Political scientist new member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The “Academy” honors excellence and convenes leaders from every field of human endeavor since 1780. Now political science professor Ellen Lust joins the list of notable members such as Martin Luther King, Madeleine Albright, Albert Einstein, and Mary Leakey.
As an independent research center, the Academy is committed to multidisciplinary, nonpartisan research that engages experts in various fields and professions to provide pragmatic solutions for complex challenges. Ellen Lust, professor of political science and founding director of the Governance and Local Development Institute (GLD), has been elected a new member of the Academy´s social and behavioral sciences class, the section for political science. The Academy is in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Congratulations Ellen! What does it mean to you to be elected to the Academy?
"It’s a huge honor to be elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. I am excited to join a set of impressive, exciting scholars whose innovative work I admire. I also welcome the opportunity to engage in an organization aimed at advancing scientific knowledge in the interest of human welfare, goals that fit closely with those of us at GLD."
GLD aims to promote human welfare by conducting scientifically rigorous research across the globe. Their research focuses on answering a fundamental question: why are some communities able to provide secure environments, good education, adequate healthcare, and other factors that encourage human development, while others fail to do so? They engage with communities across the world, develop methodological tools, gather data, and undertake analyses on major issues affecting societies today.
With her election, Ellen Lust joins the company of notable members. Early members included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington to Ralph Waldo Emerson, Maria Mitchell, and Alexander Graham Bell. Other distinguished members have included Margaret Mead, Jonas Salk, Barbara McClintock, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Aaron Copland, Martha Graham, John Hope Franklin, Georgia O’Keeffe, E. O. Wilson, Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell, and N. Scott Momaday.
International Honorary Members have included Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Wislawa Szymborska, Laurence Olivier, Mary Leakey, Gabriel Garcia Márquez, Akira Kurosawa, and Nelson Mandela.
The Academy's current members represent today’s innovative thinkers in every field and profession, including more than two hundred and fifty Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners.
The complete list of newly elected members and a press release is available on the Academy’s website.