Five awarded membership to Royal Irish Academy

Five Harvard faculty members were awarded honorary membership to the Royal Irish Academy on March 16. The honorary members include Harvard President Drew Faust, Lincoln Professor of History; Arthur Jaffe, Landon T. Clay Professor of Mathematics and Theoretical Science; Michael B. McElroy, Gilbert Butler Professor of Environmental Studies; Lisa Randall, professor of physics; and Amartya Sen, Thomas W. Lamont University Professor.

Established in 1785, the Royal Irish Academy is Ireland’s academy for the sciences, humanities, and social sciences. Election to the academy is the highest academic honor in Ireland, and is a public recognition of outstanding achievement. Honorary membership is awarded to people who have made major contributions to their academic discipline and who normally reside outside Ireland. Candidates are nominated by at least two academy members before being peer-reviewed and considered on an annual basis.

For more information about the Royal Irish Academy, visit http://www.ria.ie.