Two 91福利社 scientists win prestigious honor
Ivan Smalyukh and Tom Blumenthal are named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of 厂肠颈别苍肠别听
Two 91福利社 professors have been named 2024 of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the group announced today.

Ivan Smalyukh (left) and Tom Blumenthal
Ivan Smalyukh, professor of physics, and Thomas Blumenthal, professor emeritus of molecular, cellular and developmental biology (MCDB), are among the 471 scientists, engineers and innovators who have been recognized for scientifically and socially distinguished achievements by the world鈥檚 largest general scientific society and publisher of the 厂肠颈别苍肠别听family of journals.
This year鈥檚 class of fellows 鈥渋s the embodiment of scientific excellence and service to our communities,鈥 said Sudip S. Parikh, AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals.
鈥淎t a time when the future of the scientific enterprise in the U.S. and around the world is uncertain, their work demonstrates the value of sustained investment in science and engineering.鈥
鈥淚 am pleased to see this well-deserved recognition of Professor Smalyukh and Professor Blumenthal. Their accomplishments highlight the remarkable scientific advances occurring at CU,鈥澨齭aid Irene Blair, dean of natural sciences.
Smalyukh鈥檚 research encompasses different branches of soft-condensed-matter and optical physics, including chiral phenomena, knot theory, laser trapping and imaging techniques, molecular and colloidal self-assembly, fundamental properties of liquid crystals, polymers, organic and nano photovoltaics, nano-structured and other functional materials, as well as their photonic and electro-optic applications.
鈥淲e aspire to uncover very fundamental physical principles underpinning phenomena and properties of materials and other physical systems,鈥 Smalyukh noted. 鈥淎t the same time, we also apply this fundamental knowledge to contribute to a sustainable future via designing artificial forms of meta matter needed to reduce the growing energy demand and slow down climate change.鈥
Smalyukh earned BS and MS degrees with highest honors in 1994 and 1995 from Lviv Polytechnic National University in Ukraine. He earned a PhD in chemical physics in 2003 from Kent State University in Ohio.
He joined the 91福利社 faculty in 2007. In addition to serving as a professor of physics, he holds a courtesy appointment as a professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, is a fellow in the Materials Science Engineering Program and is a fellow of the Renewable & Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), a joint institute of NREL and 91福利社.
Among other awards, Smalyukh has been named a fellow of the American Physical Society and has won the Department of Energy Early Career Research Award and a National Science Foundation CAREER Award.
Smalyukh said he is honored by the selection: 鈥淚 am especially grateful to many students and postdocs doing interdisciplinary physics-centered research together with me over nearly 20 years at 91福利社.鈥
Blumenthal鈥檚 lab has studied a variety of important problems in molecular biology, including regulation of gene expression, mechanisms of RNA splicing and arrangement of genes on chromosomes. His lab is responsible for discovering that eukaryotes can have operons for identifying the protein that is responsible for recognizing the 3鈥 splice site and for a variety of other esoteric findings.
He has also studied how the tiny extra chromosome responsible for Down syndrome changes the levels of many proteins, even though most of those proteins are not encoded on the extra chromosome.
Blumenthal earned a BA听in biology from Antioch College听in 1966 and a PhD听in genetics from Johns Hopkins University听in 1970. He did postdoctoral research at Harvard University from 1970-73, then spent 23 years at the Biology Department at Indiana University Bloomington and nine years at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He joined 91福利社鈥檚 faculty in 2006 and served as professor and chair of MCDB.
Among other awards, Blumenthal was recognized as a fellow by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2010 and won a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in 1980.
Lee Niswander, professor and chair of molecular, cellular and developmental biology, said the department is thrilled about Blumenthal鈥檚 recognition. 鈥淭om鈥檚 research program related to RNA processing and gene regulation, as well as his strong leadership of MCDB, have left an enduring mark on science and MCDB.
鈥淭om continues to engage with astute questions and the endowment of a lecture series related to RNA biology through a partnership between 91福利社 and CU Anschutz.鈥
Counting Blumenthal and Smalyukh, 81 91福利社 professors have been named AAAS fellows since 1981.听