Barbie Zelizer was elected into American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), that honors excellence and convenes leaders from every field of human endeavor to examine new ideas, address issues of importance to the nation and the world, and work together to advance society. Established in 1780, AAAS studies have helped set the direction of research and analysis in science and technology policy, global security and international affairs, social policy, education, and the humanities.

Barbie Zelizer is the Raymond Williams Professor of Communication, Associate Dean for Research and Director of the Center for Media at Risk at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication. She is Co-convenor of the Lisbon Winter School for the Study of Communication and Member of the Advisory Board at the Research Center for Communication and Culture (CECC) at the Faculty of Human Sciences at Universidade Católica Portuguesa. 

For the Dean of the Faculty of Human Sciences, this “distinction recognizes the work of one of the most influential intellectuals in journalism and memory studies of all time.” Prof. Nelson Ribeiro adds that “it has been a privilege for the Faculty of Human Sciences to have Barbie Zelizer as Distinguised Guest Professor and Co-Founder of Lisbon Winter School”.

A former journalist, Zelizer is nown for her work on journalism, culture, memory, and images, particularly in times of crisis. Her research explores the media’s role in shaping the collective memory of events such as John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the Holocaust, as well as analyzing the conceptual and disciplinary boundaries of the study of the media. Her recent work has sought to provide a vision of why journalism matters and how it must adapt to survive not only structural challenges ushered in by digital technologies, but the creeping rise of authoritarianism around the globe.