From April 24 to 26, 2026, the 163rd Annual Meeting of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) took place in Washington, D.C. During the Annual Meeting, an Presentation Ceremony was held for members elected in 2025, where newly elected members are introduced to their colleagues in the Academy and sign the "Registry of Membership" — the ceremonial book that formally records a scientist's admission to the Academy. Professor Jun Liu, Chair of the Department of Statistics and Data Science at Tsinghua University and Xinghua Chair Professor, was among those who officiated his membership.
Professor Jun Liu signing the Registry of Membership at the induction ceremony
Professor Jun Liu at this year‘s NAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
The signing of the Registry is the central tradition of the induction ceremony. It represents the key moment that transforms an election result into a formal membership. NAS membership is a widely accepted mark of excellence in science and is considered one of the highest honors that a scientist can receive. Members are elected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Professor Liu was elected in April 2025. A globally renowned statistician, Professor Liu has made pioneering contributions to Monte Carlo methods, Bayesian inference, computational biology, and bioinformatics. Since his full-time appointment at Tsinghua in 2025, he has been actively advancing the discipline of statistics and data science and fostering interdisciplinary talent development, further enhancing the global impact of statistics at Tsinghua.
