American Academy of Arts and Sciences selects Goldstein, Bollen
Professors Bob Goldstein and Kenneth Bollen of the UNC College of Arts and Sciences join one of the nation’s oldest honor societies.
UNC-Chapel Hill faculty members Kenneth Bollen and Bob Goldstein were elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences on April 23.
The two distinguished professors in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences join a roster of nearly 250 members in the 2025 class. Academy members include those who discover and advance knowledge and who apply knowledge to the problems of society.
Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an honorary society that honors excellence and convenes leaders from every field of human endeavor to examine new ideas, address issues of importance to the nation and the world and to work together “to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, dignity and happiness of a free, independent and virtuous people.”
Bollen is the Henry Rudolph Immerwahr Distinguished Professor in the psychology and neuroscience department and the sociology department, both in the College. He is also a fellow at the Carolina Population Center and a member of the L.L. Thurstone Psychometric Laboratory at UNC-Chapel Hill. A leading developer of structural equation modeling, Bollen creates new quantitative methods for the population and social sciences. He and his colleagues have pioneered innovative estimators, fit statistics and diagnostic tools for analyzing latent variables, measurement error, unconventional measurement models and new models for longitudinal data. His most recent substantive applications have focused on health and population studies.
Goldstein is the James L. Peacock III Distinguished Professor in the biology department and an adjunct professor in the art and art history department, both in the College. His work focuses on understanding fundamental mechanisms in cell and developmental biology. The lab is also developing tardigrades (water bears) as an emerging model system to study how biological materials can survive unusual extremes. Goldstein is also a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and a professor in the UNC School of Medicine’s curricula in genetics and molecular biology and cell biology and physiology.
“These new members’ accomplishments speak volumes about the human capacity for discovery, creativity, leadership and persistence,” said Laurie L. Patton, president of the academy. “They are a stellar testament to the power of knowledge to broaden our horizons and deepen our understanding.”
The new members will be inducted into the academy in October 2025.
Read more about the 2025 American Academy of Arts and Sciences members.
