Thirteen MIT engineering faculty members received major awards in fall 2025, recognizing achievements in open education, robotics, semiconductor innovation, digital health, and information theory.
Thirteen members of the MIT engineering faculty were recognized with prestigious awards in fall 2025, celebrating their contributions to research, technology, and education across multiple disciplines.
Open Education Pioneer Honored
Hal Abelson, the Class of 1922 Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, received the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence from Open Education Global. The award honors his foundational impact on open education, Creative Commons, and open knowledge movements. Abelson's work has been instrumental in democratizing access to educational resources and shaping the landscape of digital learning.
Innovation in Vehicle Design and Robotics
Faez Ahmed, the Henry L. Doherty Career Development Professor in Ocean Utilization in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, received an Amazon Research Award for his project "AutoDA-Sim: A Multi-Agent Framework for Safe, Aesthetic, and Aerodynamic Vehicle Design." Amazon Research Awards provide unrestricted funds and AWS Promotional Credits to academic researchers investigating various research topics in multiple disciplines.
Pulkit Agrawal, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, received the 2025 IROS Toshio Fukuda Young Professional Award for contributions to robot learning, policy learning, agile locomotion, and dexterous manipulation. The award recognizes outstanding contributions of an individual of the IROS community who has pioneered activities in robotics and intelligent systems.
Semiconductor Innovation and Insect-Scale Robotics
Ahmad Bahai, a professor of the practice in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, was elected to the 2025 class of Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors for contribution to innovation in new semiconductor devices with extensive applications in clinical grade personal sensors for a variety of biomarkers. The honor recognizes inventors whose patented work has made a meaningful global impact.
Yufeng (Kevin) Chen, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, received the 2025 IROS Toshio Fukuda Young Professional Award for contributions to insect-scale multimodal robots and soft-actuated aerial systems. The award recognizes outstanding contributions of an individual of the IROS community who has pioneered activities in robotics and intelligent systems.
Biomedical and Digital Health Breakthroughs
Angela Koehler, the Charles W. and Jennifer C. Johnson Professor in the Department of Biological Engineering, received the 2025 Sato Memorial International Award from the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan, recognizing advancements in pharmaceutical sciences and U.S.-Japan scientific collaboration.
Dina Katabi, the Thuan (1990) and Nicole Pham Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, was elected to the National Academy of Medicine for pioneering digital health technology that enables noninvasive, off-body remote health monitoring via AI and wireless signals, and for developing digital biomarkers for Parkinson's progression and detection. Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine, and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.
Early Career Recognition and Information Theory
Darcy McRose, the Thomas D. and Virginia W. Cabot Career Development Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was selected as a 2025 Packard Fellow for Science and Engineering. The Packard Foundation established the Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering to allow the nation's most promising early-career scientists and engineers flexible funding to take risks and explore new frontiers in their fields of study.
Muriel Médard, the NEC Professor of Software Science and Engineering in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, received the 2026 IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal for contributions to coding for reliable communications and networking. Recognized for breakthroughs in network coding and information theory, Médard's innovations improve the reliability of data transmission in applications such as streaming video, wireless networks, and satellite communications. The award is given for exceptional contributions to information sciences, systems and technology.
AI and Physical Systems Research
Tess Smidt, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, was selected as a 2025 AI2050 Fellow by Schmidt Sciences for her project, "Hierarchical Representations of Complex Physical Systems with Euclidean Neural Networks." The program supports research that aims to help AI benefit humanity by mid-century.
The diverse range of awards highlights MIT's strength across engineering disciplines, from fundamental information theory to applied robotics and digital health innovations. These recognitions not only honor individual achievement but also underscore the institution's continued leadership in advancing technology for societal benefit.
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