Nine Michigan State University researchers have been elected 2025 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS, one of the world’s largest and most respected scientific societies.

Ann Austin, Gary Blanchard, Shi-you Ding, Dean Lee, Hui Li, Elena Litchman, James McCusker, Dohun Pyeon and Elise Zipkin are being recognized for their work in education, chemistry, cancer studies, biological and medical sciences, physics and agriculture, food and renewable resources. Since 1874, AAAS — pronounced “triple-A-S” — has recognized distinguished individuals as fellows for their contributions to science and society.

The 2025 cohort of fellows includes nearly 500 scientists, engineers and innovators. The nine MSU fellows represent four colleges and a shared commitment to research that improves lives and expands opportunity. Much of their work is funded by the federal government.

“It’s an honor to join AAAS in recognizing so many outstanding MSU researchers,” said MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D. “Not only are they confronting local and global challenges through their research, but these faculty members are also preparing Spartans for careers of today and tomorrow. I’m proud of how they all represent this leading global public university’s firm commitment to excellence and service.”

“This year’s AAAS Fellows have demonstrated research excellence, made notable contributions to advance science and delivered important services to their communities,” said Sudip Parikh, AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals. “These fellows and their accomplishments validate the importance of investing in science and technology for the benefit of all.”

The nine MSU faculty join a distinguished list of more than 190 current and past Spartans who have been selected as fellows.

Ann Austin

University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Educational Administration in the College of Education; formerly served as interim vice provost and associate vice president for Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs

Ann Austin was elected as a 2025 AAAS Fellow for her work in education. Austin is internationally known for her research that investigates a wide range of educational issues, including faculty careers, professional development and doctoral education along with the subjects of teaching, learning and organizational change in higher education. She has examined reform in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, education along with equity and inclusion in academia.

Much of Austin’s work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, including a multi-institutional project focused on the teaching preparation of future STEM faculty. She recently co-authored a book that aims to strengthen instructional excellence and foster institutional cultures in higher education that prioritize learning.

“Being selected as a AAAS Fellow is a highly meaningful honor to me,” Austin said. “The award highlights the importance of excellent STEM education in the lives of undergraduate and graduate students and to the long-term well-being of our nation and world. I am deeply grateful for opportunities across many years to work with outstanding teams of experienced colleagues and dedicated graduate students and postdocs, working together to strengthen undergraduate STEM education, prepare future faculty to be excellent teachers and identify strategies to create academic environments that welcome and support the full range of talent in our population.”

Gary Blanchard

Professor of chemistry in the College of Natural Science

Blanchard was selected as a AAAS Fellow for his groundbreaking work in chemistry. Among other accomplishments, Blanchard and graduate student Md Iqbal Hossain were able to see the piezoelectric effect in a liquid for the first time. The piezoelectric effect is used in applications ranging from spark sources for stoves to accelerometers in cars to deploy airbags. Discovering that the effect occurs in liquid could spur the development of new applications in which the properties of a liquid could be used as an advantage. In 2024, Blanchard received a National Science Foundation award to further his studies.

Along with his current NSF grant, Blanchard’s research also has been supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and more.

“It is a great honor to be chosen as a AAAS Fellow,” Blanchard said. “This honor was made possible by support from MSU and several federal funding agencies, especially the National Science Foundation, for which I am deeply grateful.”

Shi-you Ding

Associate professor in the Department of Plant Biology and faculty in the Molecular Plant Sciences Program in the College of Natural Science

Shi-you Ding was named a fellow for his body of work in biological sciences. Ding and his team’s research focuses on fundamental understanding of plant cell wall structure and its practical applications.

With support from the NSF, Ding has worked to help detail the molecular mechanism plants use to produce cellulose by developing advanced microscopy techniques that can track single molecules.

“I am deeply honored to be elected as a fellow of the AAAS,” Ding said. “My research has benefited greatly from sustained collaborations with multidisciplinary teams at MSU and worldwide, and I extend my sincere appreciation to my colleagues, postdoctoral scholars and students for their contributions over the past three decades. I look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts in advancing exploratory scientific research in the years to come.”

Dean Lee

Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the College of Natural Science and the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams

Dean Lee was honored for his groundbreaking work in physics. He and his team study emergent phenomena in nuclear physics and quantum many-body systems using new theoretical approaches and algorithms.

Much of Lee’s work is possible with support from the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, or FRIB, at MSU. MSU operates FRIB as a user facility for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, or DOE-SC, with financial support from and furthering the mission of the DOE-SC Office of Nuclear Physics. FRIB’s science and technology strategies build on more than six decades of experience in accelerator-based research, providing a foundation of operational reliability and trust with federal partners.

“I am deeply grateful to my colleagues for the fellowship nomination and to the AAAS community for the election,” Lee said. “The credit and recognition also belong to my many outstanding collaborators, whose contributions have been central to the projects that have defined my research career. I also gratefully acknowledge support from the Department of Energy Office of Science and the National Science Foundation for research in nuclear theory, high-performance computing, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence and machine learning.”

Hui Li

MSU Research Foundation Professor of environmental soil chemistry in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources; associate director of the Center for PFAS Research

For his influential work in agriculture, food and renewable resources, Hui Li was elected as a AAAS Fellow. Li — a world-renowned expert in environmental soil chemistry and the fate and transport of contaminants in plant-soil-water systems — examines, among other topics, how environmental organic contaminants can impact soil, water and plants.

His work has extended from legacy pollutants into emerging contaminants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS — known as forever chemicals — which can remain in soil and water for thousands of years. Researchers at the MSU Center for PFAS Research have a goal of quantifying and communicating PFAS risks and mitigating their effects on human health, agriculture and natural resources.

“I am honored to be nominated as a AAAS Fellow by my colleague Phil Robertson,” Li said. “This achievement would not have been successful without the crucial USDA, EPA, NIH and NSF funding programs that supported our team research and the significant contributions from outstanding graduate students, postdoctoral research associates and colleagues at MSU, as well as collaborators outside. I appreciate everyone who has walked with me along this journey, and we will continue to work together and move the research program forward.”

Elena Litchman

MSU Research Foundation Distinguished Professor of aquatic ecology at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station and the Department of Integrative Biology in the College of Natural Science

Elena Litchman was named a fellow for her work in biological sciences. Her lab investigates how algae, cyanobacteria and other microorganisms respond to global environmental change in both freshwater and marine ecosystems.

Combining field observations, laboratory experiments and mathematical modeling, Litchman and her team study what drives biodiversity and ecological resilience and how microbial communities affect water quality and ecosystem functioning. Her work also explores how environmental changes can influence microbial systems connected to human health. In one 2025 article, Litchman discusses how climate change affects gut health and is featured for her work with the MSU Water Alliance.

“I am honored to be recognized by AAAS,” Litchman said. “I am grateful that such an influential scientific society recognized my research on how aquatic ecosystems respond to changing environmental conditions and how biodiversity and water quality may be affected.”

James McCusker

Joseph Zichis Endowed Chair and MSU Research Foundation Distinguished Professor of chemistry in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Natural Science

James McCusker was elected as a AAAS Fellow for distinguished work in chemistry, particularly in understanding how light energy is converted into chemical energy.

Long supported in part with funding by the Solar Photochemistry Program within the Office of Basic Energy Sciences of the U.S. Department of Energy, his group’s research is widely recognized for pioneering groundbreaking applications of ultrafast laser spectroscopy in the context of inorganic compounds. By applying these approaches particularly to compounds incorporating earth-abundant elements in the first transition series, McCusker’s lab is paving the way for cost-effective, environmentally friendly and scalable chemistry with applications ranging from solar energy conversion to light-driven organic synthesis.

“It’s quite humbling to look at the legacy of individuals who have been named AAAS Fellows over the years — many of whom are people I’ve looked up to and whose work I’ve admired for a long time,” McCusker said. “To be a member of that relatively select group is quite an honor. This recognition is far less about me than it is about the students and postdoctoral associates with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working. None of this would have been possible were it not for their hard work and dedication. I also want to express my gratitude to my colleague Angela Wilson, who nominated me for this honor.”

Dohun Pyeon

Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Genetics and Immunology in the College of Human Medicine and the College of Natural Science

Dohun Pyeon was named a 2025 fellow for his research in cancer studies, where he and a team of researchers focus on human papillomavirus, or HPV, and associated cancers, including investigating virus-host interactions to develop effective preventive and therapeutic strategies.

Pyeon recently co-authored a study that revealed how HPV-positive cancers hide from the immune system — and how to make them visible again. Pyeon also studies how HPV suppresses key immune-recruiting signals within the tumor environment, leading to a “cold” tumor that resists treatment. Pyeon and his team hope to identify strategies to counteract immune evasion and enhance the effectiveness of current immunotherapies for patients. Last year, Pyeon and a team of researchers from Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences were awarded a $3 million grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to study new treatments for patients who have head and neck cancer caused by HPV.

“Being elected as a AAAS Fellow is deeply humbling, and I am genuinely moved by this recognition,” Pyeon said. “I have been incredibly fortunate to have had exceptional mentors — Paul Ahlquist and Paul Lambert [both at the University of Wisconsin–Madison] — who shaped my understanding of science and what it means to pursue it with rigor and purpose. I am also deeply thankful to my department chair, Vic DiRita, and to the many colleagues and collaborators at MSU and beyond whose generosity and intellectual partnership have been indispensable. None of this would be possible without the amazing members of my lab, whose curiosity, dedication and hard work are the true driving force behind everything we do. This recognition belongs to all of them.”

Elise Zipkin

Red Cedar Distinguished Professor, Department of Integrative Biology; director, Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Program; appointment in the College of Natural Science

Elise Zipkin was elected as a AAAS Fellow for her work in ecology, conservation biology and the management of biodiversity. Using advanced statistical models and long-term data, Zipkin and her team work to assess and predict biodiversity trends and inform conservation strategies. Her work helps guide decision-making on protecting species and managing natural resources in a rapidly changing world.

Zipkin, along with colleague and 2024 AAAS Fellow Nick Haddad, co-authored a study that raises the possibility of a country without butterflies — and urges conservation efforts.

“I am deeply honored to be recognized as a fellow of AAAS,” Zipkin said. “This distinction reflects not only my own work, but the collective efforts of the many mentors, students, postdocs and collaborators who have shaped my scientific journey. Science is inherently a team endeavor, and I am especially grateful to be part of a vibrant and supportive community of colleagues at MSU.”

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