Wayne State University is proud to announce that three professors have been elected as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. These prestigious honors recognize their distinguished contributions to their fields of study. Fellows are a prominent cadre recognized for their achievements across disciplines from research, teaching and technology to administration in academia, industry and government, as well as excellence in communicating and interpreting science to the public. Wayne State faculty selected for this honor include Mark Baskaran, Ph.D.; Stephen Krawetz, Ph.D.; and Kezhong Zhang, Ph.D.
The AAAS, the world’s largest general scientific society, elects fellows whose efforts have significantly advanced science or its applications in a distinguished manner. The tradition of electing fellows dates to 1874, with each class comprising scientists and researchers who have made impactful contributions to their respective fields.
Stephen Krawetz, Ph.D., the Charlotte B. Failing Endowed Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology for Prenatal/Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, and the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics in the School of Medicine, was selected as a fellow for his distinguished contributions to the field of cell, molecular and reproductive biology, particularly the understanding of the sperm cell genome and transcriptome.
Over the last two decades, his research team established that the fitness of the paternal contribution reflects the relative diversity of sperm RNAs that continually respond to the environment. They showed that sperm delivers a cadre of unique RNAs to the oocyte at fertilization. These RNAs may be essential to early paternal genome reprogramming, acting as genetic and epigenetic impactors of the fetal onset of adult disease. They provide a personalized timestamp of the father's physical and reproductive health, allowing the opportunity to develop a blueprint promoting the birth and healthy life of children.
Dr. Krawetz's group is on the cusp of realizing the potential of sperm RNAs and integrating their use as part of the standard for preconception care. With the father's impact on the child known and interventions now foreshadowed, perhaps for the first time, a personalized strategy for a long and healthy life for the next generation may be closer to reality.
Dr. Krawetz received his doctoral degree in biochemistry from the University of Toronto and trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Calgary. He has more than 319 publications detailing the regulation of gene expression, emphasizing chromatin’s structural role during human spermatogenesis and its application to personalized medicine. He has served on federal and state white paper committees, including the committee that published “Gulf War and Health, Volume 11: Generational Health Effects of Serving in the Gulf War,” by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The publication emphasized the impact of male contribution to the birth and life course of offspring and other long-term health problems potentially associated with military service in the Gulf. He is the founding editor-in-chief of Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine.
Kezhong Zhang, Ph.D., distinguished professor of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology and the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, in the School of Medicine was selected for his significant contributions to the field of intracellular stress response, particularly for discovering the functions and mechanisms of cell stress sensors in regulating energy metabolism.
Dr. Zhang’s research focuses on integrated cellular stress signaling and inflammatory metabolic responses that drive the progression of complex diseases, especially metabolic syndrome, inflammatory diseases and cancer. In metabolic research, he discovered a liver cell stress sensor, called CREBH, that functions as a major metabolic regulator of lipid and glucose metabolism. In immunological research, he defined the physiological Unfolded Protein Response, or UPR, signaling and its roles in B lymphocyte development and macrophage inflammation.
Dr. Zhang’s research team is among the first to demonstrate that UPR inhibitors can efficiently suppress the progression of inflammatory arthritis. In research relevant to environmental medicine, he pioneered findings that the liver is a direct target of inhalation exposure to fine airborne particulate matter PM2.5 and that fatty liver condition is responsible for air pollution-caused Type-2 diabetes in non-obese individuals.
Dr. Zhang received his doctoral degree in molecular biology and genetics at Fudan University. He performed his postdoctoral training at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He is the inventor of eight U.S. or internationally-issued patents or licensed technologies. His research group discovered and developed a new technology to rapidly heal diabetic or acute burn wounds by modulating UPR in skin wounds. Collaborating with chemists at Wayne State, Dr. Zhang’s group plays a critical role in discovering and developing new compounds and technologies using modified “sugar” (glycopolymer) to treat diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease. Additionally, Dr. Zhang and his collaborators repurposed U.S. Food and Drug Administration- approved anti-diabetes drugs, including Canagliflozin, Empagliflozin and Sotagliflozin (all SGLT inhibitors), for the treatment of cystic fibrosis-related liver diseases.
Dr. Zhang serves as editor-in-chief of Environmental Disease and on the editorial boards of eight other scientific journals. He serves on multiple National Institutes of Health study sections and on expert review panels for the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense Cancer Research Program, the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Senior Fellowship of University of Cambridge, the Austrian Science Fund, the Singapore National Research Foundation and the American Heart Association.
Mark Baskaran, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Geology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was selected for his distinguished contributions to the field of low-temperature isotope geochemistry, particularly his pioneering work in developing and refining short-lived radionuclides as biogeochemical tracers and chronometers.
Dr. Baskaran’s research has played a crucial role in understanding and quantifying environmental changes of Earth systems, and applications of isotope geochemistry with implications for climate change in the Arctic and atmospheric processes. Also, he has published several papers on atmospheric studies. His work in isotope geochemistry and environmental science has significant implications for sustainability, climate resilience and public health – key areas that influence urban prosperity.
Dr. Baskaran received his doctoral degree in physics from the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, India. He performed his postdoctoral training at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. He has published more than 160 peer-reviewed articles, including 29 papers in Nature-Index journals, and published a two-volume edited compendium, “Handbook of Environmental Isotope Geochemistry,” and a monograph on radon titled “Radon: A Tracer for Geological, Geophysical and Geochemical Studies,” the only book of its kind.
He served as an ambassador to U.S. Science to build connections between U.S. scientists and scholars from other countries. His contribution to promote scientific excellence in developing countries is notable in that he played a key role in the establishment of the Devendra Lal Memorial Medal, an award that recognizes scientists for their outstanding earth and/or space science research that promotes scientific excellence in developing countries. He served five years as the inaugural chair of the selection committee.
Drs. Baskaran, Krawetz and Zhang will be formally recognized at the annual AAAS Fellows Forum in Washington, D.C., on June 7, where they will join a distinguished group of scientists honored for their excellence in research and service to science and society.
“AAAS Fellows are chosen for their scientific and socially notable achievements throughout their career,” said Ezemenari M. Obasi, Ph.D., vice president for Research & Innovation at Wayne State University. “Drs. Baskaran, Krawetz and Zhang’s expertise in their respective fields, along with their commitment to the advancement of scientific knowledge, have made them accomplished researchers through their innovative approaches and passion to solve complex problems that touch all of our lives. Wayne State University is proud of their extraordinary contributions to science and for achieving the rank of AAAS Fellow.”
The research efforts of Drs. Baskaran, Krawetz and Zhang directly supports Wayne State’s Prosperity Agenda, which focuses on leveraging scientific discovery and innovation to drive economic growth and community well-being.