Phil Robertson is 1 of 3 MSU faculty elected to National Academy of Sciences for 2025

Phil Robertson, University Distinguished Professor of ecosystem science at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station and in Michigan State University’s Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

Robertson was one of three MSU faculty members to this year receive what’s considered to be one of the highest honors in scientific research. Christoph Benning, an inventor and University Distinguished Professor and MSU Research Foundation Professor in the College of Natural Science, and Jianguo “Jack” Liu, founder and director of the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability and University Distinguished Professor and the Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability in the College of Natural Science and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, also were honored.

National Academy of Sciences

The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Abraham Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected to the Academy based on their distinguished, continuing achievements in original research. Currently, there are only 2,662 members and 556 international members of the NAS. This recent membership class brings MSU’s total to 18 members.

“I am proud to congratulate Christoph Benning, Jianguo “Jack” Liu and Philip Robertson on their election to the esteemed National Academy of Sciences,” said MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D. “With their expertise in plant science, sustainability and ecology, these distinguished researchers are driving positive change across our state, nation and world — and bolstering MSU’s legacy as one of the most societally impactful universities.”

Phil Robertson

Phil Robertson is an internationally recognized crop and soil scientist and ecosystem ecologist based at KBS since 1985. His more than four decades of research have focused on the biogeochemistry and productivity of field crop ecosystems and landscapes.

Robertson has made significant contributions to understanding how farming practices influence climate stability, water quality and crop yields for corn, soybeans and wheat. His work with KBS has led to several of the nation’s most influential agricultural research programs, including the National Science Foundation’s Long-Term Ecological Research program, which he ran from 1988 to 2017. He also played a foundational role in the USDA’s Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Network and the Department of Energy’s Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, for which he served as science director from 2017 to 2021. Robertson has also made considerable contributions to science policies by serving on national committees.

“I’m deeply honored by the election, made possible only by colleagues and others at Michigan State University who have provided outstanding opportunities to collaborate through the years,” said Robertson. “KBS, and MSU in general, has been an exciting place to advance the science I care most about and to teach the next generations.”

Read the full article, or view the full list of 2025 NAS members.

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