UC Riverside professors admitted to NAS

Two UC Riverside professors have been named members of the National Academy of Science.

Mary Droser, distinguished professor of earth and planetary sciences, and Hailing Jin, the Cy Mouradick Endowed Chair of microbiology and plant pathology, both received the career-defining honor recently, according to a statement on the university’s website.

A paleoecologist, Droser studies the development of complex life. She has done much research on the Australian Outback, where she and her students have found evidence of ancient animals not known to science, according to the statement.

Jin is a professor of plant genetics whose work helps control agricultural pests and pathogens. She develops crop protection strategies to protect global food security, according to the statement.