Committee on Evolutionary Biology Prof. Neil Shubin has been nominated to serve as the next president of the National Academy of Sciences. The Council selected the renowned evolutionary biologist to succeed Marcia McNutt when her term as president ends June 30, 2026.
Dr. Shubin leads a dynamic lab within the Darwinian Sciences cluster, focused on molecular biology and paleontology, with research experiments using embryos from sharks, paddlefish and other species. He is a groundbreaking scholar, educator, author and science communicator who has led fossil hunting expeditions around the world.
Among Dr. Shubin's pioneering discoveries was a 375-million-year-old fossil called Tiktaalik roseae—an important transitional form between fish and land animals. He currently serves as associate dean of basic science research and academic strategy at UChicago. He holds numerous distinctions and honors, including receiving the Roy Chapman Andrews Society Distinguished Explorer Award in 2019 and the 2024 Viktor Hamburger Outstanding Educator Prize.
Congratulations to Neil Shubin on this notable appointment!