Linda Hyman, MBL Education Director, is Named Fellow of American Association for Advancement of Science

Linda Hyman, Burroughs Wellcome Director of Education at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), has been named a 2024 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in its Education Section. The AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals.

Hyman oversees direction of MBL’s academic programs at all levels—from high school to secondary students to undergraduates, graduates and post-graduates, including the MBL’s world-renown Advanced Research Training Courses.

She is among the 471 scientists, engineers and innovators, including 19 other MBL affiliates, who have been elected 2024 Fellows for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements throughout their careers.

“Linda Hyman is deeply dedicated to stewarding and advancing the MBL’s outstanding Education programs, which provide world-quality scientific research training for students at all levels,” said MBL Director Nipam Patel. “She also does all she can to ensure that students who come to MBL feel enriched, inspired and successful, so when they leave, they’re already looking for a way to come back again,” he said.

Prior to coming to MBL, Hyman was associate provost at Boston University School of Medicine, leading the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences, and had held several other leadership roles in academic administration. She received her Ph.D. in biology from Brandeis University.

“This year’s class of Fellows are the embodiment of scientific excellence and service to our communities,” said Sudip S. Parikh, Ph.D., AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals. A tradition dating back to 1874, election as a AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor and all Fellows are expected to meet the commonly held standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity.

Among the members of the MBL community who have also been elected 2024 Fellows are:

Section on Biological Sciences

(Name, MBL Course, Role)

• Celeste Berg
  • Embryology, Alumna (1986)
• Thomas Blumenthal
  • Embryology, Faculty (1982); Physiology, Alumnus (1967)
• Alison Buchan
  • Strategies and Techniques for Analyzing Microbial Population Structures, Alumna (2011)
• Fred Chang
  • Whitman scientist; former MBL Society and MBL Whitman Steering Committee member
• Maria Dominguez-Bello
  • Molecular Evolution, Alumna (2007)
• Velia Fowler
  • Invertebrate Zoology, Alumna (1973)
• Soni Lacefield
  • Analytical and Quantitative Light Microscopy (AQLM), Alumna (2006)
• Helen McNeill
  • Physiology, Alumna (1990)
• Susanne Neuer
  • Microbiology, Alumna (1988)
• Karla Neugebauer
  • Physical Biology of the Cell, Faculty (2019)
• Brad Seibel
  • Optical Microscopy, Alumnus (2008)
• Sidney Shaw
  • AQLM, Faculty  (2008-2010, 2017-2018), Optical Microscopy, Faculty (2018-2019), Physiology, Alumnus
• Aaron Straight
  • AQLM, Faculty (2007)
• Jill Tardiff
  • Physiology, Faculty (1985-1986)
• Eric Wagner
  • Physiology, Alumnus (1998)

Section on Neuroscience

• Diana Bautista
  • Neurobiology, Course Director (2017-2022) and Faculty (2009-2016)
• Emily Liman
  • Neurobiology, Faculty (2017)
• Stephanie White
  • MBL Society member, Whitman Scientist (2009-2010), Neural Systems & Behavior Course Director (2018-2019, 2021-2022) and Alumna (1995)

Section on Chemistry

• Mandë Holford
  • Whitman Scientist and E.E. Just Fellow (2022-2024)