Linda Colley, along with five other Princeton faculty members, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

They are among the nearly 270 leaders in academia, the arts, business, government and public affairs elected this year in their respective fields.

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, founded in 1780, is both an honorary society that recognizes and celebrates the excellence of its members and an independent research center convening leaders from across disciplines, professions and perspectives to address significant challenges.

“In its earliest days, the Academy sought members who would help address issues and opportunities confronting a young nation,” said Nancy Andrews (Boston Children’s Hospital), chair of the Academy’s Board of Directors. “We feel a similar urgency and have elected a class that brings diverse expertise to meet the pressing challenges and possibilities that America and the world face today.”

Linda Colley is the Shelby M.C. Davis 1958 Professor of History. She is an expert on British, imperial and global history since 1700. Her most recent book is “The Gun, the Ship, and the Pen: Warfare, Constitutions, and the Making of the Modern World.”