Two Duke University faculty are among 486 scientists elected as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science this year. The AAAS, publisher of the journal Science, elevates members to the rank of fellow to recognize efforts deemed scientifically or socially distinguished.
The two Duke fellows for this year are:
Thomas G. Mitchell PhD, associate professor of molecular genetics and microbiology in the Duke Medical Center, who studies three types of infectious fungi that have increased in response to the AIDS epidemic and expanded uses of immunosuppressive therapies. He was cited for distinguished contributions to the field of microbial reproduction for shedding light on interactions between fungi and immune cells, revealing population structures of human pathogens and outlining how sex enables such pathogens to emerge.
Dale Purves MD, the George Barth Geller Professor for Research in Neurobiology, whose studies include how our brains process vision and sound. He was cited for contributions of great breadth ranging from developmental neurobiology to sensory perception as well as for distinguished leadership as an editor, author and administrator. The director of Duke's Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, he has written a number of books, been featured in the media and has an award-wining website.