Professor Sheila Jasanoff, the Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Harvard Kennedy School, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Jasanoff is one of nine scholars from across Harvard University and among more than 250 new members chosen to join the American Academy this year, according to an announcement released on Friday. The organization, based in Cambridge, was founded in 1780 to honor excellence in arts and science scholarship and to support multidisciplinary research that informs public policy.

“We are honoring the excellence of these individuals, celebrating what they have achieved so far, and imagining what they will continue to accomplish,” said David Oxtoby, the American Academy president. “The past year has been replete with evidence of how things can get worse; this is an opportunity to illuminate the importance of art, ideas, knowledge, and leadership that can make a better world.”

Jasanoff founded and directs the Program on Science, Technology, and Society at Harvard Kennedy School. She is the author of more than 130 articles and author or editor of more than 15 books. Her work explores the role of science and technology in the law, politics, and policy of modern democracies.

Her recent work includes ongoing research comparing 18 nations’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic to determine what worked, what fell short, and why. She is one of two principal investigators of the project, which was lauded by the World Health Organization.

Earlier this month, Jasanoff also received the 2021 Everett Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Award from the Harvard Graduate Student Council.

Jasanoff earned her AB degree from Harvard, a master’s degree in linguistics from the University of Bonn, and both a PhD in linguistics and law degree from Harvard. She has been on the Harvard faculty since 1998 and previously taught at Cornell University.