Two faculty members from the University of Washington have been chosen for the National Academy of Sciences:

• Adrienne Fairhall, a professor specializing in neurobiology and biophysics, as well as an adjunct in applied mathematics
• David Hertzog, the Arthur B. McDonald Professor of Physics and the director of the Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics

Fairhall and Hertzog are part of 120 newly inducted members and 30 international associates elected “to honor their significant and ongoing contributions in innovative research,” disclosed on April 29 by the Academy. Established in 1863, the National Academy of Sciences offers policy recommendations and insights to governmental and private entities.

Adrienne FairhallJ. Garner Photography

Fairhall’s research group at UW Medicine develops theoretical methodologies to comprehend how nervous systems interpret information. She partners with experimental laboratories across the UW, investigating information processing from solitary neurons — nerve cells responsible for receiving and transmitting signals — to neural networks. Her research includes analyzing how mosquitoes utilize heat and chemical signals for foraging, as well as how neural inputs influence muscle activation and biomechanics in hydra — small, tentacled invertebrates found in aquatic environments.

Originally from Australia, Fairhall obtained her master’s and Ph.D. in physics from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Before joining the UW School of Medicine faculty in 2004, she was a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University. Her accolades include a Sloan Fellowship, a Burroughs Wellcome “Careers at the Scientific Interface” Fellowship, and a McKnight Scholar Award. She has been recognized as an Allen Institute Distinguished Investigator and served as the Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris in 2022.

David Hertzog

Hertzog supervises the UW Precision Muon Physics Group, a team dedicated to designing and creating detectors for highly precise experiments involving muons — particles analogous to electrons but approximately 200 times heavier — carried out at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory located near Chicago. The UW group has also been instrumental in processing the vast data generated from this experiment, known as the Muon g-2 experiment.

The principal aim is to examine the Standard Model — a theoretical framework for understanding the fundamental workings of the universe. Investigating muon behavior may clarify whether muons interact only with known particles and forces, or if there are undiscovered particles or forces present.

Hertzog earned his Ph.D. in physics from The College of William & Mary. After spending time at Carnegie-Mellon University and the University of Illinois, he joined the UW faculty as a professor in 2010. He has participated in numerous scientific advisory boards and panels and has co-authored over 200 scientific papers and reports. He has mentored or co-mentored more than 20 Ph.D. students and 15 postdoctoral researchers.

With this year’s new additions, the National Academy of Sciences now comprises 2,662 active members and 556 international members.