Five members of the Yale scientific community were among 388 scholars from across the world named as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Founded in 1848, the international, non-profit AAAS is the world’s largest scientific society. This year’s fellows were selected by pre-existing AAAS fellows for their “scientifically or socially distinguished” efforts advancing science and its applications in fields spanning the scientific disciplines.

Flora Vaccarino, a professor of child psychiatry and neurobiology who was recognized for her interdisciplinary work on human stem cells, credits Yale’s collaborative research environment – particularly that at West Campus, where she conducted the majority of her research – for enabling her studies.

“My work bridges several disciplines to understand stem cells – neurodevelopment, bioinformatics, and genetics, ” she said. “It’s extraordinary that investigators here can have access to these kinds of collaborations, and I certainly hope the nomination will increase their visibility.”

Last year, the AAAS selected seven Yale professors as fellows. Including Vaccarino, the five new fellows who will join them this year are:

Paul Cleary, chair of the Yale school of public health

Craig Crews, professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology, and of pharmacology and chemistry

Megan Urry, professor of physics and astronomy

Sandra Wolin, professor and vice-chair of cell biology and molecular biophysics and biochemistry

Flora Vaccarino, professor of child psychiatry and neurobiology