Allstot, Choset, Gonzalez Elected AAAS Fellows

Carnegie Mellon University’s David Allstot(opens in new window), Howie Choset(opens in new window) and Cleotilde “Coty” Gonzalez(opens in new window) have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals.

The fellow distinction is a lifetime honor achievement within the organization, which promotes the use of science, technology, engineering and mathematics to solve current issues. 

David Allstot

Allstot joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering(opens in new window) as a distinguished special professor in 2023. He has been recognized for impactable contributions to the field of integrated electronics, particularly for the analysis, design, simulation and commercialization of CMOS sampled-data signal processing systems.

“I am honored to be recognized alongside my Carnegie Mellon colleagues,” said Allstot. “I've been lucky to enjoy a career focusing on my two passions — teaching and research. Being elected as an AAAS Fellow underscores my commitment to students and the field of mixed-signal integrated electronics.”

Allstot’s research focuses on analog, mixed-signal and radio frequency integrated circuits. His impact on the mix-node integrated circuits and systems field has transformed the semiconductor industry.

“Dave is beyond deserving of this prestigious achievement,” said Larry Pileggi, the Coraluppi Department Head and Tanoto Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “His contributions to the mixed-signal integrated electronics field have revolutionized today's cellphone technology. We are proud to have David in our department.”

Allstot earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering science from the University of Portland in 1969, a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from Oregon State University in 1974, and a doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1979.

Howie Choset

The Kavčić-Moura Professor of Computer Science at CMU’s Robotics Institute(opens in new window), Choset is being recognized for “distinguished contributions to the field of robotics, and for leadership in entrepreneurship and education.”

Choset’s work centers around bringing the precision of computer science and applied mathematics to the realities and uncertainties of mechanical systems. He has made fundamental contributions in design, motion planning, path planning and estimation. Choset also co-directs the Biorobotics Lab at the Robotics Institute, where he and his affiliates look to biology for inspiration on how to reduce complicated problems in robotics. 

Choset's research program has made contributions to challenging and strategically significant problems in diverse areas such as surgery, manufacturing, infrastructure inspection, and search and rescue. This work has led him, along with his students, to form several companies including Medrobotics for surgical systems; Hebi Robotics for modular robots; and Pipe Force AI, for infrastructure (pipe) inspection and remediation for autonomous guided vehicles. Choset leads multi-PI projects centered on manufacturing, and he co-led the formation of the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute(opens in new window). Additionally, Choset is a founding editor of the Science Robotics journal, and he is currently serving on the editorial board of The International Journal of Robotics Research.

“It is an honor to be elected as an AAAS fellow. I’m so grateful to have so many wonderful collaborators, including students, staff and faculty,” said Choset. “The people I work with are incredibly respectful, honest, hard-working, smart and creative. It is on their shoulders I stand.” 

Cleotilde Gonzalez

AAAS recognized Gonzalez for “distinguished contributions to the field of cognitive science, particularly the development of Instance-Based Learning Theory, from which computational models have emerged in cybersecurity, network science and human-machine teaming.” A research professor in the Department of Social and Decision Sciences(opens in new window) (SDS), Gonzalez is the 15th faculty member to be elected a fellow of AAAS from Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences(opens in new window). Gonzalez is the founding director of the Dynamic Decision Making Laboratory(opens in new window). In addition to her appointment in SDS, she is affiliated with the CyLab Security and Privacy Institute(opens in new window), Human-Computer Interaction Institute(opens in new window), Software and Societal Systems Department(opens in new window) and Center for Neural Basis of Cognition(opens in new window) (CNBC).

Gonzalez has been principal or co-investigator on a wide range of multimillion-dollar, multiyear collaborative efforts with government and industry. She serves as research co-director of the National Science Foundation-funded AI Institute for Societal Decision Making(opens in new window). In addition, she is involved in Multi-University Research Initiative grants from the Army Research Laboratories and Army Research Office; large collaborative projects with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA).

Gonzalez is a fellow of the Cognitive Science Society and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. She is also a member of the governing board of the Cognitive Science Society and a member of the advisory committee for the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. She is a senior editor for Topics in Cognitive Science, a consulting editor for Decision and associate editor for the System Dynamics Review. She also is a member of editorial boards for journals including Cognitive Science, Psychological Review and Perspectives on Psychological Science.

“Being inducted as an AAAS fellow is an incredible honor that not only recognizes my contributions to cognitive science but also reflects the collective efforts of my students, postdoctoral researchers and collaborators,” Gonzalez said. “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this field and to mentor the next generation of scientists who will continue to push the boundaries of human-AI complementarity.”

Induction to AAAS

Allstot, Choset and Gonzalez, alongside 468 other scientists, engineers and innovators, are being recognized for their significant scientific and social achievements. Awardees will be inducted on June 7, 2025 in Washington, D.C. at the annual AAAS meeting.  

AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes more than 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. AAAS fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement and more. 

“This year’s class of Fellows are the embodiment of scientific excellence and service to our communities,” said Sudip S. Parikh, Ph.D., AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals. “At a time when the future of the scientific enterprise in the U.S. and around the world is uncertain, their work demonstrates the value of sustained investment in science and engineering.”

Written by Krista Burns(opens in new window), Mallory Lindahl(opens in new window) and Abby Simmons(opens in new window).