USC Dornsife professors named fellows of esteemed scientific society

Two USC Dornsife scientists have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an honor awarded to AAAS members by their peers.

Xiaojiang Chen, professor of biological sciences and chemistry, and Karl Christe, research professor of chemistry, were among a total of five USC faculty members elected to the prestigious fellowship.

Founded in 1848, the nonprofit AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society. The group began its fellows tradition in 1874 and publishes the journal Science.

This year, 396 members will be named fellows because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.

Among the reasons for Chen’s election are his contributions to the field of structural molecular biology, particularly for understanding viral and cellular DNA replication and genomic mutations. His lab answers important questions in cancer biology and immunology.

Christe was recognized for his contributions to the field of synthetic inorganic chemistry, particularly in high-energy density materials. His research goal is to advance the state of the art, and his lab strives for spectacular breakthroughs rather than settling for incremental improvements.

Other USC faculty elected AAAS Fellows this year are: Petros Ioannou, A.V. “Bal” Balakrishnan Professor of Electrical Engineering-Systems, Sven Koenig, professor of computer science, and Paul Rosenbloom, professor of computer science, all from USC Viterbi School of Engineering Viterbi; and David Warburton, professor of pediatrics and surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

The new fellows will be presented with a certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin representing science and engineering on Feb. 17 at the 2018 AAAS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas.