Rice University professors Karen Lozano and Eduardo Salas have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the oldest and most prestigious learned societies in the nation.
Lozano, the Trustee Professor and department chair of materials science and nanoengineering, and Salas, professor and the Allyn R. and Gladys M. Cline Chair of Psychological Sciences, are among nearly 250 new members elected in 2025, joining a historic community that includes leaders in academia, business, government and the arts. They will be formally inducted during an Oct. 11 ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
“Karen and Eduardo’s election shows the impact of their research on society and the breadth of the excellence at Rice,” said Amy Dittmar, the Howard R. Hughes Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “Karen’s inspiring lifetime of work to create a STEM pipeline for underrepresented groups, in addition to her multitude of innovations in nanofiber technology, and Eduardo’s research on team performance in industries from health care to aviation make them highly deserving of this award.”
Lozano’s research focuses on the design and scalable manufacturing of nanofiber-based systems with applications spanning filtration, medical devices, energy storage and advanced materials. She invented Forcespinning, a patented centrifugal process that produces nanofibers at industrial scale, offering a high-throughput alternative to high voltage-based techniques such as electrospinning. Lozano holds more than 40 patents and patent applications and has co-founded two companies to bring these innovations to market.
“Karen’s career is a powerful example of what’s possible when great ideas meet persistence and purpose,” said Luay Nakhleh, the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing. “Her work has pushed the boundaries of materials science and opened real opportunities for students and communities. We are proud to see her achievements recognized by the academy.”
A Rice master’s degree and doctoral alumna, Lozano is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions, including membership in the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Inventors and winner of the U.S. Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. An advocate for innovation and access in STEM, she champions educational experiences that prepare students for leadership in engineering and science.
“I am deeply honored to be elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,” Lozano said. “To be recognized alongside so many remarkable and visionary individuals, past and present, is both humbling and exhilarating. This recognition is not just a reflection of my own work but a testament to the communities, students and colleagues who have inspired and supported me throughout my journey. I remain committed to advancing science and engineering in ways that empower people and transform lives.”
Salas is a leading expert in industrial-organizational psychology whose work has fundamentally shaped the science of teamwork and team performance across a wide range of high-stakes environments from health care and aviation to the military, NASA and the energy sector. His research focuses on how teams learn, collaborate and perform under pressure with an emphasis on real-world applications.
“I’ve spent four decades doing applied science in the field, helping organizations improve how teams function,” Salas said. “It’s incredibly humbling to be elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. It’s also a reflection of the scholarly excellence at Rice — our faculty, our research and our students. I feel privileged to work here and be part of this academic community.”
Salas has authored 650 journal articles and book chapters and two books on teamwork and team training. He previously served as chair of the Department of Psychological Sciences at Rice, and his honors include the American Psychological Association’s Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Psychology and other accolades recognizing his work in applied psychological research.
“Eduardo is an exceptional scholar who has dedicated his life to conducting meaningful, groundbreaking research that has changed the landscape for industrial-organizational psychology and team science,” said Rachel Kimbro, dean of the School of Social Sciences at Rice. “His election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is a well-deserved honor that exemplifies his commitment to improving the world through social sciences research.”
Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is dedicated to the recognition of exceptional “accomplishments in artistic, scholarly or scientific pursuits and leadership in the public, nonprofit and private sectors.” An independent policy organization with a wide-ranging, multidisciplinary agenda, the academy counts among its ranks luminaries such as Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Albert Einstein, John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.