AAAS honors two CU Engineering researchers as lifetime fellows
College of Engineering and Applied Science faculty members Aaron Clauset and R. Steven Nerem have been elected 2025 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Nerem and Clauset are among the nearly 500 scientists, engineers and innovators who have been recognized for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements by one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and publisher of theSciencefamily of journals.
“Aaron Clauset and Steve Nerem exemplify the very best of CU Boulder through their intellectual leadership, societal impact and dedication to discovery,” said Keith Molenaar, dean of CU Engineering. “We are immensely proud to see their contributions recognized by the AAAS.”
A tradition dating back to 1874, election as a AAAS fellow is a lifetime honor, and all fellows are expected to meet the commonly held standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity. Distinguished past honorees include Ellen Ochoa, Steven Chu, Grace Hopper, Alan Alda, Mae Jemison and Ayanna Howard.
“This year’s AAAS Fellows have demonstrated research excellence, made notable contributions to advance science, and delivered important services to their communities,” said Sudip S. Parikh, AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of theSciencefamily of journals. “These fellows and their accomplishments validate the importance of investing in science and technology for the benefit of all."
Aaron Clauset
Professor, Department of Computer Science
Clauset has been a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science and theBioFrontiers Institute since 2010. He is an internationally recognized expert on network science, data science and complex systems. Clauset’s research interests are broad, from, toshining light on potential biases in journal paper acceptance. In 2025, he made Clarivate’s list for demonstrating “broad and significant influence” in his field. He is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the Erdos-Renyi Prize in Network Science. Clauset also serves as an external faculty member of the Santa Fe Institute.
Clauset said he is honored to be elected as a fellow of AAAS, a group that has long championed the role of science in society.
“Science offers the best way to find order and meaning in the complex and often chaotic world we live in. My research shows how powerful computational tools can reveal the hidden structures of complex systems, and helps us use that understanding for the public good,” he said. “I am grateful to my students and colleagues at CU Boulder. This honor reflects our shared commitment to using data-driven science to understand, and ultimately improve, the complex social structures we all inhabit.”
R. Steven Nerem
Professor, Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences
Nerem is an expert in satellite remote sensing and geodesy, with over 30 years of experience. He was recruited to CU Boulder in 2000 as a full professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, and currently also serves as director of theColorado Center for Astrodynamics Research.
Nerem uses satellite-based techniques to monitor changes in Earth’s shape and gravity field due to shifts in sea level, distribution of water and ice planetwide, and vertical crustal motion. The AAAS election makes Nerem the second member of his family to be part of the prestigious body.
“This is a great honor. I really enjoy doing research — it’s like a hobby,” Nerem said. who passed away in 2020, was also an AAAS fellow, so it’s nice to follow in his footsteps.”
Nerem has been part of multiple NASA missions, including the ongoing GRACE-FO and Sentinel 6B satellites. He leads an active research group, with more than 480 publications, including 12 in 2025 alone. He is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union and was the inaugural recipient of the Earth Science and Applications Award from the American Astronautical Society.