Fred Rasio Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
April 28, 2025
Congratulations to Physics and Astronomy professor, Fred Rasio for being elected into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies. 
Frederic Rasio is the Joseph Cummings Professor of Physics at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and member of the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA).
Rasio studies the long-term dynamics of planetary systems, including the chaotic dynamics of multi-planet systems as they evolve over billions of years. He also studies the evolution of dense stellar clusters over the history of the universe. His most recent work focuses on gravitational wave sources and the formation of massive black holes. A leader in understanding the dynamics of compact objects, Rasio also has made important contributions to understanding the formation of binary black holes.
Since 2013, Rasio has served as the editor of The Astrophysical Journal Letters. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Astronomical Society. He also received an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship and the Brouwer Career Award from the American Astronomical Society.
Founded in 1780 by John Adams, John Hancock and others, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded on ideals that celebrate the life of the mind, the importance of knowledge and the belief that the arts and sciences are “necessary to the interest, honor, dignity and happiness of a free, independent and virtuous people.”