Cristina Davis elected AAAS Fellow
Mechanical and aerospace engineering professor and chair Cristina Davis was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She was cited for, “distinguished contributions to non-invasive chemical and biological sensing tools, algorithms, and applications for human and agriculture diagnostics and monitoring.”
AAAS fellows are recognized for outstanding achievements in advancing science through research, teaching, service, administration and/or science communication.
Davis and her colleague Rajeevan Amirharajah from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering are among 10 UC Davis faculty members from all four colleges on campus to be elected fellows this year. They join 443 distinguished scientists and engineers from across the country to receive the honor.
“It’s a great honor to be selected as an AAAS Fellow, and I’m looking forward to working with the society to achieve its mission,” said Davis. “Their goal to, ‘advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people’ is so impactful and I’m glad that my research helps contribute to that important mission for humanity.”
Davis’ research focuses on designing sensors and instrumentation to detect chemical biomarkers in humans, animals and plants to rapidly and accurately diagnose diseases.
She is also a fellow of the American institute of Medical and Biological Engineers (AIMBE) and has received numerous recognitions from UC Davis, including the Chancellor’s Innovation Award in 2016 and the Distinguished Public Service Award this spring. She also received the Air Force Commander’s Award for Public Service in 2018.
Other AAAS fellows in the College of Engineering include Dean Jennifer Sinclair Curtis, Saif Islam, Jerry Woodall, Linda Katehi, Simon Cherry, Prasant Mohaprata, Debbie Niemeier and John Goss. Davis is the first faculty member from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering to receive the honor.
AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the renowned peer-reviewed journal Science. Founded in 1848, it was the first major organization to promote the development and integrity of science at a national level across disciplines. It now has over 120,000 members and a mission to promote science, engineering and innovation around the world.