Hildebrand reelected to a third term as NAS international secretary
John Hildebrand, Regents Professor in the Department of Neuroscience
John Hildebrand, Regents Professor in the Department of Neuroscience, has been elected to a third term as international secretary of the National Academy of Sciences, which has advised the national government on science and technology matters for more than 150 years. The four-year term begins July 1.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit institution that was established under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. The academy works with its partner organizations – the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine – to provide science, engineering and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations.
He is the University of Arizona faculty member to hold an elected leadership position in the NAS since at least 1979; the academy does not have membership records from before that year.
"I am greatly honored and fortunate to have been reelected to this extraordinary position, which engages me in the most interesting, challenging and important work I have done," Hildebrand said. "Having enjoyed valuable and productive collaborations with colleagues in my scientific specialties around the world throughout my career, I feel that service as the NAS' international secretary since 2014 is a capstone opportunity."
In his NAS role, Hildebrand oversees the international activities of the academy, including the election of international members and representing the organization for the annual science components of events such as the G-7 and G-20 economic summits. He says the leadership position aligns with his shift in professional focus from experimental lab research to science policy and diplomacy.
Hildebrand joined the University in 1985 as founding head of the Division of Neurobiology, which is now the Department of Neuroscience. His research focuses on insect neurobiology and behavior, especially the operation and roles of the olfactory system in disease-vector insects and crop pests.