Eastern alum elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Neurobiologist Marc Freeman '93 joins illustrious group
Willimantic, CT (06/08/2026) — The American Academy of Arts and Sciences announced its 2026 class of elected members this April, recognizing 252 distinguished leaders in academia, the arts, industry, journalism, philanthropy, public policy, research, and science. Among them was Marc Freeman, a 1993 biology graduate of Eastern Connecticut State University and director of the Vollum Institute at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, OR.
"It is an enormous honor to be elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, whose mission is to broadly cultivate the arts and sciences to advance our understanding of the world, each other, and enrich lives," said Freeman. "I look forward to having the opportunity to work with members of the Academy to support science and the arts, and to try to help solve some of the hard problems we face in the world today."
A protege of the late Biology Professor Michael Adams, Freeman excelled at Eastern and earned distinction as one of only 12 Connecticut students to receive a Henry Barnard Scholarship in 1993. After graduating from Eastern, Freeman earned his Ph.D. in biology at Yale University in 1999. From 1999-2004, he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Oregon. In 2004, he joined the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he led a team of neurobiology researchers. In 2009 he received a prestigious Early Career Scientist Award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, one of only 50 scientists across the country to receive the honor. In 2016, he was appointed director of the Vollum Institute. Eastern also recognized Freeman in 2013 with its annual Distinguished Alumni Award.
"Marc Freeman is one of Eastern's most accomplished alumni and truly deserving of election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences," said Eastern President Karim Ismaili. "Since leaving Eastern, he has excelled in graduate school at Yale University, and in his professional appointments at such institutions as the University of Massachusetts Medical School and now the Vollum Institute. Not only has he made major contributions to the international field of neurobiology, he inspires and supports current student researchers at Eastern through the Student Research Endowed Scholarship Fund, which was launched in 2014 by Dr. Freeman and his wife, Amy Sheehan '93."
"We celebrate the achievement of each new member and the collective breadth and depth of their excellence - this is a fitting commemoration of the nation's 250th anniversary," said Academy President Laurie Patton. "The founding of the nation and the Academy are rooted in the inextricable links between a vibrant democracy, the free pursuit of knowledge and the expansion of the public good."
Chartered in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences was established to recognize leaders in their fields and work with them to address the greatest challenges facing the young nation. The first members elected to the Academy included George Washington, who said - in his first annual message to Congress in 1790 - "Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness."
Over time, the Academy has broadened the disciplines from which members are elected. In addition to Freeman, those in the 2026 class include actress Jodie Foster, author Barbara Kingsolver, actress Rita Moreno, immunologist Alan Korman, anthropologist John Jackson, industrial designer Deana McDonagh, and mathematician Natasa Pavlovic. International honorary members from 14 countries were elected including pediatrician, politician and public health educator Agnes Binagwaho of Rwanda, theoretical physicist Ashoke Sen of India, and poet Raul Zurita of Chile.
"We invite all of our members to celebrate their election and to join in the Academy's work advancing the common good across the arts, democracy, education, global affairs and science," said Board Chair Goodwin Liu, Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court. "Our nonpartisan and interdisciplinary commitment to knowledge and democracy began in 1780 and continues in 2026 with pursuits never more important than they are now. We know such endeavors will be expanded and deepened by these newest members."
The new class joins Academy members elected before them, including Benjamin Franklin (elected 1781) and Alexander Hamilton (1791) in the 18th century; Ralph Waldo Emerson (1864), Maria Mitchell (1848) and Charles Darwin (1874) in the 19th century; Albert Einstein (1924), Robert Frost (1931), Margaret Mead (1948), Milton Friedman (1959), Martin Luther King, Jr. (1966), and Jacques Derrida (1985) in the 20th century; and, in this century, Madeleine K. Albright (2001), Antonin Scalia (2003), Jennifer Doudna (2003), Esther Duflo (2009), John Legend (2017), Anna Deavere Smith (2019), Salman Rushdie (2022), Xuedong Huang (2023), and Jose Andres (2025).
Induction ceremonies for new members will take place in Cambridge, MA, in October 2026.
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The Vollum Institute is a privately endowed research institute at Oregon Health & Science University dedicated to basic research that will lead to new treatments for neurological and psychiatric diseases. Vollum scientists have broad-ranging interests that coalesce around molecular neurobiology and cellular physiology. Their work has transformed the field of neuroscience and, in particular, has provided important advances in the study of synaptic transmission, neuronal development, neurotransmitter transporters, ion channels and the neurobiology of disease.
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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving upwards of 4,000 students annually on its Willimantic campus. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 68 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 25 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2025-26 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 15 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.
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Marc Freeman '93
Eastern Connecticut State University
Michael Rouleau, (860) 465-0172, rouleaum@easternct.edu; communications@easternct.eduShare this Story
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