AAAS names 7 UC Irvine researchers as fellows

Irvine, Calif., March 26, 2026 —The American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society, has selected seven University of California, Irvine researchers – working in disciplines as diverse as chemistry, civil and environmental engineering, neurobiology, and physics – as fellows.

"Congratulations to the seven UC Irvine researchers named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science this year,” said Hal Stern, UC Irvine provost and executive vice chancellor. “Their recognition speaks to the important contributions these scholars have made to their fields."

The new fellows, with AAAS citations, include two from the School of Medicine:

• Geoffrey Abbott, professor and interim chair of physiology and biophysics – for major discoveries about potassium ion channels, which are tiny gateways in our cells that help control essential body functions. His work revealed how these channels respond to signals from the brain, natural chemicals made by plants and animals, and specific proteins in the body. These insights help scientists better understand how cells communicate and how certain diseases develop.
• Michael Yassa, professor of neurobiology and behavior and James L. McGaugh Chair in the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory – for groundbreaking discoveries about the hippocampus that provide a basis for understanding cognitive decline in dementia and for developing a visionary model for training the next generation of neuroscientists.

Read the full press release in UC Irvine News.