Seven researchers, along with 14 additional MIT alumni, are honored for significant contributions to engineering research, practice, and education.
Seven MIT researchers are among the 106 new members and 18 international members elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) this week. Fourteen additional MIT alumni, including one member of the MIT Corporation, were also elected as new members.
One of the highest professional distinctions for engineers, membership to the NAE is given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”
The seven MIT researchers elected this year include:
Regina Barzilay, the School of Engineering Distinguished Professor for AI and Health in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, principal investigator at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and faculty lead for the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health, for machine learning models that understand structures in text, molecules, and medical images.
Markus J. Buehler, the Jerry McAfee (1940) Professor in Engineering from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, for implementing the use of nanomechanics to model and design fracture-resistant bioinspired materials.
Elfatih A.B. Eltahir SM ’93, ScD ’93, the H.M. King Bhumibol Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, for advancing understanding of how climate and land use impact water availability, environmental and human health, and vector-borne diseases.
Neil Gershenfeld, director of the Center for Bits and Atoms, for eliminating boundaries between digital and physical worlds, from quantum computing to digital materials to the internet of things.
Roger D. Kamm SM ’73, PhD ’77, the Cecil and Ida Green Distinguished Professor of Biological and Mechanical Engineering, for contributions to the understanding of mechanics in biology and medicine, and leadership in biomechanics.
David W. Miller ’82, SM ’85, ScD ’88, the Jerome C. Hunsaker Professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, for contributions in control technology for space-based telescope design, and leadership in cross-agency guidance of space technology.
David Simchi-Levi, professor of civil and environmental engineering, core faculty member in the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, and principal investigator at the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems, for contributions using optimization and stochastic modeling to enhance supply chain management and operations.
Fariborz Maseeh ScD ’90, life member of the MIT Corporation and member of the School of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council, was also elected as a member for leadership and advances in efficient design, development, and manufacturing of microelectromechanical systems, and for empowering engineering talent through public service.
Thirteen additional alumni were elected to the National Academy of Engineering this year. They are: Mark George Allen SM ’86, PhD ’89; Shorya Awtar ScD ’04; Inderjit Chopra ScD ’77; David Huang ’85, SM ’89, PhD ’93; Eva Lerner-Lam SM ’78; David F. Merrion SM ’59; Virginia Norwood ’47; Martin Gerard Plys ’80, SM ’81, ScD ’84; Mark Prausnitz PhD ’94; Anil Kumar Sachdev ScD ’77; Christopher Scholz PhD ’67; Melody Ann Swartz PhD ’98; and Elias Towe ’80, SM ’81, PhD ’87.
“I am delighted that seven members of MIT’s faculty and many members of the wider MIT community were elected to the National Academy of Engineering this year,” says Anantha Chandrakasan, the dean of the MIT School of Engineering and the Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “My warmest congratulations on this recognition of their many contributions to engineering research and education.”
Including this year’s inductees, 156 members of the National Academy of Engineering are current or retired members of the MIT faculty and staff, or members of the MIT Corporation.
