East Hartford, CT — The Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE), announces the election of thirty-six of Connecticut’s leading experts in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine to membership in the Academy. The new members will be introduced at the Academy’s 51st Annual Dinner to be held at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville on May 19, 2026.

The thirty-six newly elected members are:

• Ganesh Balasubramanian, Department Chair; Lambrakis Endowed Associate Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of New Haven
  For outstanding technical contributions to the predictive design, discovery, and synthesis of high-entropy materials using data-enabled simulations and computational characterization of material structures, manufacturing optimization, and experimentally validated high-temperature properties.
• Abhijit Banerjee, Associate Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, University of Connecticut
  For strengthening Connecticut’s innovation economy through leadership in technology translation, commercialization, startup generation, and research and development partnerships, for advancing UConn’s role in economic development, and for contributions to biological chemistry and structural biology.
• Nora Berrah, Distinguished Professor of Physics, University of Connecticut
  For pioneering experiments using femtosecond and attosecond lasers to probe how electrons and atoms move in molecules and clusters, this work revealed ultrafast charge-transfer and nonlinear dynamics using free-electron lasers, transforming how we study light-matter interactions at a quantum level.
• Steven Berry, Sterling Professor of Economics; Professor of Management, Yale University
  For distinguished and continuing achievements in econometrics and industrial organization, work that is frequently incorporated into merger and policy decisions, both by private sector firms and by public-sector agencies.
• Ranjit Bindra, Professor of Therapeutic Radiology, Pathology, and Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine
  For uncovering novel cancer-associated DNA repair vulnerabilities and for directly translating them into clinical trials, including new classes of brain tumor therapeutics.
• Martina Brueckner, Professor of Pediatrics; Professor of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine
  For scientific distinction through a cumulative body of work identifying genetic variants expressed in embryonic cardiomyocytes in patients with a range of congenital heart disease that support the genetic overlap between myocardial function and cardiac structure development.
• James Cai, Vice President; Head of Computational Innovation, Boehringer Ingelheim, USA
  For exceptional contributions to the field of AI-driven drug discovery using large-scale integrative computational approaches, leveraging multidimensional and longitudinal human data, and the development of novel AI and other computational methods.
• Lawerence Dubois, Founder; CEO, Nanoionix, LLC
  For fundamental contributions to enhancing our understanding of surface and interfacial chemistry at the molecular level related to adhesion, corrosion protection, and thin-film growth, and for the development of new, multifunctional materials, coatings, and devices.
• Georges El Fakhri, Elizabeth Mears and House Jameson Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Therapeutic Radiology; Professor of Biomedical Informatics & Data Science, Yale School of Medicine
  For seminal contributions in the field of nuclear medicine imaging to quantitative SPECT, PET, and PET/MR in brain, cardiac, and cancer imaging, and for pioneering developments of advanced imaging technology.
• Khaled Elleithy, Dean; Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Business, and Education, University of Bridgeport
  For his pioneering contributions to artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and wireless networks, and for founding the Interdisciplinary Emerging Technology Laboratory, which has significantly strengthened Connecticut’s innovation ecosystem, workforce development, and leadership in emerging technologies.
• Jonathan Ellman, Eugene Higgins Professor of Chemistry; Professor of Pharmacology, Yale School of Medicine
  For inventing the landmark tert-butanesulfinamide approach to stereoselective synthesis, pioneering C-H bond functionalization reactions, and for defining the field of combinatorial small-molecule synthesis.
• Drew Gentner, Professor; Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University
  For outstanding contributions to the field of air pollution by advancing measurement techniques that capture chemical complexity and by furthering knowledge of on sources of reactive pollutant emissions impacting air quality across outdoor and indoor environments, their atmospheric chemical transformations, and the impacts of climate change on urban air quality.
• Leonid Glazman, Donner Professor of Physics, Yale University
  For pioneering theories in mesoscopic physics, particularly in the study of conductance quantization and electrostatic structure of edges in quantum Hall effect devices.
• Wolfram Goessling, Chair, Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine
  For significant studies in liver development, regeneration, and cancer development, for pioneering the zebrafish model to investigate novel methods to induce liver injury, and for discovering several pathways regulating stem and progenitor cell formation and function using chemical genetic screens.
• David Goldhamer, Professor; Graduate Program Head, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Connecticut
  For seminal insights into the programming of muscle stem cells and the identification and characterization of progenitor cells that transform soft tissues into bone after injury or in disease, and for providing the first insights into the transcriptional control of genes that regulate muscle lineage determination.
• Amy Gorin, Vice Provost for Health Sciences and Interdisciplinary Initiatives Office, of the Provost; Professor of Psychological Sciences, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut
  For developing groundbreaking, evidence-based strategies focusing on sustainable quality of life improvement for those at risk, and for collaborating with experts to tackle the world’s most pressing health issues to improve global health and equity.
• Christopher Heinen, Tenured Professor of Medicine, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Connecticut Health
  For pioneering the use of human pluripotent stem cells and CRISPR-Cas9 to study the function of patient-derived mismatch repair gene variants in Lynch syndrome, which has helped determine the cancer risk for Lynch syndrome patients and their families.
• Rakhi Jain, Principal; Founder, Veda MedTech Consulting LLC
  For significant technical contributions to the research, design, and development of ophthalmic implants and related devices.
• Benjamin Judson, Chair, Department of Surgery; Surgeon-in-Chief, Yale New Haven Health System; Charles W. Ohse Professor of Surgery, Yale School of Medicine
  For pioneering work in head and neck oncology, defining prognostic biomarkers, and leading translational, precision, and outcomes research that has transformed cancer treatment and advanced patient care.
• Manisha Juthani, Commissioner, Department of Public Health, State of Connecticut
  For outstanding contributions serving the citizens of Connecticut, including transformative leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, communication of evidence-based guidance for vaccinations, and stewardship of geriatric infectious disease and antimicrobial use.
• Megan King, Professor of Cell Biology; Professor of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, Yale School of Medicine
  For broad contributions to the field of nuclear cell biology that combine biophysical and cell biological approaches, which have revealed fundamental mechanisms underlying nuclear mechanotransduction, genome organization and dynamics, and genome integrity.
• David McDermott, Principal Fellow, Product Safety, Risk Management & Safety Management System (SMS), Pratt & Whitney
  For instrumental work in advancing aerospace product safety, and for leadership in policy development, risk management, assurance, and promotion that has set industry benchmarks, enhanced safety culture, and ensured the highest standards for commercial and military aerospace.
• Daniel Mulkey, Professor of Physiology; Professor of Neurobiology, University of Connecticut
  For expertise in respiratory physiology, and for being among the first to identify and characterize cellular and molecular mechanisms by which the brain regulates breathing in response to changes in CO₂/H⁺.
• Thanh Nguyen, Associate Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Connecticut
  For pioneering research in biodegradable piezoelectric and self-boosting microneedle vaccines, and for advancing biomedical engineering through innovative biomaterials and translational technologies that impact global health and strengthen Connecticut’s scientific innovation.
  
• Yadagiri Pendri, Chief Executive Officer, Escientia Life Sciences
  For significant contributions as a process chemist to twenty-four drug candidates across small molecules and Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADC), and for developing large-scale ADC manufacturing methods that are still used today and processes used for the manufacturing of at least three compounds marketed by major pharmaceutical companies.
• Katerina Politi, Joseph A., and Lucille K. Madri Professor of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine
  For research that has led to fundamental insights into the molecular basis of lung cancer and uncovered mechanisms of therapeutic resistance, and for research that has informed clinical practice and contributed to improved outcomes for patients.
• Lea F. Santos, Professor of Physics; Associate Department Head for Administration, University of Connecticut
  For visionary research advancing both foundational physics and practical innovations in quantum devices, and for groundbreaking contributions to quantum chaos, thermalization, and non-equilibrium quantum dynamics, bridging fundamental theory and applied quantum technologies, including quantum computing and sensing.
• Steven Schmidt, Vice President of Engineering and Technology, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company
  For pioneering novel technologies for the aerospace industry through the development of state-of-the-art helicopters, and for innovative business partnerships that make significant contributions to Connecticut’s economy through a pipeline of technical expertise.
• Oswald Schmitz, Oastler Professor of Population and Community Ecology, School of the Environment, Yale University
  For his contributions to ecosystem and community ecology, and for his research examining the linkage between species interactions and ecosystem processes, demonstrating how predators and herbivores regulate plant diversity, productivity, and nutrient cycling.
• Prabhjot Singh, Senior Director, RTX Technology Research Center
  For seminal contributions in the field of 3D printing (additive manufacturing), and for establishing and leading research and development labs and the industrialization of this technology at GE, Lockheed, and RTX in the last twenty years.
• David Skelly, Frank R. Oastler Professor of Ecology; Director, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University
  For outstanding research in ecology and evolutionary biology, including long-term studies that show rapid evolution and high vulnerability of amphibians to anthropogenic change, and for leadership advancing the Peabody Museum’s scientific collections as a resource for future discovery.
• Lance Smith, Senior Technical Fellow, RTX Technology Research Center
  For contributions to the science and technology of combustion and gas turbines, in work to understand and improve the efficient, clean use of conventional and alternative fuels, and for contributions to the aerospace community through publications and society engagement.
• Matthew Teicholz, Vice President; Chief Engineer, Commercial Engine Programs, Pratt & Whitney
  For exceptional technical leadership in certifying Pratt & Whitney’s GTF Advantage engine, which enhanced the Airbus A320neo with improved fuel efficiency, increased thrust, and greater value for operators.
• Michael Thacker, Senior Vice President of Engineering & Technology, Pratt & Whitney
  For industry-defining innovations in fixed-wing and rotorcraft design, product development that transforms speed of certification, and the first FAA-approved rotorcraft design and manufacturing Safety Management System.
  
• Bing-Shiou Yang, Director of Material and Analytical Sciences, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
  For creating innovative technologies and providing strategic leadership across Bristol Myers Squibb’s and Boehringer Ingelheim’s portfolio, including marketed drugs like Eliquis® and HERNEXEOS®.
• Liang Zhang, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Connecticut
  For pioneering contributions to the theoretical development and practical applications of real-time data analytics and control of manufacturing systems within the framework of Smart Manufacturing and Industry 4.0, and for developing and implementing energy-efficient manufacturing technologies.

Election to CASE is open to scientists and engineers who work or live in Connecticut based on scientific distinction achieved through significant original contributions in theory or applications, unusual accomplishments in the pioneering of new and developing fields of applied science and technology, or both.