Robert Jones and Catherine Murphy are among 200 people in the 2019 class of the academy, which ws founded in 1780 by John Adams and others who believed the new republic should honor exceptional individuals and engage them in promoting the public good. CHAMPAIGN — University of Illinois Chancellor Robert Jones is among more than 200 new inductees to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, honored for excelling in academia, business, government and public affairs. UI chemistry Professor Catherine Murphy, associate director of the Materials Research Lab, was also named to the academy's 239th class. read more