Election of May-Britt and Edvard Moser as Foreign Associates of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences for distinguished research.
On 28 April 2014, May-Britt Moser and Edvard I. Moser were elected as Foreign Associates (international members) of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The NAS announcement recognized their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research on the neural basis of spatial representation.
Election to the NAS is among the highest honors a scientist can receive, signifying sustained excellence and impact across an entire career. For the Mosers, this distinction acknowledged their pioneering discovery of grid cells and their broader work in systems neuroscience, which had reshaped understanding of how the brain encodes location and movement.
Historically, this election marked an important moment in the internationalization of American scientific institutions, as a Norwegian couple leading a research center in Trondheim joined the ranks of world-renowned scientists. From a women’s-history perspective, Moser’s election as a foreign associate underscored the presence of women at the top tier of global scientific recognition, in a body where female membership has historically been limited. The honor further amplified her scientific voice in international policy and advisory circles, reinforcing her role as a leader in contemporary neuroscience.