Stony Brook University Distinguished Professor Kenneth A. Dill was among 164 influential artists, scientists, scholars, authors and institutional leaders who were inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences at a ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Saturday, October 11. Dill, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Physics, Chemistry and Biophysics, is the Louis and Beatrice Laufer Professor of Physical and Quantitative Biology and also Director of the Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology at Stony Brook University.
“Ken, a Distinguished Professor of Physics, Chemistry and Biophysica, is well-deserving of this honor, and Stony Brook University is extremely fortunate to have him serve as Director of our Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology,” said Dennis N. Assanis, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Ken’s excellent record of research, scholarly publications, teaching, mentoring and professional service has made him a leader in his field and a pillar in the Stony Brook University community.”
Dill is best known for his research on folding pathways of proteins. He earned a SB and SM in Mechanical Engineering at MIT and a PhD at the University of California, San Diego. Dill did his post-doctoral training in chemistry at Stanford University and then went on to do many years of research at the University of California, San Francisco, before coming to Stony Brook. He is now director of the Laufer Center, a hub for research in physical and quantitative biology that aims to advance biology and medicine through discoveries in physics, mathematics and computational science. Dill was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2008.
“The Induction Ceremony recognizes the achievements of today’s most accomplished individuals,” said Academy President Jonathan Fanton. “The distinguished women and men who were inducted this weekend have engaged in innovative research, examined every aspect of our society and continue to pursue solutions to the most pressing challenges of the day. They are all leaders of the respective fields and the Academy offers them an opportunity to work together to advance the common good.”
Founded in 1780, the American Academy is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious learned societies, and an independent research center that draws from its members’ expertise to conduct studies in science and technology policy, global security, the humanities and culture, social policy, and education.
Click here for an alphabetical list of the new Academy members.
— Lynne Roth
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