Two professors from the University of Pennsylvania have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. They are Roger Chartier, a history professor in the School of Arts & Sciences, and Beatrice Hahn, a professor of medicine and microbiology in the Perelman School of Medicine. 

They are among 213 who make up the Academy’s 236th class of national and international scholars, artists, writers, philanthropists and civic and business leaders. 

Roger Chartier, an expert in early modern European history and culture, is the Annenberg Visiting Professor of History and  professor at the College de France. 

His recent work has focused on the relationship between written culture as a whole and literature, particularly theatrical plays, in France, England and Spain. His work touches on literary criticism, bibliography and sociocultural history, as well as how history connects to other disciplines, including philosophy, sociology and anthropology. 

Beatrice Hahn, a native of Germany, is recognized for her work deciphering the primate origins of human AIDS viruses and malaria parasites. She is known for developing non-invasive methods to study the evolution, biology and potential of microbes that infect endangered primate species and can possibly be transmitted to humans. 

Her current research focuses on identifying the origin of the most deadly form of malaria in West African gorillas, findings that will prompt new research to understand host/pathogen interactions that underlie the transmission and pathogenicity of malaria. 

Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is one of the country’s oldest learned societies and independent policy research centers, convening leaders from the academic, business and government sectors to respond to the challenges facing, and opportunities available to, the nation and the world. Members contribute to Academy publications and studies of science, engineering and technology policy; global security and international affairs; the humanities, arts and education; and American institutions and the public good. 

A complete listing of the 236th class is available at www.amacad.org/members. 

The new class will be inducted at a ceremony on Oct. 8 in Cambridge, Mass.