The University of Georgia has added two more names to its ranks of National Academy members, as professors Gerald Hart and Robert Schmitz were elected to the National Academy of Sciences at the conclusion of its 163rd annual meeting in April.
NAS recognizes distinguished achievements in research and is a widely accepted mark of excellence in science. It is considered one of the highest honors a scientist can achieve. Schmitz and Hart are part of a 2026 class that includes 120 new members and 25 international members, bringing the total number of active members to 2,705. With their addition, UGA now has 19 NAS members.
“On behalf of the entire University of Georgia community, it is an honor to congratulate Dr. Gerald Hart and Dr. Robert Schmitz on their election to the National Academy of Sciences,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “This significant accomplishment recognizes careers defined by groundbreaking discovery and real-world impact, and I am grateful for all they do to represent UGA and our faculty with distinction.”
Gerald Hart
Hart was a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar at UGA who, in addition to his appointment with the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, also served in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of biochemistry and molecular biology prior to his retirement last year.
He studies how complex sugar modifications regulate cellular function and disease, focusing on glycosylation — the process by which carbohydrate molecules, or glycans, attach to proteins or lipids — and how these modifications interact to control protein activity, gene expression and signaling pathways. His work adds new understanding of conditions like diabetes, cancer and neurodegenerative disease.
“NAS is an outstanding organization that has supported research for many decades,” said Hart, who also became a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2025. “There has never been a more important time to support fundamental scientific research. We are on the precipice of great advances that will improve lives.”
Robert Schmitz
Schmitz is a UGA Foundation Professor in plant sciences, Lars G. Ljungdahl Distinguished Investigator in the department of genetics and was recently named a UGA Distinguished Research Professor. His laboratory studies how genetic and epigenetic variation enables plants to thrive in both natural and experimental environments.
“I’m motivated by the discovery and opportunity to open new areas of biology,” Schmitz said. “Much of our lab’s work focuses on developing technologies that make previously inaccessible questions tractable, and those advances often drive the most meaningful insights. It’s an honor to see our approach to plant genetics recognized, particularly our emphasis on combining hypothesis-driven and discovery-based research.”
Schmitz’s team also is developing new methods to identify DNA sequences that can be engineered to precisely control when, where and to what extent a gene is expressed, with the goal of enhancing crop performance.
“The election of Dr. Hart and Dr. Schmitz to the National Academy of Sciences reflects the extraordinary depth and impact of scholarship at the University of Georgia,” said Benjamin C. Ayers, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Their work exemplifies how fundamental discovery drives innovation, advances human understanding and improves lives. We are proud to count them among UGA’s faculty and to see their leadership and creativity recognized at the highest level of scientific achievement.”
NAS is a private, nonprofit institution that was established in 1863 under a congressional charter signed by Abraham Lincoln. It recognizes achievement in science by election to membership.
“Election to any of our National Academies is a rare honor that goes only to the most accomplished and respected investigators in their fields,” interim Vice President for Research Chris King said. “It is a testament to their dedication and contributions to science at the highest level, and we couldn’t be prouder of all that Dr. Hart and Dr. Schmitz have achieved to earn this recognition.”