TUCSON, AZ – Dr. Eric D. Isaacs, President & CEO of Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA), has been chosen as President-Elect of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). His term as President will begin in early 2027.
AAAS is the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society, with 120,000 members, and is a leading publisher of cutting-edge research through Science and its related journals.
“AAAS is a powerful, non-partisan advocate for U.S. leadership in science, and I am deeply honored that my peers have chosen me to represent our community’s voice as we work together to shape the nation’s scientific agenda and promote a nuanced understanding of the crucial connections between government and science,” Isaacs said. “Now more than ever, it is critical for AAAS to speak out on the importance of our nation’s scientific enterprise and the crucial importance of scientific research to our future prosperity.”
Isaacs is a longtime member of AAAS, which works to promote science, engineering, and innovation and to represent American researchers in all fields of science. In this new role, he will work alongside incoming AAAS President Marina Picciotto and AAAS Chief Executive Officer Sudip Parikh to engage scientists, policymakers, and institutional leaders in shaping the national dialogue around research funding, science education, and the evolving role of science in society.
“As we face urgent problems in health, energy, and the environment, it is crucial for our nation to stabilize and strengthen the structures that enable breakthrough research,” Isaacs added. “The future of American science – and the economy – depends on our ability to make prudent and consistent investments, organize talent, integrate emerging technologies, support basic research, and cultivate the next generation of scientific leaders.”
Isaacs has served as RCSA president since July 2025. Founded in 1912, RCSA is the nation’s first private foundation solely dedicated to science, supporting early stage, high-potential basic research in the physical sciences (astronomy, chemistry, physics, materials, as well as adjacent fields) at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.
Isaacs is President Emeritus of the Carnegie Institution for Science, which he led from 2018 to 2024. During that time, he represented Carnegie Science on the board of the Giant Magellan Telescope as a founding member of the international coalition to build the 25-meter instrument at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile.
Previously, as Executive Vice President for Research, Innovation and National Laboratories at the University of Chicago, Isaacs oversaw more than $1.5 billion in sponsored research, including forefront science and engineering at the University of Chicago Medical Center, Argonne National Laboratory, and Fermilab. He also served as the university’s provost and previously as Director of Argonne National Laboratory.
Isaacs received his B.A. in Physics from Beloit College and his Ph.D. in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Bell Laboratories.