James Randerson, earth system scientist at University of California, Irvine, has been elected to membership in the prestigious National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Randerson is among the 84 new members and 21 foreign associates elected worldwide to the 2017 class.

The NAS is a private, nonprofit institution that was established under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. It recognizes achievement in science by election to membership, and—with the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine—provides science, engineering, and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations.

Randerson’s research helps to design effective solutions for sustainably managing ecosystems, including fire prediction. Currently, he is working on Earth System Modeling’s (ESM) Fire, Dust, Air and Water: Improving Aerosol Biogeochemistry Interactions in ACME, and Regional and Global Climate Change Modeling’s (RGCM) funded Reducing Uncertainties in Biogeochemical Interactions through Synthesis and Computation (RUBISCO) science focus area. Randerson is also a developer for the DOE Office of Science's International Land Model Benchmark (ILAMB) system.