Cameron Thrash, professor of biological sciences and Earth sciences, has been elected to Fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology, the honorific leadership group within the American Society for Microbiology recognizing excellence, originality, service and leadership in the microbial sciences. In its 50-year history, the academy has elected fewer than 3,000 fellows. Thrash is among 63 elected this year.
Jed Fuhrman, McCulloch-Crosby Chair in Marine Biology and professor of biological sciences, has been listed as a Highly Ranked Scholar for 2025 by ScholarGPS. Fuhrman ranks No. 16 globally in microbial ecology, No. 76 in bacteria, No. 292 in biology and biological sciences, and No. 1,134 overall based on his accomplishments over the entirety of his career, putting him in the top 0.05% globally.
Yehuda Ben-Zion, professor of Earth sciences, has been listed as a Highly Ranked Scholar for 2025 by ScholarGPS. Based on his lifetime career accomplishments, Ben-Zion ranks No. 5 overall in Southern California, No. 20 in geophysics, No. 21 in Earthquakes as a specialty, and No. 161 in Earth and planetary sciences, putting him in the top 0.05% globally.
Douglas Capone, William and Julie Wrigley Chair in Environmental Studies and professor of biological sciences, has been listed as a Highly Ranked Scholar for 2025 by ScholarGPS. Capone ranks #26 globally in the marine sciences based on his accomplishments over the entirety of his career, putting him in the top 0.05% globally.
Eli Levenson-Falk, associate professor of physics and astronomy and electrical and computer engineering, has received a 1-year, $80,000 bridge award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. RCSA is a private foundation that provides support for innovative scientific research and the development of academic scientists, particularly in the physical sciences. The award will support Levenson-Falk’s work as his group navigates recent disruptions in federal research funding.
Megan Fieser, assistant professor of chemistry, has been awarded a Scialog Collaborative Innovation Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. One of eight projects funded in year two of Scialog’s Sustainable Minerals, Metals, and Materials initiative, the award supports basic scientific research on the acquisition, use and recycling of materials used in technology. Fieser will receive $60,000 to support her work on “SECURE Polymerization – Selective Encapsulation by Chelation Using Radiation-Enabled Polymerization” with Michael Schulz of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Hubert Saleur, professor of physics and astronomy, has won the Ampère Prize from the French Academy of Sciences. This prestigious honor, which includes 50,000 euros, recognizes outstanding achievements in physics and mathematics by a French scientist. Saleur’s studies include low-dimensional quantum field theories and statistical mechanics at the interface of hard condensed matter physics and high-energy physics, transport out of equilibrium in nanostructures, and phase transitions in disordered electronic systems.
USC Dornsife’s Public Exchange gathers scientists, health experts and community partners for a day of learning, connection and wellness designed to support neighborhoods impacted by the January wildfires.
Spotting the earliest warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease could help delay or even prevent the disease. Duke Han of psychology at USC Dornsife is co-leading a new, nationwide effort to make that possibility a reality.
