Quake Elected to National Academy of Sciences

Bioengineer receives one of nation's highest honors in science. His innovations include a rapid DNA sequencer, a non-invasive prenatal test for Down syndrome and the biological equivalent of the integrated circuit.

Stephen Quake, the Lee Otterson Professor in the School of Engineering and a professor of bioengineering, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors for an American scientist in recognition of distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Five other Stanford faculty members joined Quake in this year’s class of new members.

Drawing upon his physics background, Quake has introduced large-scale quantitative approaches in many areas of biology that were previously impossible to address. His innovations include a rapid DNA sequencer, a non-invasive prenatal test for Down syndrome and the biological equivalent of the integrated circuit.

Stephen Quake, the Lee Otterson Professor in the School of Engineering and a professor of bioengineering. Photo credit: Joel Simon.

Past academy honorees have included such renowned scientists and inventors as Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer, Thomas Edison, Orville Wright and Alexander Graham Bell. Nearly 200 living members of the academy have won Nobel Prizes.

Quake and his fellow Stanford scholars were among 84 new members and 21 foreign associates from 14 countries, bringing the total number of active members to 2,179 and the total number of foreign associates to 437.

The new members will be inducted next April during the academy's 151st annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

Last modified Thu, 2 May, 2013 at 15:44