Two University of Chicago scholars have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, joining other scientists and researchers chosen in “recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.”
Profs. Chuan He and Joseph Thornton are among the 120 new members elected this year. They are honored for their groundbreaking work in biochemistry and biology, respectively.
Chuan He is the John T. Wilson Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
He is an expert in the field of nucleic acid chemistry and biology, in particular RNA modification biology and RNA-mediated regulation. He was the first to champion the idea that modifications to RNA are reversible and can control gene expression. His work is foundational to developing potential therapies that target RNA modification effectors against human diseases such as cancer.
He’s team was the first to identify eraser proteins, which can undo changes made to RNA molecules, which sparked the emergence of epitranscriptome research. They also explained how RNA methylation functions through characterizing reader proteins—processes that known to play critical roles in many types of cancer.
He has been named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His honors also include the 2023 Wolf Prize in Chemistry, the 2023 Tetrahedron Prize, and the 2023 Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year in Life Sciences.
Joseph Thornton is a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution and the Department of Human Genetics.
Thornton studies the mechanisms by which protein functions evolve. His lab phylogenetically reconstructs the histories of ancient proteins and then synthesizes, manipulates, and experimentally characterizes them. This approach allows them to address fundamental questions about the nature of evolutionary processes, such as how complex molecular systems evolve, how the biophysical structure of proteins has shaped their evolution, and the role of chance and historical contingency in producing the diverse proteins of present-day organisms. His former trainees are now leading evolutionary researchers at institutions across the world.
Thornton also co-directs the University of Chicago’s NIH-funded Genetic Mechanisms and Evolution predoctoral training program and is a founding member of the Ecology and Evolution DEI Committee, a collective of students, faculty, and postdocs devoted to creating a research and educational environment in which students and scientists of diverse backgrounds and identities can thrive.
Previously, Thornton was also the recipient of a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, the National Council on Science Education’s Darwin Award for advancing public understanding of evolution, the U.S. Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award, and an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship.
