Ken Stuart, PhD, Elected to the National Academy of Sciences
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Featured Researchers
May 2026 — Seattle Children’s proudly celebrates the election of Ken Stuart, PhD, to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Membership in the NAS is considered one of the highest honors a scientist can receive, recognizing distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
Dr. Stuart’s election is testament to a 50-year career dedicated to combating global infectious diseases. Some of his contributions to science include:
- The Discovery of RNA Editing: Dr. Stuart discovered the process of RNA editing in trypanosomes — single-celled, parasitic microbes that infect blood and tissues in animals and humans. His work revealed how mRNA sequences that are encoded in genes are changed by editing after their production. He also found that the editing differs between the parasites’ developmental stages which switches it between different modes of energy generation. His research is funded by an NIH grant that has been continuously active since September 1976.
- Read two recent publications on this work:
- Mechanisms of Antigenic Variation: His lab also studies antigenic variation — a process where parasites, like those causing African sleeping sickness and malaria, alter their cell surface compositions to evade the host immune system.
- Systems Immunology and Malaria Vaccination: Over the last 13 years, Dr. Stuart has expanded his focus into systems immunology, conducting molecular analyses of human immune responses to develop malaria vaccines.
It is an honor to receive this recognition, which I share with the dedicated researchers in my lab and the many trainees who have gone on to establish their own research programs. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to do this research and solve some of these biological puzzles, which I hope will make a global impact.
Dr. Stuart will be formally inducted into the academy at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., next spring.