV disclosure, reproductive choices among individuals at risk for genetic disorders, Institutional Review Boards, and other critical topics in the field, and he has authored more than 190 academic articles and 10 books, including Doctor, Will You Pray for Me?:  Medicine, Chaplains and Healing the Whole Person, Designing Babies: How Technology is Changing the Ways We Create Children, and When Doctors Become Patients. Klitzman has received numerous awards for his work, including fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, and the Russell Sage Foundation.

Jason Nieh

For distinguished contributions to the field of computer systems, particularly for innovations in virtualization technology

Jason Nieh is a professor of computer science at Columbia Engineering and co-director of the Software Systems Laboratory. He is chief scientist of Certik, a blockchain security company. He has also served as a consultant to both government and industry, including as a technical advisor on the Microsoft Antitrust Settlement and as an expert witness before the United States International Trade Commission. Technologies he developed are widely used in major operating system platforms, including Android and Linux; the largest cloud infrastructure providers; Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud; and ubiquitous Arm processors. Nieh is a fellow of the ACM, IEEE, and John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Nieh earned his BS from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his MS and PhD from Stanford University.

Daniel Wolf Savin

For distinguished contributions to the fields of laboratory astrophysics, solar physics, and atomic physics

Daniel Wolf Savin, senior research scientist in the Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, studies forefront questions in astrophysics, planetary science, and solar physics through astronomical observations coupled with experimental studies of the underlying atomic, molecular, condensed matter, and plasma physics that control the observed properties of the cosmos. He received his AB from Columbia University and his MA and PhD from Harvard University. He was a postgraduate research scientist at the University of California in Berkeley. Since then, he has been a professional research officer in the Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory. Savin is a founding organizer of the Laboratory Astrophysics Division (LAD) of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), a science editor for the AAS journals, and a fellow of the AAS and the American Physical Society.