Three IAS Scholars Elected to American Philosophical Society
Three past IAS scholars have been elected as members of the American Philosophical Society (APS) in 2025. Recognized as “the oldest and most distinguished learned society in North America,” the APS annually honors outstanding achievement in the sciences, humanities, social sciences, technology, and leadership.
Among the 38 new members is Michael Harris, AMIAS Member (1983–84, 2011) in the School of Mathematics. Best known for his work on number theory and automorphic forms, Harris is currently a professor at Columbia University and a professor émérite of Université Paris Cité, as well as the author or coauthor of more than seventy mathematical books and articles. In his time at the Institute, Harris addressed questions related to the irreducibility of Galois representations and relations with p-adic L-functions.
From the School of Historical Studies, Brigitte Bedos-Rezak, Member (1996–97), is a professor of history at New York University. She was previously honored with fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Bedos-Rezak specializes in the history of medieval France; her notable scholarship investigates the relationship between dialectics of power and material artifacts (e.g., badges, insignia, and seals in the Middle Ages).
Valerie Ann Smith, Visitor (2005–06) in the School, was also elected. Smith is the 15th president of Swarthmore College and a distinguished scholar of African American literature and culture. She joined Swarthmore after a 24-year tenure at Princeton University, where she worked as the Woodrow Wilson Professor of Literature, founding director of the university’s interdisciplinary Center for African American Studies, and dean of the college.
The American Philosophical Society was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin. With the goal of “promoting useful knowledge,” the APS honors scholars and scientists, offers intellectual fellowships and elected memberships, and engages their work with semi-annual meetings, publications, lectures, exhibitions, and access to their research library. Since 1900, over 270 APS members have received the Nobel Prize.
Read the full list of 2025 APS members on the American Philosophical Society website.
