ASU's Hao Yan joins European Academy of Sciences and Arts

To most people, DNA is the blueprint of life, a code hidden inside every cell.

But to Hao Yan, a professor in Arizona State University’s School of Molecular Sciences and the director of the Biodesign Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, DNA is also architecture, machinery, language and possibility.

His work in structural DNA nanotechnology has recently earned him election to the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.

The academy is no ordinary institution. Founded in 1990, it gathered some of the world’s most accomplished scientists, artists and leaders, including dozens of Nobel laureates, all united by a commitment to scientific and societal progress. Membership is reserved for scholars whose work has transformed their fields.

"It is a tremendous honor to be elected to the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, an institution of remarkable prestige with 36 Nobel laureates among its members,” says Yan. “I am humbled by this recognition and grateful to join such an esteemed group of scholars. I look forward to engaging with the academy’s community and advancing its vision for interdisciplinary discovery.”

"Hao's election to the European Academy of Sciences and Arts is a testament to his remarkable contributions to the field of nanotechnology," said Tijana Rajh, director of ASU’s School of Molecular Sciences. "His pioneering work in structural DNA nanotechnology has not only advanced scientific understanding but also paved the way for groundbreaking applications. We are incredibly proud of his achievements and the global recognition he continues to receive for his innovative work."

Those applications have changed the direction of entire fields. Over the years, Yan and his research teams have shown that DNA could be folded and programmed into tiny structures with extraordinary precision. They have built molecular devices capable of movement, engineered programmable materials, and developed systems that could one day revolutionize medicine, diagnostics and biotechnology.

“I am very grateful to the years of collaborations with my colleagues at ASU and my students and postdocs’ contribution to our research accomplishments, which led to this recognition,” he added.

The honor joined a remarkable list of distinctions already attached to his name: the Foresight Institute Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology, the Humboldt Research Award, the NSF CAREER Award, the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship and many more. He has served as president of the International Society for Nanoscale Science, Computation, and Engineering and has been named a fellow of organizations spanning invention, medicine, engineering and science.

He is also a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors; a member of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the American Association for the Advancement of Science; and an associate editor for both Science Advances and the ACS Applied Bio Materials journals.

Now, his election to the European Academy of Sciences and Arts represents not only career achievement, but entry into to a global conversation about the future of humanity’s knowledge.

For Yan, DNA has always represented more than biology. Through decades of pioneering research, he has shown how the molecule that encodes life can also be engineered to build, move and solve problems at the nanoscale — work that continues to shape the future of science and technology worldwide.