Theodore Rappaport and Vlad Vicol Elected to the Academy of Arts and Sciences

April 23, 2026

Vlad Vicol, Professor of Mathematics, and Theodore 'Ted' Rappaport, Professor of Computer Science, were among the 2026 Fellows elected by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 

“We celebrate the achievement of each new member and the collective breadth and depth of their excellence—this is a fitting commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary,” said Academy President Laurie Patton. “The founding of the nation and the Academy are rooted in the inextricable links between a vibrant democracy, the free pursuit of knowledge, and the expansion of the public good.”

Vlad Vicol is a professor of mathematics at the Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science. He works in the field of nonlinear partial differential equations, focusing on models arising in fluid dynamics. He has primarily worked on understanding how certain complicated fluid and motion equations behave—when their solutions stay smooth versus becoming irregular, what happens when fluid resistance becomes extremely small, and how to describe turbulent flows. Vicol has been named a Simons Investigator in Mathematics and a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. He has received the Sloan Research Fellowship and Clay Research Prize. Most recently, Vicol was awarded the 2025 Fermat Prize for “deep and transformative breakthroughs in the mathematical analysis of equations of fluid mechanics and turbulence.”

Ted S. Rappaport is the David Lee/Ernst Weber Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with faculty appointments at the Tandon School of Engineering, the Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science, and Grossman School of Medicine. He is the founder of NYU WIRELESS, a multidisciplinary research center advancing the future of wireless communications. A pioneer in radio propagation, channel modeling, and millimeter wave technology, he has has shaped global wireless standards and spectrum policy for nearly four decades, from the foundational IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard and the first digital cellular standards adopted in the United States, to the FCC rulings that opened millimeter wave and sub-terahertz bands for mobile use, and the millimeter wave framework the wireless industry adopted for 5G. He has co-founded two wireless companies and authored or edited more than 20 books, including the field's best-selling textbooks on wireless communications. He is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering, a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery.

Nicole R. Fleetwood, the Paulette Goddard Endowed Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development was also elected to the Academy this year. 

 You can read more about the recognition on NYU News.