American Academy Of Arts And Sciences Announces New Members For 2023

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has announced 269 individuals who have been elected as new members to the Academy for 2023.

Founded in 1780, during the American Revolution, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences honors individuals for exceptional accomplishments and leadership in academia, the arts, industry, public policy, and research. In addition to honoring individuals for their outstanding achievements, the Academy also engages in multidisciplinary research by experts in various fields, addressing topics in the areas of the arts and humanities, democracy and justice, education, energy and environment, global affairs, and science and technology.

The new members were selected in five “classes” or categories:

Mathematical and Physical Sciences (59 new members), which includes fields such as mathematics and statistics; physics; chemistry; astronomy, astrophysics and earth sciences; engineering and technology; and computer sciences.

Biological Sciences (50 new members), which includes biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology; cellular and developmental biology; evolution and ecology; neurosciences; medical sciences; and microbiology and immunology.

Social and Behavioral Sciences (58 new members), including psychological sciences; economics; political science; law; anthropology and archeology; sociology, demography and geography; and education.

Humanities and Arts (63 new members), including such fields as philosophy and religious studies, history, literature and language studies, literature, visual arts, and performing arts.

Leadership, Policy, and Communications (39 new members), which includes journalism, media and communications; business, corporate and philanthropic leadership; educational and academic leadership; public affairs and pubic policy; and scientific, cultural and nonprofit leadership.

Among the more recognizable names in this year’s class are financial journalist and author Michael Lewis; James B. Milliken, Chancellor of the University of Texas; actor Lawrence J. Fishburne, III; novelist Zadie Smith; University of Texas social psychologist James E. Pennebaker; actor and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda; Rice University President Reginald DesRoches; and poet and essayist Ilya Kaminsky.

Announcing this year’s new members, Academy President David W. Oxtoby said, “With the election of these members, the Academy is honoring excellence, innovation, and leadership and recognizing a broad array of stellar accomplishments. We hope every new member celebrates this achievement and joins our work advancing the common good.”

Among the more than 14,000 academy members elected since 1780 are such illustrious figures as Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Benjamin Franklin, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Margaret Mead, Martin Luther King Jr., Joan Baez, Nelson Mandala, Milton Friedman, Stephen Hawking, Condoleezza Rice, Heather Cox Richardson, and M. Temple Grandin.

The Academy maintains – at its headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts – a gallery of the letters of acceptance written by individuals who’ve been elected to membership. Some are typed, others handwritten, at least one is composed entirely with emojis, another is written as poem. Ranging from elaborate to simple, the letters give a sense of what being elected to the Academy has meant for the honorees, and they offer some insight into the work that’s shaped their lives and careers.