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Joshua Sanes, the Jeff C. Tarr Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology, has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society, one of the oldest and most esteemed scientific bodies in the world.
Sanes studies how complex neural circuits form in animals and he is most renowned for his work on the development of synapses, or the junctions that transit signals between neurons. His lab currently focuses on how these circuits develop and function in the retina and visual system of the brain. He previously served as the Paul J. Finnegan Family Director of the Center for Brain Science (CBS) and co-director of the Harvard Brain Science Initiative (HBI).
Founded in 1660, the Royal Society is the oldest continuously-operating scientific body in the world. Fellows have included luminaries such as Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Albert Einstein.
“It’s a wonderful honor and I’m very flattered,” said Sanes, who was appointed as a Foreign Member of the society fellowship. “I will be there for the inauguration in July, communing with the ghosts of Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.”
The society currently includes more than 80 Nobel laureates. Each year, up to 73 fellows and up to 24 foreign members are elected from a pool of about 800 candidates nominated by other fellows.
Sanes was among more than 90 new fellows announced on Tuesday. The 2025 cohort includes researchers in fields ranging from artificial intelligence and global public health, to genetics and neuroscience. Sir Adrian Smith, president of the Royal Society, said, “Their achievements represent the very best of scientific endeavour, from basic discovery to research with real-world impact across health, technology and policy.”
