WASHINGTON – The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s New Voices in Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine program has announced its 2024 cohort of members, a group of 26 outstanding early- and mid-career scientists, engineers, and medical professionals.
During their two-year term of service, the new members will engage in the advisory and convening work of the National Academies, develop their own interdisciplinary projects, and add to the building of a robust network of emerging STEM leaders across the U.S. and around the world.
New Voices aims to expand the diversity of expertise engaged in the work of the National Academies while developing a network of U.S. leaders to address national and global challenges.
“From the announcement of the very first New Voices cohort, I have been thrilled with the caliber, diversity, and dedicated work ethic of these emerging leaders,” said National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt. “They represent proudly the best and brightest of young American researchers.”
The new members are:
- Kiana Aran, University of California, San Diego
- Sabrina Assoumou, Boston University and Boston Medical Center
- Ayodeji Coker, Booz Allen Hamilton
- Angel Desai, University of California, Davis
- Monica Dus, University of Michigan
- Rachel Gallery, University of Arizona
- Mariel Lavieri, University of Michigan
- Mitul Luhar, University of Southern California
- Holly Mayton, John Deere
- Jessica Menold, Pennsylvania State University
- Melanie Napier, North Carolina Division of Public Health
- Jamaji C. Nwanaji-Enwerem, Emory University
- Emily Pentzer, Texas A&M University
- John Reich, Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research
- Lisa Rotenstein, University of California, San Francisco
- Kaitlyn Sadtler, National Institutes of Health
- Eri Saikawa, Emory University
- Karma Sawyer, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Amanda Vernon, National Science Foundation
- Jim Yoon, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Ying Zhang, Meta Platform Inc.
In addition, five members of the previous cohort will extend their service by one year to join the new cohort:
- Mahdieh Aghazadeh, Johnson & Johnson
- Steffi Diem, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Umut Gurkan, Case Western Reserve University
- Hussam Mahmoud, Colorado State University
- Michael Martin, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The new cohort will be supported by an advisory committee made up of senior experts; elected members of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and National Academy of Medicine; and program alumni who are dedicated to the New Voices mission.
With the addition of the new members, the New Voices network now has 60 members across three cohorts. Members of previous cohorts have served on over 21 National Academies committees and represented U.S. early-career STEM voices at more than 27 major international and domestic events.
In May, New Voices will host the 2024 International Conference of Young Scientists, the annual meeting of the Global Young Academy, held in Washington, D.C. New Voices members across current and previous cohorts will collaborate closely with the Global Young Academy on the event.
For more information about the members and the program, visit the website and join the mailing list to receive updates.
The National Academies are private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, engineering, and medicine. They operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln. For more information, visit nationalacademies.org.
