General Process

General Information About the Fellows Nomination, Review and Appeal Process:

A member whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished and who has been a continuous member for the four year period leading up to the year of nomination, may, by virtue of such meritorious contribution be elected a Fellow by the Council. Examples of areas in which nominees may have made significant contributions are research; teaching; technology; services to professional societies; administration in academe, industry, and government; and communicating and interpreting science to the public. Fellows are elected annually by the AAAS Council from the list of approved nominations from the Section Steering Committees.

Fellow nominations may be made by: 1) the Steering Groups of the Association's 24 sections, or 2) any three previously elected Fellows who are current AAAS members, so long as two of the three sponsors are not affiliated with the nominee's institution, or 3) the Chief Executive Officer.

All nominees and sponsors must meet the following eligibility requirements:

1. Eligibility for nomination requires an individual to have been a continuous member of AAAS for four years by the end of the calendar year in which they would be elected.
2. No Fellow may serve as a sponsor, whether primary, secondary or tertiary, on more than two 3-Fellow nominations in one year.

Each 3-Fellow nomination packet must include the following: 1) nomination form; 2) a list of the nominee's top ten most significant publications; 3) a comprehensive CV, which includes a complete list of publications; 4) letters from each of the three sponsors.

Please refer to the Current Nomination Cycle tab for more detailed instructions.

Review Process:

Responsibility for reviewing the Fellow nominations is assigned to the Steering Groups of the 24 Sections. Nominations undergo review by the Steering Group members (the Chair, Chair-Elect, Retiring Chair, Secretary, and four Members-at-Large of each section). Each Steering Group reviews only those nominations designated for its section. Names of Fellow nominees who are approved by the Steering Groups are presented to the AAAS Council for election.

Each nominee must receive the approval of a majority of the Steering Group members, with no more than two opposed, in order to be included in the slate of Fellow nominees that is presented to the Council for a final vote. Nominations can also be challenged by any member of the AAAS Council during the voting process.

General Timeline:

Steering Group Review – Spring
Council Voting – Fall
Announcements – Late Fall immediately following the vote

Appeals:

Sponsors of a rejected nomination have the option of appealing to the Committee on Council Affairs for possible reversal of the Steering Group's decision. A challenged nomination will be reviewed by the Committee on Council Affairs, which is the governing body responsible for final decisions.

Announcements:

Final decisions are generally announced in late fall. New Fellows are honored at an event at the AAAS Annual Meeting the following February where they receive a certificate and rosette. The names of the newly elected Fellows are also published in the journal Science.

Queries may be directed to the Executive Office by phone, 202-326-6468 or fellownomination@aaas.org.