Professor Daan Frenkel has been elected as a foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Members are elected to the National Academy of Sciences, a non-profit society of distinguished scholars in the USA, in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Membership is a widely accepted mark of excellence in science and is considered one of the highest honors that a scientist can receive.
Because membership is achieved by election, there is no membership application process. Consideration of a candidate begins with his or her nomination, followed by an extensive and careful vetting process that results in a final ballot at the Academy's annual meeting in April each year. Currently, a maximum of 84 members may be elected annually. Members must be U.S. citizens; non-citizens are elected as foreign associates, with a maximum of 21 elected annually.
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) was established by an Act of Congress, signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. It is charged with providing independent, objective advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology. The NAS membership totals approximately 2,250 members and nearly 440 foreign associates, of whom approximately 200 have received Nobel prizes.