Three Illinois faculty elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences – News Bureau
Source: https://news.illinois.edu/three-illinois-faculty-elected-to-american-academy-of-arts-and-sciences
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:16
Three Illinois faculty elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences – News Bureau
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Three University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty members have been elected members of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
, one of the oldest honorary societies in the United States.
Deana McDonagh
,
Kenneth Suslick
and
Tandy Warnow
are among the 252 inductees for 2026.
Founded in 1780, the Academy recognizes scientists, artists, scholars and leaders who have distinguished themselves in the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
Deana McDonagh. Photo by L. Brian Stauffer
McDonagh is a professor of industrial design in the
School of Art and Design
, a Health Innovation Professor in the
Carle Illinois College of Medicine
and the director of the
(dis)Ability Design Studio
at the
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
at the U. of I. She is an empathic design research strategist who focuses on enhancing the quality of life for all through more intuitive and meaningful products, leading to emotional sustainability. Her research concentrates on emotional user-product relationships and how empathy can bring the designer closer to users’ authentic needs, ensuring both functional and emotional needs are met in the material landscape.
Kenneth Suslick. Photo by L. Brian Stauffer
Suslick works at the forefront of chemical sensing as the Marvin T. Schmidt Professor Emeritus of
Chemistry
and CEO of Iridescent Sensors in the U. of I. Research Park. He developed a device for artificial olfaction, the “optoelectronic nose,” capable of detecting harmful substances in the air such as poisonous gases, toxins and explosives. He also is a leading expert on the chemical and physical effects of ultrasound, including sonochemistry and sonoluminescence. Among his other recognitions, he is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the American Chemical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Tandy Warnow. Photo by L. Brian Stauffer
Tandy Warnow is a professor and the associate director of the
Siebel School of Computing and Data Science
and Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering. She is a leading expert in designing mathematical and computational methods for estimating complex large-scale evolutionary history in biology and historical linguistics, where she combines computer science, statistics and discrete mathematics to obtain high accuracy and scalability. Her methods have been used in international collaborations to produce bird and plant phylogenies, among others. Some of her major honors include election as fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and receipt of a David and Lucile Packard Foundation Award, Radcliffe Institute Fellowship and John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. She is affiliated with the
Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology
and the
National Center for Supercomputing Applications
as well as several other U. of I. departments.
The new Academy members will be inducted in an October ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The complete list of members elected to the Academy is available on its
website
.
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MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820
Email:
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Phone
(217) 333-5010
Strategic Communications and Marketing
News Bureau
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Education
Health and Medicine
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Library and Information Sciences
Science and Technology
Agriculture
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Engineering
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Veterinary Medicine
Social Sciences
Campus News
Announcements
Campus Life
Honors
For Faculty and Staff
For Journalists
About
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Three University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty members have been elected members of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
, one of the oldest honorary societies in the United States.
Deana McDonagh
,
Kenneth Suslick
and
Tandy Warnow
are among the 252 inductees for 2026.
Founded in 1780, the Academy recognizes scientists, artists, scholars and leaders who have distinguished themselves in the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
Deana McDonagh. Photo by L. Brian Stauffer
McDonagh is a professor of industrial design in the
School of Art and Design
, a Health Innovation Professor in the
Carle Illinois College of Medicine
and the director of the
(dis)Ability Design Studio
at the
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
at the U. of I. She is an empathic design research strategist who focuses on enhancing the quality of life for all through more intuitive and meaningful products, leading to emotional sustainability. Her research concentrates on emotional user-product relationships and how empathy can bring the designer closer to users’ authentic needs, ensuring both functional and emotional needs are met in the material landscape.
Kenneth Suslick. Photo by L. Brian Stauffer
Suslick works at the forefront of chemical sensing as the Marvin T. Schmidt Professor Emeritus of
Chemistry
and CEO of Iridescent Sensors in the U. of I. Research Park. He developed a device for artificial olfaction, the “optoelectronic nose,” capable of detecting harmful substances in the air such as poisonous gases, toxins and explosives. He also is a leading expert on the chemical and physical effects of ultrasound, including sonochemistry and sonoluminescence. Among his other recognitions, he is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the American Chemical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Tandy Warnow. Photo by L. Brian Stauffer
Tandy Warnow is a professor and the associate director of the
Siebel School of Computing and Data Science
and Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering. She is a leading expert in designing mathematical and computational methods for estimating complex large-scale evolutionary history in biology and historical linguistics, where she combines computer science, statistics and discrete mathematics to obtain high accuracy and scalability. Her methods have been used in international collaborations to produce bird and plant phylogenies, among others. Some of her major honors include election as fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and receipt of a David and Lucile Packard Foundation Award, Radcliffe Institute Fellowship and John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. She is affiliated with the
Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology
and the
National Center for Supercomputing Applications
as well as several other U. of I. departments.
The new Academy members will be inducted in an October ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The complete list of members elected to the Academy is available on its
website
.
Read Next
Campus News
Two Illinois students receive Boren Scholarships
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign undergraduate students Sameer Abbasi and Lyndon Shi have received Boren Awards.
Humanities
Illinois professor’s book shows how ‘lawful fictions’ are used to manage immigration, citizenship
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — José A. de la Garza Valenzuela, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor of Latina/Latino Studies, looks at the experiences of queer migrants, and at how immigration practices shape particular fictions about them, in his new book “Queer in a Legal Sense: Brown Citizenship and Other Lawful Fictions.” The book combines literary and […]
Health and Medicine
Nature videography replicates the mental health benefits of outdoor activities
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — New research led by a scholar at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign suggests that watching and creating videography of scenic locations cultivates nature-based mindfulness — conveying the same cognitive and emotional benefits as outdoor activities and fostering a deep sense of connection with nature. Yue (Darcy) Lu, an Illinois doctoral student in […]
Strategic Communications and Marketing
News Bureau
507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820
Email:
stratcom@illinois.edu
Phone
(217) 333-5010