Two Department of Physics faculty members—Duncan Brown and Lisa Manning—have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Duncan Brown

Brown, the Charles Brightman Endowed Professor of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), has served as the University’s vice president for research since 2022. An internationally recognized leader in gravitational-wave astronomy, he was a founding member of the search for merging black holes that led to the discovery of gravitational waves with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO).

His current research focuses on the development of Cosmic Explorer, a proposed next-generation ground-based gravitational-wave observatory, and the use of gravitational-wave observations to explore the nuclear equation of state.

AAAS recognized Brown for “foundational contributions enabling the search for and discovery of gravitational waves from black hole and neutron star coalescences, and for leadership in the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Cosmic Explorer.”

Lisa Manning

Manning is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Physics in A&S. Her research uses computer modeling and physics-based theory to understand how groups of cells behave in living tissue and how materials like glass or sand deform and break down.

Her work has real-world implications for cancer, wound healing, embryonic development and asthma. In 2019, she was named a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), an honor given to just half of 1% of the professional organization’s membership. She served as founding director of the BioInspired Institute from 2019-23.

AAAS recognized Manning for “distinguished contributions to the theory of mechanical response and adaptation in biological materials.”

Distinguished Group

Brown and Manning join 12 other Syracuse faculty members previously named AAAS Fellows: Marina Artuso, distinguished professor of physics (2024); Jennifer Ross, professor of physics and interim dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science (2023); Jason Wiles, associate professor of biology (2023); Vir Phoha, professor of electrical engineering and computer science (2018); Charles Driscoll, University Professor of Environmental Systems and Distinguished Professor, civil and environmental engineering (2017); Alan Middleton, professor of physics and A&S interim associate dean for creativity, scholarship and research (2016); George Langford, dean emeritus and professor emeritus of biology (2013); M. Cristina Marchetti, professor emerita of physics (2013); Donald Siegel, professor emeritus of Earth and environmental sciences (2012); William Starmer, professor emeritus of biology (2011); Ramesh Raina, professor of biology (2007); and W. Henry Lambright, professor emeritus of political science (2004).

(This article was adapted from a Syracuse University Today article.)