Women Make Big Strides at the National Academy of Engineering

The National Academy of Engineering has 86 new members who will be inducted in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on October 6, 2019. The new members bring the total number of U.S. members to 2,297.

Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those 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.”

According to an analysis of the new membership list by WIAReport, it appears that there are 33 women among the 86 new members of the National Academy of Engineering. This is a huge increase from a year ago, when 19 women were among the 83 new members. This year, women make up 38.3 percent of the new members. Nineteen of the 33 new women members have current ties to the academic world.

Here are brief profiles of the 19 women with current academic ties who are among the new members of the National Academy of Engineering.

(L to R) Joanna Aizenberg, Perina Axelrad, Gilda A. Barabino, Ana P. Barros, Linda J. Broadbelt, and Wei Chen

Joanna Aizenberg is Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Materials Science and professor of chemistry and chemical biology in the School of Engineering at Harvard University. She was honored for “contributions to understanding of biological systems and bioinspired materials design.” Professor Aizenberg holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Moscow State University in Russia. She earned a Ph.D. in structural biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.

Perina Axelrad is the Joseph T. Negler Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder.  She was elected due to her work in “analysis of multipath GPS signals to improve satellite navigation and new approaches to remote sensing.” Professor Axelrad holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aeronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University.

Gilda A. Barabino is the Daniel and Frances Berg Professor and dean of the Grove School of Engineering at the City College of New York. Her citation accompanying her election stated that she was being honored “for leadership in bioengineering research and inclusive models of bioengineering education and faculty mentoring.” Dr. Barabino is a graduate of Xavier University in New Orleans, where she majored in chemistry. She holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Rice University in Houston.

Ana P. Barros is the James L. Meriam Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina.  She was cited “for contributions to understanding and prediction of precipitation dynamics and flood hazards in mountainous terrains.” Professor Barros holds a master’s degree from the University of Porto in Portugal. She earned a second master’s degree in environmental science engineering at the Oregon Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Washington.

Linda J. Broadbelt is the Sarah Rebecca Roland Professor in the department of chemical and biological engineering at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.  Professor Broadbelt earned election “for contributions to complex kinetic modeling, particularly for understanding the pathways by which hydrocarbons and polymers undergo pyrolysis.” Dr. Broadbelt holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Ohio State University and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware.

Wei Chen is the Wilson-Cook Professor in Engineering Design and professor of mechanical engineering at Northwestern University. She was honored “for contributions to design under uncertainty in products and systems, and leadership in the engineering design community.” Professor Chen is a graduate of Shanghai Jiaotong University in China. She earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Houston and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

(L to R) Sharon C. Glotzer, Dorota A. Grejner-Brzezinska, Sara Kiesler, Monica S. Lam, Mahta Moghaddam, and Mary Pat Moyer

Sharon C. Glotzer is a professor and holds the Anthony C. Lembke Department Chair of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan. The Academy noted her work in the “development of computer-based design principles for assembly engineering and manufacturing of advanced materials and nanotechnology.” Dr. Glotzer is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where she majored in physics. She earned a Ph.D. in physics at Boston University.

Dorota A. Grejner-Brzezinska is the Lowber B. Strange Endowed Professor and chair of civil, environmental, and geodetic engineering at Ohio State University. She was cited “for contributions to geodetic science and satellite navigation, including integration with artificial intelligence.” Professor Grejner-Brzezinska is a graduate of the Agricultural and Technical University in Poland. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in satellite geodesy at Ohio State University.

Sara Kiesler is the Hillman Chair Emerita of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. She currently serves as program director for the division of social and economic sciences at the National Science Foundation. Dr. Kiesler was honored “for leadership, technical innovation, and identification of social trends with the adoption of computers and robots in work and society.” Dr. Kiesler holds a master’s degree in psychology from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in psychology from Ohio State University.

Monica S. Lam is a professor of computer science at Stanford University in California. She is an expert in the design of advanced compiler and analysis systems for high-performance computers. Professor Lam is a graduate of the University of British Columbia. She earned a Ph.D. in computer science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Mahta Moghaddam holds the William M. Hogue Professorship in Electrical Engineering and is a professor of electrical engineering-electrophysics at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Professor Moghaddam was honored for “development of physics-based computational algorithms for mapping of subsurface characteristics.” A graduate of the University of Kansas, where she majored in electrical engineering, Dr. Moghaddam holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois.

Mary Pat Moyer is an adjunct professor at the University of Texas Health Science in San Antonio. She served on the faculty there for 20 years. Dr. Moyer is the founder  and chief executive officer for INCELL Corporation San Antonio. Dr. Moyer’s research is focused on the development of cell lines, cell media, and testing technologies for regenerative medicine and biopharma products. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from Florida Atlantic University and a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Texas.

(L to R) Rosalind Picard, Kimberly A. Prather, Nadine B. Sarter, Margo I. Seltzer, Claire J. Tomlin, Susan Trolier-McKinstry, and Christine A. Wang

Rosalind Picard is a professor and director of affective computing research at the Media Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has been a pioneer in the field of affective and wearable computing. Dr. Picard is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of technology, where she majored in electrical engineering. She holds a master’s degree and a science doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT.

Kimberly A. Prather holds the Distinguished Chair in Atmospheric Chemistry at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California, San Diego. She was honored “for her work in technologies that transformed understanding of aerosols and their impacts on air quality, climate, and human health.” Dr. Prather holds a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis.

Nadine B. Sarter is a professor of industrial and operations engineering at the  University of Michigan. The Academy recognized her “for innovation in the design and use of tactile displays for improved safety in aviation, automobiles, and health care.” Professor Sarter has been on the faculty at the University of Michigan since 2004. She holds a Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering.

Margo I. Seltzer, recently left her position as the Herchel Smith Professor of Computer Science in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Harvard University. She now holds a Canada 150 Research Chair at the University of British Columbia.  She was recognized for “engineering contributions to databases, file systems, and operating systems.” Professor Seltzer is a graduate of Harvard University, where she majored in applied mathematics. She earned a Ph.D. in computer science at the University of California, Berkeley.

Claire J. Tomlin holds the Charles A. Desoer Chair and is a professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California, Berkeley.  She was honored for “contributions to design tools for safety-focused control of cyberphysical systems.” Dr. Tomlin is a graduate of the University of Waterloo in Ontario. She holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Imperial College, London and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Susan Trolier-McKinstry is a professor of ceramic science and engineering at Pennsylvania State University. She has been instrumental in the development of thin film multilayer ceramic capacitors and piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems. Professor Trolier-McKinstry earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in ceramic science and engineering at Pennsylvania State University.

Christine A. Wang is the senior staff scientist for the Laser Technology and Applications Group at the Lincoln Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Wange was recognized for “contributions to epitaxial crystal growth of III-V compound semiconductors and design of organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy reactors. Dr. Wang holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in materials science and engineering from MIT.