Two Stony Brook University faculty – Jackie L. Collier and Pamela A. Abshire – have been named 2025 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellows.
The AAAS Fellows program was first established in 1874. To be considered as a Fellow, AAAS members must be nominated by the steering committee of their respective sections by three Fellows or the CEO of AAAS. Nominations are reviewed by the AAAS Council, which then votes on the nominations. Collier and Abshire will be recognized for their achievements at the Fellows Forum on May 29 in Washington, DC at an event held during the AAAS Annual Meeting.
“This year’s AAAS Fellows have demonstrated research excellence, made notable contributions to advance science, and delivered important services to their communities,” said Sudip S. Parikh, PhD, 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.”
“Congratulations to Pamela and Jackie for being recognized as AAAS Fellows,” said Carl W. Lejuez, Stony Brook University provost and executive vice president of academic affairs. “They have each made incredible contributions to their fields in biosensors and marine science, respectively, and I’m so pleased to see them join this select group of exceptional scientists and researchers from across the country. Recognitions like these underscore Stony Brook’s reputation as a state flagship and leading research university, and the years of effort behind these kinds of honors are advancing our understanding of the world and improving our society.”
As AAAS Fellows, Collier and Abshire join a class of nearly 500 scientists, engineers, and innovators. Together, they make up the ranks of distinguished scientists, engineers, and innovators who have been recognized for their contributions in the areas of academia, research, and science communications. Notable AAAS Fellows include Maria Mitchell, Steven Chu, Ellen Ochoa, Irwin M. Jacobs, Alan Alda, Mae Jemison, and Ayanna Howard.
Collier, a professor and graduate program director in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) is being honored for contributions to marine microbial ecology, particularly for illuminating the genomics and ecology of marine labyrinthulomycete protists and their viruses, and for pioneering genetic tools to study these organisms.
“It is a real pleasure to feel recognized for doing good science that has made a meaningful contribution and that recognition will help me continue to do more of the same,” Collier said.
Collier was a National Science Foundation (NSF) Marine Biotechnology Postdoctoral Fellow and has been teaching at Stony Brook University since 2002. Her research has been funded by NSF, New York Sea Grant, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and other sources, and she is a member of the New York State Center for Clean Water Technology. She has authored 65 papers and has been recognized at Stony Brook with the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Service by a GPD. Her alma mater is Stanford University, where she earned her Ph.D. in 1994.
Abshire is being honored for her distinguished contributions to the design of bio-inspired, sensing, and adaptive integrated circuits.
“I am deeply honored to be recognized as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the nation’s foremost organization for scientific advocacy and community,” said Abshire. “Throughout my career, I have been captivated by the challenge of understanding novel computational models – such as analog computing and biocomputing – that promise far greater efficiency than conventional approaches. That pursuit has led me to develop sensors and systems that deepen our understanding of the rich connections between biology and technology.”
Abshire is chair and professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. She is internationally known for her work in low-power mixed-signal integrated circuits (IC), adaptive ICs and IC sensors, and CMOS biosensors. Her research focuses on better understanding and exploiting the tradeoffs between performance and resources in natural and engineered systems. Her honors include an NSF CAREER award, elevation to IEEE Fellow, and recognition as a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher at the University of Maryland.
Abshire has authored 160+ publications and has three U.S. patents. She served on the Emerging Technologies and Research Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Board of Governors for the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society (3 terms), the IEEE Fellow Committee and on the Scientific Advisory Council for the SUNY-IBM AI Research Alliance. Her alma mater is Johns Hopkins University, where she earned her Ph.D. in 2001.
