Z. Jason Ren named AAAS Fellow
By the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Z. Jason Ren, professor of civil and environmental engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, has been elected a Fellow to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
AAAS Fellows are recognized for distinguished contributions across science, engineering, and innovation, including research, teaching, technology development, administration, and public engagement. Elected annually by the AAAS Council since 1874, Fellows represent a longstanding tradition of excellence and service to the scientific community.
Ren was elected for “pioneering contributions to water-energy-climate nexus research, advancing resource recovery and decarbonization science, and national and local leadership in advancing implementation of water technologies.” At Princeton, Ren’s Water & Energy Technologies (WET) Lab integrates electrochemistry, microbiology, and data-driven methods to understand the carbon and electron flows and to improve the design, operation, and monitoring of complex engineering systems. His work has also been recognized through prior honors, including election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the International Water Association, as well as the Paul L. Busch Award, the AEESP Frontier in Research Award, and the Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize.
“This year’s AAAS Fellows have demonstrated research excellence, made notable contributions to advance science, and delivered important services to their communities, said Sudip S. Parikh, Ph.D., AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals. ”These Fellows and their accomplishments validate the importance of investing in science and technology for the benefit of all.”
In addition to his academic research, Ren has worked with students to help translate innovations beyond the laboratory. He co-founded two companies, including Princeton Critical Minerals (PCM), which is advancing Princeton-developed technologies for direct lithium extraction. PCM’s systems are designed to support more selective recovery of minerals from brine and produced water while reducing energy use and chemical inputs. The company recently received an ARPA-E award and delivered its first products to a major mining client.
Ren will be formally inducted as an AAAS Fellow during a ceremony on May 26, 2026, in Washington, D.C. He will be recognized alongside fellow Princeton honoree Rodney Priestley, Dean of the Graduate School and the Pomeroy and Betty Perry Smith Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering. At the ceremony, Fellows receive the AAAS blue-and-gold rosette pin, with blue representing engineering and gold representing science.