Antonio Lanzavecchia elected member of the National Academy of Sciences
On May 3, 2016, Antonio Lanzavecchia was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of the United States, one of the most significant and highest honors awarded to academic researchers.
He was among the 21 new foreign associates elected from 14 countries, and the 84 new members elected from the US this year to the NAS. This brings the total number of NAS active members to 2,291, and the total number of foreign associates to 465, of whom approximately 200 have received Nobel prizes.
Antonio Lanzavecchia is professor of Immunology at ETH Zürich and founding director of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Bellinzona, affiliated to the Università della Svizzera italiana. Previously, he was a member of the Basel Institute for Immunology. His research has covered several aspects of human immunology, from antigen presentation, to dendritic cell biology, from T and B lymphocyte activation to immunological memory. Professor Lanzavecchia’s honors include the EMBO medal and the Cloëtta prize. He was awarded twice the prestigious ERC Advanced Grant from the European Research Council, which is intended for researchers who have made outstanding contributions in their fields of research, and is assigned to enable them to perform particularly challenging and highly innovative projects. Professor Lanzavecchia earned his degree in Medicine at the University of Pavia in 1976, where he specialized in Pediatrics and in Infectious Diseases.
About the NAS
The NAS is a private, non-profit organization of distinguished and leading US researchers. It was established by an Act of Congress signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. The NAS’ responsibility is to provide independent and objective advice to the federal government and other organizations on matters related to science, technology, and health policy. The NAS recognizes and promotes outstanding science through election to membership, publication in its journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), awards, programs, and other specific activities. Every year it elects Members in recognition of their outstanding and continuing achievements in original research. This membership is considered one of the highest honors that a scientist can receive. Members must be US citizens; non-US citizens are elected as foreign associates, with a maximum of 21 elected annually.
(Text: Media release of the IRB, Bellinzona)