NASA SCoPE PI, Meenakshi Wadhwa, inducted to National Academy of Sciences

On April 26, 2024, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) welcomed a new cohort of outstanding members into its ranks, including Principal Investigator (PI) Meenakshi Wadhwa of NASA SCoPE – the NASA Science Mission Directorate Community of Practice for Education. At the induction ceremony, 120 new members and 23 international members were welcomed, expanding the NAS's active membership to 2,565 and its international membership to 526.

Wadhwa's induction into the NAS recognized her groundbreaking contributions to planetary sciences and her ongoing commitment to original research. Wadhwa has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of the solar system's formation and evolution. Her innovative work in high-precision isotope analyses of planetary materials has significantly expanded our knowledge in this field.

“I am honored and humbled to be among those included in this NAS class,” Wadhwa said. “I believe though that this honor reflects, more than anything, the incredible intellectual environment and amazing opportunities I have had during my nearly 18 years at ASU, and the caliber of the colleagues, postdocs and students I’ve had the good fortune to work with here.”

In addition to her role at NASA SCoPE, Wadhwa also serves as the Director of Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration and as the Mars Sample Return Principal Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Her leadership and expertise has contributed to numerous advancements in planetary science.

Wadhwa's contributions to the field have been widely recognized, with numerous awards and honors, including being named a Geochemistry Fellow of the Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry, as well as receiving the J. Lawrence Smith Medal of the National Academy of Sciences. Furthermore, asteroid 8356 was named 8356 Wadhwa in acknowledgment of her significant contributions to meteoritics and planetary science.

The National Academy of Sciences, established in 1863, is a prestigious institution that recognizes scientific achievement through membership election. Alongside the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine, it provides valuable science, engineering, and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations.

NASA SCoPE is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number 80NSSC21M0006 and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn