Stephen Raudenbush Elected to National Academy of Sciences

May 3, 2012

University of Chicago professor Stephen W. Raudenbush was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his continuing achievements in original research. Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a scientist or engineer.

Raudenbush is a leading scholar on quantitative methods for studying child and youth development within social settings such as classrooms, schools, and neighborhoods. He is best known for his work on developing hierarchical linear modes, with broad applications in the design and analysis of longitudinal and multilevel research.

A professor at the Harris School of Public Policy and the Lewis-Sebring Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Sociology, Raudenbush was one of 84 new members and 21 foreign associates from 14 countries announced by the Academy on May 1, 2012.

"It is a tremendous honor to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences," Raudenbush said. "I am excited for the opportunity to contribute to the Academy's mission to advance science and technology and their use for the public good."

There are now 44 current members of the University of Chicago faculty who have been elected to the Academy, three of whom – Roger Myerson, Jim Heckman and Raudenbush – are also on faculty at the Harris School of Public Policy.

"On behalf of the entire Chicago Harris community I want to congratulate Professor Raudenbush on this tremendous achievement," said Colm O'Muircheartaigh, dean of the Harris School of Public Policy. "The election of Professor Raudenbush to the National Academy of Sciences is both a recognition of his exemplary accomplishments and a reflection of the strength of the Chicago Harris faculty."

The National Academy of Sciences was created by an Act of Congress, signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 at the height of the Civil War, to provide independent advice to the government on matters related to science and technology. Since then the nation's leaders have turned to the Academy for advice on the scientific and technological issuesthat frequently affect policy decisions. Today, the Academy membershiptotals approximately 2,200 members and 400 foreign associates, of whom more than 190 have received Nobel prizes.

--Dominick Washington