The Viterbi School of Engineering is proud of its faculty who have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional distinctions accorded an engineer. Learn More >>
Leonard M. Adleman
Dr. Adleman co-invented the RSA public key crypto-system and has worked on primacy testing algorithms. His 1992 paper in Science, demonstrating that DNA can be used as a computing medium, introduced the field of molecular computing, which he has subsequently developed. Adleman and collaborators received the Association for Computing Machinery's A.M. Turing Award for their RSA innovations. Elected 1996.
Mihran S. Agbabian
Dr. Agbabian made fundamental contributions to the application of advanced methods of applied mechanics to structural design, and contributions to the field of structural response to blast and shock and the reduction of seismic hazards to existing structures. Among his many activities and awards, Agbabian received the 2000 Caltech Alumnus of the Year award and is the Founding President and President Emeritus of the American University of Armenia. Elected 1982.
George A. Bekey
A computer scientist who is known for his distinguished work in biomedical engineering, man-machine systems and robotics, Dr. Bekey founded the robotics research and teaching program at USC. He was one of the founders of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Robotics and Automation Society and the first editor of its IEEE Transactions on Robotics and Automation. Elected 1982.
Barry W. Boehm
Dr. Boehm has made fundamental contributions to computer and software architectures and to techniques for modeling of cost, quality and risk for aerospace systems. He has published extensively on software architectures, software metrics and cost models, software engineering environments and knowledge-based software engineering. Boehm is director of USC's Center for Software Engineering. Elected 1996.
Danny Cohen
Dr. Cohen is a computer scientist distinguished for his early work at the USC Viterbi School's Information Sciences Institute on real-time interactive applications over the ARPAnet and the Internet. His USC/ISI ATOMIC LAN was the research prototype of Myrinet developed by Myricom Company, which he founded. Elected 2006.
Malcolm R. Currie
Dr. Currie contributed major innovations to the design of electron devices and to large systems in research and development. Prior to joining the faculty at USC, Currie held top leadership positions at Hughes Aircraft Company, Beckman Instruments and Delco. In 1973, he was appointed Director (Under Secretary) of Defense for Research and Engineering by the U.S. Department of Justice. Currie has had a special interest in developing environmentally friendly and effective modes of personal transportation. He is a Fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science and a Commandeur of the French Legion. Elected 1971.
P. Daniel Dapkus
Dr. Dapkus has provided leadership and made fundamental contributions to the development of materials and technologies for photonic devices and is the director of the Photonics Center at USC. Prior to his arrival at USC, Dapkus was on the technical staffs at Bell Laboratories and Rockwell International. His leadership in the demonstration of the viability of MOCVD at Rockwell led to its status as the most widely used process for the research and manufacture of photonic materials and devices. Among his other awards and honors, Dapkus holds the William M. Keck Chair in Engineering and is a Fellow of the AAAS. Elected 2004.
Albert A. Dorman
Albert A. Dorman (MSCE ‘62) is the founding chairman of AECOM Technology Corporation, one of the largest private U.S. corporations and a global company responsible for large-scale public works projects. He is the first person to become both a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and an Honorary Member of the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE). He is the winner of the ASCE Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Leadership. Elected 1998.
Solomon W. Golomb
Dr. Golomb is a specialist in communications theory whose work on shift register sequences, both their basic mathematics and their electronic applications, has become a key tool in applications ranging from radar to cellular telephones. He is an internationally known expert and inventor of mathematical games and puzzles, and a winner of the Claude E. Shannon Award of the IEEE Information Theory Society. Among his other awards and honors, Golomb is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Foreign Fellow of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences. Elected 1976.
Robert W. Hellwarth
Dr. Hellwarth made major contributions to the understanding of quantum electronics and the invention of new laser devices, and is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He received the L. A. Hyland Patent Award, the Charles Hard Townes Award of the Optical Society of America and the Quantum Electronics Award of the IEEE. Elected 1977.
Ralph L. Keeney
Dr. Keeney is noted for analyses of the theory and engineering practice of decision and risk analysis applied to complex public problems with conflicting objectives, in such areas as large-scale siting studies (e.g., airports, power plants and nuclear waste repositories), energy policy, environmental studies and corporate-management problems. Elected 1997.
Paul J. Kern
General Kern (retired) brought modern digitization technology to bear on military effectiveness, training, and procurement. Elected 2005.
William C. Lindsey
Dr. Lindsey is an internationally known expert in deep space, satellite and terrestrial communications, known particularly for his contributions to a unified theory of phase-locked loops and applications of this theory. Elected 1997.
Alfred E. Mann
Mr. Mann is a well-known entrepreneur and inventor who developed lifesaving products in icardiac pacing technology, insulin delivery, and neural prostheses. He is a trustee on the board of USC's Alfred Mann Institute. Elected 2001.
Tony Maxworthy
Dr. Maxworthy has made fundamental research contributions to the understanding of complex flow that have found applications in aerodynamics, biomechanics, combustion and geophysics. Elected 1991.
Dr. Mitra is internationally known for his work in analog and digital signal processing and image processing. Mitra has published over 640 papers, is the author or co-author of 12 books, and holds five patents. In addition to his NAE membership, he is a Fellow of the IEEE, the AAAS, and the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE). Elected 2003.
E. Phillip Muntz
Dr. Muntz is a pioneer in the study of electron beam fluorescence techniques who has shown sustained, innovative technical and academic leadership in investigating rarefied gas dynamics and non-equilibrium flow phenomena. Muntz is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the AAAS, the American Physical Society, and the holder or co-holder of more than 25 patents. Elected 1993.
Gerald Nadler
Dr. Nadler is a technical and educational leader in industrial engineering, noted for work in interdisciplinary systems planning and design methodologies, and for technological literacy programs for non-engineers. Nadler served as president of the International Institute of Industrial Engineers and is the author of 14 books, 225 articles, and 800 lectures and keynote addresses. Elected 1986.
C. L. Max Nikias
Dr. Nikias is an inventive scholar and visionary academic leader. Nikias, the former dean of the USC Viterbi School and the current provost of the University of Southern California, has also made seminal contributions to the field of adaptive signal processing. Elected 2008.
Allen Puckett
Dr. Puckett is the Chairman Emeritus of the Hughes Aircraft Company and a Life Member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Southern California. In addition to his distinction as a captain of industry, Puckett has made several seminal contributions to aerodynamics, beginning with his landmark Caltech thesis, "Supersonic Wave Drag of Thin Airfoils." He has been awarded the National Medal of Technology for his contributions. Elected 1965.
Simon Ramo
Dr. Ramo is a world-famous engineer and industrial leader. The “R” in TRW, a company Ramo co-founded, he formerly served as the chief scientist for the U.S. ICBM program, leading it to its development as a defense bulwark and a critical element of the U.S effort in space. Prior to that, he was a pioneer in the research of microwaves and the developer of General Electric’s electron microscope. Ramo was awarded the National Medal of Science and is a founding member of the National Academy of Engineering. Elected 1964.
Irving S. Reed
Dr. Reed is an internationally known mathematician and inventor acclaimed for his work in adaptive filters for radar image processing and multiple-error-correcting communications codes (notably, the Reed-Solomon codes, used in CDs, faxes, and space probe signals). His early work also included a key role in the creation and programming of the first digital computers and the creation of digital transfer language. Recent mathematical work led to new techniques of image compression. He is an IEEE Claude E. Shannon Award winner. Elected 1979.
Steven B. Sample
Dr. Sample's early work as an engineer created new controls for consumer electronics. As a university president he is recognized for his leadership in interdisciplinary research and education and in international cooperation between universities, notably through his work with the Association of Pacific Rim Universities. Elected 1998.
F. Stan Settles
Dr. Settles contributed to the development of sophisticated techniques of industrial engineering and manufacturing practice during his tenure in industry, and excelled in bringing the techniques he developed in the market to USC for refinement and teaching to students. He has served as a program director for the National Science Foundation and on the National Science and Technology Council for the NSF and White House Office on Science and Technology Policy. Among his other awards and honors, Settles is a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers. Elected 1991.
Leonard M. Silverman
A former dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Dr. Silverman made classic contributions to systems and control theory and applications and built a national reputation for guiding exemplary engineering research and education. Elected 1988.
John Brooks Slaughter
Dr. Slaughter, whose work in the design of digital control systems is renowned, has been a leader in formulating national technology policy and in fostering minority participation in engineering. He is currently the President and CEO of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering. His past service includes the presidency of Occidental College, the chancellorship of the University of Maryland, and the directorship of the National Science Foundation. Elected 1982.
Richard J. Stegemeier
Richard J. Stegemeier served as chairman, president, and chief executive officer of the Unocal Corporation from 1990-95. He holds seven patents and was elected to the Academy for his leadership in research leading to improved oil recovery and the discovery of new oil and gas fields. Elected 1992.
Andrew J. Viterbi
Dr. Viterbi is creator of the Viterbi Algorithm, co-developer of CDMA cell phone technology and co-founder of Qualcomm. Recipient of the IEEE Claude E. Shannon Award, the Marconi Foundation Award, the Christopher Columbus Award and the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal. Dr. Viterbi is a member of the NAS and the AAAS, and a 2008 Laureate of the Millenium Technology Prize Foundation of Finland. Elected 1978.
Lloyd R. Welch
Dr. Welch's career has advanced the fields of digital communications, coding theory and signal processing by establishing parameters based on fundamentals of information theory to guide the design of communications coding for reliability, security and synchronization. He is known for the Baum-Welch Algorithm, the Welch Bound, and other classic work. He is a winner of the Claude E. Shannon Award of the IEEE. Elected 1979.
Yannis C. Yortsos
Dr. Yortsos, the current dean of the USC Viterbi School, is a career-long member of its chemical engineering faculty and a sustained contributor to his discipline. He has produced fundamental advances in fluid flow, transport, and reactions in porous media applied to the recovery of subsurface resources. Elected 2008.
