Three Northeastern leaders receive lifetime honor for prolific scientific contributions - Northeastern University College of Science

Three Northeastern leaders have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science—a lifetime honor awarded to scholars for their exceptional contributions and leadership in their scientific fields.

Elizabeth Mynatt, dean of the Khoury College of Computer Sciences at Northeastern, was selected for her outstanding community leadership and exceptional contributions to human-centered computing.

Hazel Sive, dean of the College of Science, received the recognition for fundamental discoveries advancing our understanding of early embryonic development, particularly the development of the nervous system in vertebrates, and for her leadership in teaching, mentoring, and diversity in higher education.

Penny Beuning, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Northeastern, was chosen as a fellow for key discoveries in the way cells respond to DNA damage, and for research that underpins our understanding of the process by which cells copy that damage, or don’t.

Mynatt, Sive, and Beuning join the ranks of other Northeastern leaders to receive this fellowship. That prestigious group includes university president Joseph E. Aoun, provost and senior vice president David Madigan, dean of inclusive computing Carla Brodley, director of the Marine Science Center Geoffrey Trussell, university distinguished professor of psychology Lisa Feldman Barrett, and university distinguished professor of biology Kim Lewis, among others.

“It’s very exciting and a great honor,” Mynatt says. “It’s terrific to have greater recognition in AAAS for our field as a whole. I’m also very excited about my peers who are being recognized this year. I’m excited that that work is being valued.”