The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) has elected its 2018 new Academicians, including the SETI Institute's Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI Research, Andrew Siemion. Siemion is named as a Corresponding Member on Basic Sciences.

Founded in 1960, the IAA is a non-governmental organization whose goals are to "foster the development of astronautics for peaceful purposes; recognize individuals who have distinguished themselves in space science or technology; provide a program through which members may contribute to international endeavors; and promote international cooperation in the advancement of aerospace science."

The IAA was founded by Dr. Theodore von Karman who served as its first president. Dr. von Karman also established the Josephine De Karman Fellowship Trust in honor of his sister -- Siemion is a past recipient of this fellowship for Undergraduate Study at Berkeley.

“It is an honor to join the IAA as an Academician and to have the opportunity to continue to build on its illustrious history as a nexus of international collaboration on the search for intelligent life beyond Earth,” said Siemion.

Siemion received his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from UC Berkeley in 2012 and now holds joint post-doctoral appointments at UC Berkeley, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON) and Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands. His research interests include studies of high energy time-variable celestial phenomena, astronomical instrumentation and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).

New IAA members come from from 25 countries and will be inducted on September 30 on Academy Day in Bremen, Germany. IAA members may register here.