Professor James J. Collins (BME, MSE, SE) has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences(NAS), one of the highest honors in science and technology, in recognition of his distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Collins, who is one of the founders of the field of synthetic biology, joins Boston University’s seven other NAS members, a group that includes President Robert A. Brown, Nobel Prize–winning theoretical physicist Sheldon Glashow, BU’s Arthur G. B. Metcalf Professor of Mathematics and Science, and Nancy Kopell, a William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor. The NAS, a private, nonprofit society of distinguished scholars, is charged with providing independent, objective advice to the nation on science and technology. Collins is one of 84 new members and 21 foreign associates.

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“We are thrilled to learn of Jim’s election to the National Academy of Sciences,” said Jean Morrison, University provost and chief academic officer. “This is one of the most significant honors for a scientist, and Jim is well deserving of this recognition. Jim’s pathbreaking research in synthetic and systems biology, with a particular focus on antibiotics, has set him apart as one of the world’s top researchers—and we are extraordinarily proud to have him as a member of the BU faculty.”