Dr. James J. Cochran and Dr. Xinyue Ye have been elected 2025 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Cochran and Ye are among the nearly 500 scientists, engineers and innovators who have been recognized for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements by one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and publisher of the Science family of journals.
“We are excited and proud to see two outstanding University of Alabama faculty members be recognized as AAAS fellows, an honor that reflects the quality, world-leading vision, and impact of their scholarship,” said Dr. Bryan Boudouris, UA’s vice president for research. “Their work advances knowledge in ways that benefit the state of Alabama and beyond.”
James J. Cochran
Professor of Applied Statistics and the Mike and Kathy Mouron Chair, Culverhouse College of Business
Cochran was elected an AAAS fellow in recognition of his groundbreaking research at the interface of statistics and operations research, improving the quality of statistics education in developing nations, and fostering application of statistics to societal and humanitarian problems.
“This recognition is especially meaningful because it reflects the value of sustained scientific inquiry, collaboration and service to the scientific community,” Cochran said. “I have been fortunate to work with many outstanding colleagues, students, and mentors on and off The University of Alabama campus, and I share this honor with them. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to contribute to work that I hope advances science and benefits society.”
Cochran is the founding editor of two research series, a body of knowledge for operations research and an eight-volume operations research encyclopedia. He has organized international teaching colloquia in 19 countries and received numerous awards for his research, teaching and service. Among Cochran’s most recent honors are the Advocacy Governance Committee Public Engagement Award from the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences and the Samuel S. Wilks Memorial Award from the American Statistical Association. He is also a Fellow of the American Statistical Association, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, and the African Academy of Sciences.
Xinyue Ye
Endowed Shelby Distinguished Professor in Geospatial Artificial Intelligence, Barefield College of Arts and Sciences
Ye was elected as an AAAS fellow for his distinguished contributions at the intersection of geography, urban planning and data science, particularly through pioneering research in GeoAI, digital twin and urban resilience, with an interdisciplinary, community- centered approach. Broadly, he is interested in how emerging computational and AI methods can help us better understand and improve cities, infrastructure, environmental systems and community well-being.
“To me, this recognition reflects the growing importance of interdisciplinary scholarship and the power of building bridges across geography, urban planning, and data science,” Ye said. “I am deeply grateful to the students, collaborators, colleagues and communities who have been part of this journey. I look forward to continuing this work to advance scientific innovation and to help create more resilient, intelligent, and human-centered communities.”
Among Ye’s many honors are, most recently, the Endowed Shelby Distinguished Professorship of AI in UA’s department of geography and the environment and the Distinguished Scholar Award from the American Association of Geographers. He is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Springer Journal of Computational Urban Science, as well as the founding director of the ALA-GAINS (Alabama Geospatial AI & Information Science) Hub and The Future of AI Lecture Series.
Lifetime Honor
A tradition dating back to 1874, election as an AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor, and all Fellows are expected to meet the commonly held standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity. Distinguished past honorees include Ellen Ochoa, Steven Chu, Grace Hopper, Alan Alda, Mae Jemison and Ayanna Howard.
This year’s Fellows have demonstrated research excellence, made notable contributions to advance science, and delivered important services to their communities,” said Dr. Sudip S. Parikh, AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals. “These Fellows and their accomplishments validate the importance of investing in science and technology for the benefit of all.”