Susan Amara, scientific director of the Division of Intramural Research Programs at the National Institute of Mental Health, has been selected by the membership of the American Association for the Advancement of Science to serve as AAAS’ president-elect.
Amara will begin her term on Feb. 17 at the conclusion of the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle. After serving for one year as president elect, Amara will subsequently serve one year as AAAS president and one year as chair of the AAAS Board of Directors.
Amara is among the 119 officers selected during the annual election, which was open to all AAAS members from Dec. 3, 2019 through Jan. 6, 2020, including the election of two members of the AAAS Board of Directors, four members of the AAAS Committee on Nominations and officers of AAAS’ 24 discipline-specific sections.
The wide range of disciplines represented by AAAS is one of the organization’s particular strengths, Amara said.
“The opportunity to work with a group encompassing such a scientifically-diverse community to achieve the common mission of advancing ‘science, engineering and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people’ is what motivates me to stand for election,” said Amara in her candidacy statement.
AAAS’ diversity of expertise offers opportunities for collaboration to address the numerous challenges facing today’s world, including climate change, food security and the opiate epidemic, she said, adding that science’s “transformative discoveries and well-validated evidence” are up to clearing such obstacles.
“I really love the idea of being able to have a roomful of really smart and talented people who don't necessarily do exactly the same thing,” Amara added in an interview with AAAS. “Facilitating interactions between different disciplines really lends itself to having more interesting and more effective solutions.”
Amara also emphasized the importance of working collaboratively on a global scale. Most scientists work or study with colleagues from other countries, yet barriers like visa and immigration restrictions can hamper such collaboration. AAAS has a role to play in advocating for “the value of global science,” Amara said.
In her candidacy statement, Amara advocated for AAAS to continue efforts to strengthen early STEM education. Drawing upon her own early-life experiences as a girl interested in science, Amara said she was fortunate to have had inspiring teachers and transformative moments that kept her motivated in her pursuit of a science career. Yet, not all children are so lucky, Amara said, noting that continually improving STEM education can help ensure that the next generation of scientists is broad and diverse.
“Early investments in education provide a basis for a dynamic, well-trained scientific workforce, as well as an informed public, in order to meet the challenges that lie ahead,” she said.
After completing a bachelor’s degree at Stanford University and a Ph.D. in physiology and pharmacology at the University of California, San Diego, Amara held postdoctoral and faculty positions at the Yale University School of Medicine.
While at Yale, she became a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and joined Vollum Institute in Portland, Oregon. Later, Amara joined the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where she chaired the neurobiology department.
In 2011, Amara served as the president of the Society for Neuroscience, where she gained valuable experience in strategic advocacy and through collaborations with other organizations with similar goals.
Currently, Amara is a senior investigator in the National Institute of Mental Health’s Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, where she researches the movement of neurotransmitters in the brain and the effects of drugs on the transport process.
“As scientists, we have the training and the capacity to solve problems and to help guide public policy,” Amara said in an interview with AAAS. “Right now, is an opportune time for the vital activities AAAS is known for.”
When Amara assumes her role as president-elect in February, the current president-elect, Claire Fraser, will become president for one year. Current president Steven Chu will begin a one-year term as chair of the AAAS Board of Directors. Amara will follow the same sequence, becoming AAAS president in February 2021 and chair of the Board of Directors in February 2022.
2019 Annual Election Results
General Election
President-Elect:
Susan G. Amara, National Institute of Mental Health/NIMH
Board of Directors:
Cynthia M. Beall, Case Western University
Alondra Nelson, Social Science Research Council/Institute for Advanced Study
Committee on Nominations:
Marlene Belfort, University at Albany, the State University of New York
John G. Hildebrand, University of Arizona
Michael Prather, University of California, Irvine
Esther Takeuchi, Stony Brook University/Brookhaven National Laboratory
Section Elections
Agriculture, Food, and Renewable Resources
Chair-Elect:
G. Philip Robertson, Michigan State University
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Mary Ann Ottinger, University of Houston
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Sylvie M. Brouder, Purdue University
Catherine W. Ernst, Michigan State University
Anthropology
Chair-Elect:
George Robert Milner, Pennsylvania State University
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Leslea J. Hlusko, University of California, Berkeley
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Lyle W. Konigsberg, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jada Benn Torres, Vanderbilt University
Astronomy
Chair-Elect:
Anneila I. Sargent, California Institute of Technology
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Kelly Holley-Bockelmann, Vanderbilt University
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Catharine (Katy) Garmany, NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (Retired)
Rachel A. Osten, Space Telescope Science Institute
Atmospheric and Hydrospheric Sciences
Chair-Elect:
Susan S. Hubbard, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Colette L. Heald, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Sarah B. Kapnick, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
Isabella Velicogna, University of California, Irvine
Council Delegate:
Jennifer Francis, Woods Hole Research Center
Biological Sciences
Chair-Elect:
Nancy Jean Cox, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Lara M. Kueppers, University of California, Berkeley
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Daniela Drummond-Barbosa, Johns Hopkins University
Pamela Geyer, University of Iowa
Council Delegates:
Susan E. Celniker, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Carolyn M. Teschke, University of Connecticut
Chemistry
Chair-Elect:
Peter K. Dorhout, Kansas State University
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Julia Chan, The University of Texas at Dallas
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Barbara A. Baird, Cornell University
Karen L. Wooley, Texas A&M University
Dentistry and Oral Health Sciences
Chair-Elect:
Ichiro Nishimura, University of California, Los Angeles
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Nisha J. D’Silva, University of Michigan School of Dentistry
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Yang Chai, University of Southern California
Linda M. Kaste, University of Illinois at Chicago College of
Dentistry Council Delegate:
Catherine E. Ovitt, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Education
Chair-Elect:
Melanie M. Cooper, Michigan State University
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Maria Elizabeth Alvarez, El Paso County Community College
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Jeffery P. Braden, North Carolina State University
Sandra S. West, Texas State University
Council Delegate:
Cynthia M. Bauerle, James Madison University
Kristin P. Jenkins, BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium, Inc.
Engineering
Chair-Elect:
Jennifer Sinclair Curtis, University of California, Davis
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Pramod P. Khargonekar, University of California, Irvine
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Lynnette D. Madsen*, National Science Foundation (*serving in personal capacity)
Georgia Gina Tourassi, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Council Delegates:
Jacqueline H. Chen, Sandia National Laboratories
General Interest in Science and Engineering
Chair-Elect:
Erika C. Shugart, American Society for Cell Biology
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Marilee Long, Colorado State University
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Sue Nichols, Michigan State University
Jocelyn Steinke, Western Michigan University
Council Delegates:
JoAnn M. Valenti, Emerita
Geology and Geography
Chair-Elect:
Suzanne P. Anderson, University of Colorado Boulder
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Kam-biu Liu, Louisiana State University
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Luis A. González, University of Kansas
Adina Paytan, University of California, Santa Cruz
History and Philosophy of Science
Chair-Elect:
Jonathan C. Coopersmith, Texas A&M University
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Carol E. Cleland, University of Colorado Boulder
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Kristine C. Harper, University of Copenhagen (Denmark)
Susan D. Jones, University of Minnesota
Industrial Science and Technology
Chair-Elect:
Ernesto E. Marinero, Purdue University
Member-at-Large:
Lizhi Sun, University of California, Irvine
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Vanessa Z. Chan, University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Anne L. Plant, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Information, Computing, and Communication
Chair-Elect:
Nancy M. Amato, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Sven Koenig, University of Southern California
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Julia Gelfand, University of California, Irvine
Dana S. Nau, University of Maryland
Council Delegates:
Benjamin Kuipers, University of Michigan
Edward D. Lazowska, University of Washington
Linguistics and Language Science
Chair-Elect:
Randi C. Martin, Rice University
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Susan E. Brennan, Stony Brook University
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Jane MacNeil, Red Deer College (Canada)
Matthew Wagers, University of California, Santa Cruz
Council Delegates:
Joan A. Sereno, University of Kansas
Mathematics
Chair-Elect:
Ken Ono, University of Virginia
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Michel L. Lapidus, University of California, Riverside
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Keri A. Kornelson, University of Oklahoma
Judy L. Walker, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Medical Sciences
Chair-Elect:
David A. Frank, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Gabriela K. Popescu, University at Buffalo
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Lewis A. Chodosh, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Mary Dasso, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Neuroscience
Chair-Elect:
Judith R. Walters, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/National Institutes of Health
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Nina F. Schor, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/National Institutes of Health
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Peggy Mason, University of Chicago
Alcino J. Silva, University of California, Los Angeles
Council Delegates:
Jeffrey L. Noebels, Baylor College of Medicine
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Chair-Elect:
Peter J. Houghton, The University of Texas Health Center at San Antonio
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
James T. Dalton, University of Michigan
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Thomas L. Poulos, University of California, Irvine
Thomas E. Prisinzano, University of Kentucky
Council Delegates:
Patrick M. Woster, Medical University of South Carolina
Physics
Chair-Elect:
Susan N. Coppersmith, University of New South Wales (Australia)/University of Wisconsin-Madison
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Melissa A. Hines, Cornell University
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Jonathan L. Feng, University of California, Irvine
Dragana Popovic, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL)/Florida State University
Psychology
Chair-Elect:
Deanna M. Barch, Washington University
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Diane M. Mackie, University of California, Santa Barbara
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Robert M. Nosofsky, Indiana University
Suparna Rajaram, Stony Brook University
Social, Economic, and Political Sciences
Chair-Elect:
Mary Frank Fox, Georgia Institute of Technology
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Constance A. Nathanson, Columbia University
Suzanne M. Rivera, Case Western Reserve University
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Maria Charles, University of California, Santa Barbara
Virginia Sapiro, Boston University
Societal Impacts of Science and Engineering
Chair-Elect:
Melanie Roberts, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Dahlia L. Sokolov, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Evans S. Michelson, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Lori A. Perine, Interpretech
Council Delegates:
Francesca Grifo, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Statistics
Chair-Elect:
Leonard A. Stefanski, North Carolina State University
Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
Joseph W. Hogan, Brown University
Electorate Nominating Committee:
Sharon-Lise Normand, Harvard Medical School
Elizabeth A. Stuart, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
Council Delegates:
Nancy Reid, University of Toronto (Canada)
