April 22, 2021
The American Academy of Arts & Sciences announced today that Li-Huei Tsai, Picower Professor of Neuroscience and Director of The Picower Institute for Learning & Memory, is among 252 luminaries elected to join its esteemed membership.
“We are honoring the excellence of these individuals, celebrating what they have achieved so far, and imagining what they will continue to accomplish,” said David Oxtoby, President of the American Academy, in the announcement. “The past year has been replete with evidence of how things can get worse; this is an opportunity to illuminate the importance of art, ideas, knowledge, and leadership that can make a better world.”
Tsai’s laboratory focuses on advancing understanding of the molecular-, circuit- and systems-level mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. She has translated many of her lab’s fundamental insights into potential therapeutic approaches.
“I’m very honored to be elected to the academy and to be in the company of so many leading scholars and luminaries,” Tsai said. “The Academy’s mission of advancing the public good is also a philosophy that guides our work to understand and address neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. This recognition encourages us to continue our efforts with urgency and rigor.”
With her election, Tsai joins other Picower Institute faculty in the academy including Mark Bear, Emery N. Brown, Earl Miller, Mriganka Sur, Susumu Tonegawa and Matt Wilson. Also this year, four other MIT faculty members were elected to membership.
