Professor Sarah TeichmannFMedSci FRS, Chair in Stem Cell Medicine at the University of Cambridge (Cambridge Stem Cell Institute & Dept Medicine), and Group Leader at CSCI, has been announced this week as one of the newest members of the prestigious American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
Sarah says, “It is a tremendous pleasure and honour that our work has been recognized by the community of the oldest learned society of the USA, and this election is a testament to the whole research group and our collaborators, with whom we’ve propelled forwards all the discoveries we’ve made over the past more than two decades.”
Membership to the Academy is managed by nomination and election, and brings in new members that distinguish themselves in academia, the arts, industry, policy, research, and science. Sarah has been recognised under Biological Sciences, in the field of Cellular and Developmental Biology.
The Teichmann Lab is dedicated to understanding how humans are made from the most basic building blocks: our cells. Her lab develops and applies cell atlas technologies to decipher human tissue architecture, with a particular focus on how cellular diversity is generated in the immune system and through development. Sarah is co-founder and co-leader of the international Human Cell Atlas consortium which aims to create reference maps for cells across all human tissues and has grown to include over three thousand members across the world.
Sarah is one of 250 new members elected in 2025, and one of only 23 International Honorary Members, nominated from 16 different countries. In joining the Academy, she is becoming part in its long history, which has honoured interdisciplinary excellence with membership since 1780. The first members elected in 1781 included Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, and members since then include high-profile writers, artists, scientists, politicians, and activists.
Academy President Laurie L Patton says of the new cohort: ‘These new members’ accomplishments speak volumes about the human capacity for discovery, creativity, leadership, and persistence. They are a stellar testament to the power of knowledge to broaden our horizons and deepen our understanding.’
Other notable new members this year include Founder and Chief Feeding Officer José Andrés (World Central Kitchen); Activist and journalist Gloria Steinem; Novelist Amy Tan; Microbiologist Susan Weiss (University of Pennsylvania); Actor, producer, and humanitarian Danny Glover; Filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer Ava DuVernay. The full list of new members can be found here.
Induction ceremonies for new members will take place in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in October 2025.