The Fellowship of the CORE Academy brings together scholars whose work has enlarged the horizons of knowledge across the sciences and humanities. Yet fellowship is not defined by distinction alone. It also lives in the words that follow election: in a scholar’s own response, where intellectual commitment, moral seriousness, and a sense of shared purpose find personal expression.
This special collection gathers selected letters and messages from Fellows of the CORE Academy. Across different disciplines, countries, and moments in the Academy’s development, these writings reveal more than courteous acceptance. They offer glimpses of how scholars understand their vocation, their responsibilities to the wider world, and their place within an international community devoted to the advancement of knowledge for humanity.
Some of the texts reproduced here are full letters, while others are shorter acceptance messages sent to the Academy. Together, they form a modest but meaningful record of scholarly voices: diverse in discipline and geography, yet united by seriousness of thought and generosity of spirit. Selected for their insight, sincerity, and depth of feeling, they remind us that Fellowship is not only an honour conferred, but also a living expression of the values that sustain the Academy’s mission.
A PDF version of this special collection is also available for reading or download here：
Special Collection 2026.pdf
Carlos Nobre
Fellow of CORE Academy, Division of Natural Sciences
Carlos Nobre is a leading Earth system scientist and climate researcher whose work has profoundly shaped global understanding of the Amazon, climate change, and the risks of ecological tipping points. He has played a major role in advancing climate science and international environmental policy. He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society, and the World Academy of Sciences, and served as a Lead Author of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, which was recognized with the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
Kees Schouhamer Immink
Fellow of CORE Academy, Division of Engineering and Applied
Few figures have done more to shape the modern world of digital storage than Kees Schouhamer Immink. His work in coding theory and recording technology played a foundational role in the development of the Compact Disc, DVD, and Blu-ray Disc, and helped usher in the modern age of digital audio, video, and data storage. A Dutch engineer, inventor, and information theorist, he is internationally recognized for innovations such as EFM and EFMPlus, which became key enabling technologies in optical recording. He is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, and has received major distinctions including the IEEE Medal of Honor and the IET Faraday Medal.
Kadir Gulamov
Fellow of CORE Academy, Division of Natural Sciences
Kadir Gulamov has made longstanding contributions to physics and scientific leadership in Uzbekistan. Trained in nuclear physics, he is known for his research in high-energy interactions and for his later role in advancing interdisciplinary work in semiconductor physics, materials science, and solar energy. An Academician of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and a Fellow of the Islamic World Academy of Sciences, he previously served as Chief Scientific Secretary of the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences and General Director of the “Physics-Sun” Association. He is currently Chairman of the Council of Physicists of Uzbekistan and Chief Scientist at the Physical-Technical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan.
Batmanathan Dayanand Reddy
Fellow of CORE Academy, Division of Mathematics and Information Sciences
Batmanathan Dayanand Reddy is an applied mathematician and science leader whose work has made major contributions to computational mechanics, solid mechanics, plasticity theory, and finite element methods. He is especially known for combining rigorous mathematical analysis with engineering applications, and for advancing the role of science in Africa and in international scholarly cooperation. A Professor Emeritus of Applied Mathematics and former Interim Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, he served as the inaugural President of the International Science Council. He is a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a fellow or member of all four South African academies, as well as the World Academy of Sciences.
Isa Habibbeyli
Fellow of CORE Academy, Division of Humanities
Isa Habibbeyli is a distinguished literary scholar and academic leader whose work has made important contributions to the history and theory of Azerbaijani literature. He is especially known for his research on literary movements, genres, and periodization, as well as for his studies of major literary figures including Jalil Mammadguluzadeh. He serves as Academician and President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and Director General of the Institute of Literature named after Nizami Ganjavi. He was elected a foreign member of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences and an Honorary Member of the Turkish Academy of Sciences.
Doros Nicolas Theodorou
Fellow of CORE Academy, Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Doros Nicolas Theodorou has played a pioneering role in bringing molecular-level simulation into the modern study of polymers and complex materials. His work has opened important new directions in computational materials science, especially through the development of multiscale modeling strategies that connect molecular and supramolecular structure with macroscopic properties, processing, and performance. A Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens and Director of its Computational Materials Science and Engineering group, he is a member of the Academy of Athens and the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. He has also been recognized with distinctions, including the European Materials Medal and the DSM Lifetime Achievement Award.
Ernesto Estrada
Fellow of CORE Academy, Division of Mathematics and Information Sciences
Ernesto Estrada has played a major role in shaping the mathematical analysis of complex networks. He is especially known for his contributions to network theory, spectral graph methods, and mathematical chemistry, including the development of influential concepts such as the Estrada index and network communicability. A Research Professor at the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems (IFISC, CSIC–UIB), he also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Complex Networks. He is a SIAM Fellow, a member of Academia Europaea, and a fellow or member of several leading international scientific academies and societies.
Janaka Ekanayake
Fellow of CORE Academy, Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Janaka Ekanayake is an outstanding electrical engineer whose work has made important contributions to renewable energy generation and integration, smart grids, and modern power systems. He is especially known for combining power engineering with emerging technologies in grid planning, protection, and sustainable energy systems. Senior Professor and Chair of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Peradeniya, he has also held academic appointments at Cardiff University. He is a Fellow of IEEE, the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka, and is widely recognized for his leadership in engineering research and education in Sri Lanka and beyond.
Dieter Bimberg
Fellow of CORE Academy, Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Dieter Bimberg is a pioneering physicist, materials scientist, and electrical engineer whose work has helped define the modern field of semiconductor nanostructures and nanophotonic devices. He is especially renowned for his fundamental contributions to quantum dots, quantum-dot lasers, and energy-efficient optical data communication, fields in which his research has opened new frontiers in information science, communications, and photonic technologies. A chair professor at Technische Universität Berlin and founding director of its Center of NanoPhotonics, he has also led the Bimberg Chinese-German Center for Green Photonics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, a foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, and has received major distinctions including the Optica Nick Holonyak Jr. Award, the IEEE Jun-ichi Nishizawa Medal, and the Stern–Gerlach Medal, the German Physical Society’s highest award for experimental physics.
Herbert Gleiter
Fellow of CORE Academy, Division of Natural Sciences
Herbert Gleiter is a pioneering physicist and materials scientist whose work helped lay the foundations of the modern field of nanostructured materials. He is especially known for his fundamental contributions to the study of grain boundaries, the development of nanocrystalline materials, and the introduction of nanoglasses, thereby opening new frontiers in materials science by showing how novel atomic structures can give rise to new properties and technological possibilities. He has received numerous international distinctions, including the Leibniz Prize, the Max Planck Research Prize, the Jan Czochralski Award, and the Von Hippel Award of the Materials Research Society. He has also been elected as a fellow or member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Academia Europaea, and more than fifteen leading international scientific organizations and academies.
Piero Formica
Fellow of CORE Academy, Division of Social Sciences
Piero Formica has long been a distinctive voice in the study of innovation, entrepreneurship, and knowledge economics. His work has explored how creativity, open innovation, and transdisciplinary thinking can reshape entrepreneurial ecosystems, institutions, and education. He began his career as an economist at the OECD and later held academic posts, including Professor of Economics with a special focus on innovation and entrepreneurship at Jönköping International Business School. He is currently a Senior Research Fellow and Thought Leader at the Innovation Value Institute, Maynooth University, where he leads research on experimentation and simulation in high-expectation start-ups, and he was appointed a Distinguished International Collaborator of Maynooth University in 2025.
Xiao Wei Sun
Fellow of CORE Academy, Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Xiao Wei Sun has built an influential career at the intersection of optoelectronics, advanced display technology, and functional semiconductor materials. His work has made important contributions to wide-bandgap semiconductor devices, quantum-dot and perovskite optoelectronics, advanced displays, and glasses-free 3D technology, helping to connect fundamental materials research with emerging applications in lighting, imaging, and energy-related technologies. He is Chair Professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology and Executive Dean of its Institute of Nanoscience and Applications, and previously served as Full Professor and Director of the Microelectronics Center at Nanyang Technological University. He is a Fellow of IEEE, Optica, SPIE, SID, and the Institute of Physics, and was the first mainland Chinese scholar elected as an SID Fellow; he is also a Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and an Academician of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Materials.
Soteris Kalogirou
Fellow of CORE Academy, Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences
For decades, Soteris Kalogirou has been a prominent voice in renewable energy engineering and solar energy systems. He is especially known for his work on solar thermal collectors, hybrid photovoltaic/thermal systems, and the use of artificial intelligence in the modelling and performance prediction of renewable energy technologies. A Professor at the Cyprus University of Technology, he has also served as Editor-in-Chief of Renewable Energy. He is a Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences, a Founding Member of the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts, and a Member of Academia Europaea, and has received international recognition, including awards from the World Renewable Energy Network.