Another honour for Dame Anne Salmond.

The Auckland University distinguished professor has been elected as an international member of the American Philosophical Society, the oldest learned society in the US.

The organisation was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1743, and has played an important role in American cultural and intellectual life for over 250 years.

Membership is entirely honorary and reflects extraordinary accomplishments in all fields of intellectual endeavour.

Dame Anne describes it as an unexpected honour that came out of the blue.