January 31, 2023

by Noah Lloyd

Three Northeastern University professors—Kevin Fu, Yun Raymond Fu and Alessandro Vespignani—have been selected as 2022 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

Nominees for AAAS Fellows “are members whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished,” the AAAS says on its website. Fellows must also have been members of the association for a minimum of four years leading up to the nomination. Each professor responded for comment by email.

Professor of electrical and computer engineering Kevin Fu is “looking forward to creating interdisciplinary career opportunities for students at Northeastern to improve health care and medical device cybersecurity,” he wrote. Kevin Fu’s research into securing biomedical devices from cyberattacks is increasingly important in a world where millions such devices are in daily use.

Also in the department of electrical and computer engineering, distinguished professor Yun Raymond Fu was recognized for “20 years of research and innovations.” Founding director of the Synergetic Media Learning Lab (the “SMILE” lab), Yun Raymond Fu’s work in artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as computer vision and pattern recognition, has distinguished him in his field. 

The honor of being named a Fellow will provide “extra motivation,” for future and ongoing projects, he wrote. “I am grateful to all my students who were along with me on all these efforts,” he also noted.

Sternberg family distinguished professor and director of the Network Science Institute, Vespignani has been at the forefront of COVID-19 research. Vespignani’s projections and models were key to understanding how the pandemic would develop, and he provided invaluable feedback to Northeastern as the university navigated reopening in Fall 2020. 

Becoming a Fellow—which is a lifetime recognition—“is pushing me,” Vespignani wrote, “to continue chasing my passion for discovery and to make meaningful interdisciplinary contributions.” 

But, he went on, “It is also a symbol of the importance of advancing science and fostering a community that embraces diverse perspectives and skills to achieve common goals.”

Despite each of their individual accomplishments, Vespignani was quick to say that, “Science is more and more a team effort. I had the true privilege of benefiting from the terrific support and thriving scientific community that Northeastern University has built.”

Follow the link below to read more about AAAS and to see the full list of AAAS Fellows.

View on Site

Faculty: Alessandro VespignaniKevin FuYun Raymond Fu

Topics: AAASAwardsComputer ScienceCOVID-19Network Science