University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability Professor Maria Carmen Lemos is one of 120 members and 23 international members elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) today, at the conclusion of the Academy’s 160th annual meeting. 

Members are elected to the NAS in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Membership is considered one of the highest honors that a scientist can receive. 

Lemos’ broad research interests are related to climate adaptation and the role of knowledge in building adaptive capacity. She is particularly interested in understanding: the co-production of science and decision-making and the creation of actionable knowledge; the intersection between development and climate, especially concerning the relationship between anti-poverty programs and risk management; the use of climate information in building adaptive capacity in different sectors (e.g. drought planning, water management, agriculture and urban planning); and the impact of technocratic decision-making on issues of democracy and equity.

Those elected to NAS today bring the total number of active members to 2,565 and the total number of international members to 526, according to the NAS. International members are nonvoting members of the Academy, with citizenship outside the United States.

Read the press release with the complete list of winners.