Two Duke Faculty Elected as AAAS Fellows

An engineer and an anthropologist are recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science

engineer Hai “Helen” Li and evolutionary anthropologist Herman Pontzer
Engineer Hai “Helen” Li and evolutionary anthropologist Herman Pontzer

Two Duke faculty have been elected 2025 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science: electrical and computer engineer Hai “Helen” Li and evolutionary anthropologist Herman Pontzer.

Li and Pontzer are among the nearly 500 scientists, engineers and innovators who have been recognized for their scientific and social achievements by one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and publisher of the Science family of journals.

“Congratulations to Dr. Li and Dr. Pontzer on their election as AAAS Fellows," said Provost Alec D. Gallimore. "Through their extraordinary accomplishments as scholars and teachers, they embody the best of Duke’s rich intellectual culture. I am delighted they are being recognized with this well-deserved honor.”

A tradition dating back to 1874, election as a AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor, and all Fellows are expected to meet the commonly held standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity. Distinguished past honorees include Thomas Edison, W.E.B DuBois, Maria Mitchell, Steven Chu, Ellen Ochoa and Irwin M. Jacobs.

“This year’s AAAS Fellows have demonstrated research excellence, made notable contributions to advance science, and delivered important services to their communities,” said Sudip S. Parikh, AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals. “These Fellows and their accomplishments validate the importance of investing in science and technology for the benefit of all.”

Hai “Helen” Li

Two researchers work together at a laboratory bench, connecting wires and testing electronic equipment. Li is standing in a white coat while her colleague sits in a black hoodie.
Li, center, is at the forefront of AI research. Credit: Les Todd.

Li works in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence, conducting cutting-edge research into brain-inspired computing, trustworthy AI, and the co-design of software and hardware. She has been elected “for distinguished contributions to the hardware design and implementation of machine learning algorithms, their translation to industrial practice, related educational endeavors, and service to the profession.”

Li is the Marie Foote Reel E’46 Distinguished Professor and Department Chair of the Pierre R. Lamond Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the Pratt School of Engineering, as well as a professor of computer science at Trinity College of Arts & Sciences.

Read more about Li at the Pratt School of Engineering.

Herman Pontzer

Ponzter sits in casual clothes in a laboratory space beside a treadmill, with equipment and work surfaces visible in the background.
Pontzer explores metabolism and health through an interdisciplinary approach. Credit: Eamon Queeney.

Pontzer explores how the human body evolved and how that affects our health and physiology today, combining fieldwork in Africa and South America with metabolic experiments in the lab. He has been elected “for distinguished contributions to anthropology, particularly how the deep evolutionary history of our species, diets, physical activities, and ecological settings affect our metabolism and health.”

Pontzer is a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, as well as an associate research professor of global health at the Duke Global Health Institute and an associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society.

Read more about Pontzer at the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and in a recent Magnify Magazine piece from Duke University School of Medicine.