Biological physicist Réka Albert elected to National Academy of Sciences
Réka Albert, Evan Pugh University Professor and professor of physics and biology at Penn State, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Albert was recognized for her work in the field of network science, mapping complex biological systems through computational modeling. Her research provides new insights into the functioning of complex systems, from cellular processes to societal interactions, which has impacted fields like medicine, environmental science and public health.
"Being elected to the National Academy of Sciences is a profound honor and a reflection of the wide-reaching impact of network science across scientific disciplines,” said Albert, who is affiliated with the University’s Eberly College of Science and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. “At the heart of my research is multidisciplinary collaboration — working to build models that capture the essence of interacting systems, and to derive meaningful insights and testable predictions. I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with exceptional mentors, colleagues and students. This recognition is also a tribute to their brilliance and contributions."
Albert is one of 120 U.S. members and 30 international members elected by the National Academy of Sciences this year. Albert’s election brings Penn State's representation to 26 members and total number of active members to 2,662 and 556 international members. The newly elected members will be honored in a ceremony on April 24, 2026, during the National Academy of Sciences’ 163rd annual meeting.
Albert pioneered network science, a method that involves studying systems as networks, where individual components — like people, proteins or genes — are represented as "nodes," and their interactions are depicted as "edges." This approach led to new ways to visualize and analyze the intricate web of connections in various systems.
For example, she co-developed the Barabási–Albert (BA) model, which describes how networks grow and evolve. She applied network models to biological systems to better understand how cells function. By modeling the signaling pathways in cells, her work shed light on how cancer cells hijack normal cellular processes.
Albert has spent her career working across disciplines. For example, she collaborated with plant physiologist Sarah Assmann, Penn State’s Waller Professor of Biology, to study how plants respond to drought. She partnered with virologists and epidemiologists to model the spread of diseases like COVID-19 using network science, representing individuals and their interactions as networks to better understand how interventions can be effective.
“Dr. Albert’s interdisciplinary approach, combining physics, biology and computational science, continues to advance our understanding of the world. Being elected to the National Academy of Sciences is an extremely high honor and underscores her extraordinary contributions to science,” said Andrew Read, senior vice president for research at Penn State. “As a renowned leader in research and a mentor to countless students, she represents exactly what makes our University so exceptional.”
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit institution that was established under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. It recognizes achievement in science by election to membership, and — with the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine — provides science, engineering and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations.