Pope Francis integrates NASA from NASA and Chinese Biologist in the Pontifical Academy of Sciences

Pope Francis has appointed a geophysics from NASA, a Harvard genetics teacher and a Chinese researcher in embryonic development among the five new members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, announced the Vatican this Friday.

Among the new designated are Maria Zuber, an American planetary scientist involved in multiple NASA missions; Olivier Pourquié, professor of genetics at the Harvard School of Medicine; and Meng Anming, Chinese biologist specializing in embryonic research.

The Chilean molecular geneticist Luis Fernando Larrondo Castro and the Mexican environmental scientist Cecilia Tortajada are also added to the Academy.

The Pontifical Academy of Sciences brings together the main international experts to promote scientific progress and interdisciplinary research. The members participate in study groups and meetings organized by the Vatican to examine key scientific and ethical issues.

These are the new members:

Maria Zuber

Zuber is a geophysics of Norristown, Pennsylvania (United States), professor of Geophysics EA Griswold at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Trust of Brown University. It has contributed to more than half a dozen planetary missions of NASA to study the moon, mart, mercury and asteroids. In 2021 she was appointed co -president of the Council of Advisors in Science and Technology of President Joe Biden.

Meng Anming

Meng, Professor of Development Biology at the Tsinghua University of Beijing (China), specializes in embryonic development and uses the zebra fish as a model to study early growth processes. He is a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Olivier Pourquié

Pourquié, a geneticist born in France, is a professor at Harvard’s faculty and at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He previously directed the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology in France. In 2024 he was co -author of a study on the standardization of embryonic models based on stem cells.

LUIS FERNANDO LARRONDO CASTRO

Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Larrondo Castro has served as director of the Millennium Institute of Integrative Biology (IBIO). His research focuses on the biological watches of fungi and their role in physiology and guest interactions.

Cecilia Tortajada

Tortajada is an environmental scientist of Mexican origin specialized in water management, the environment and natural resources. She is a professor at the School of Social and Environmental Sustainability at the University of Glasgow and deputy researcher at the National University of Singapore. He has advised global organizations, including the World Bank and the United Nations.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA.