The National Academy of Engineering

The National Academies provide expert advice to the U.S. government on issues of science, health, and engineering and, today, comprise three private, nonprofit institutions: The National Academy of Sciences (NAS), National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and National Academy of Medicine (NAM). The NAE, founded in 1964, recognizes individuals who have made important contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education” 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.”

Membership to the Academies is considered one of the highest honors bestowed to a U.S. scientist. Below is a list of IRP scientists, past and present, elected to the NAE. Click to view our list of NAS members and NAM members.

Current IRP scientists elected to the NAE (year of election):

• Peter J. Basser (2020): Dr. Basser studies the relationships between function and structure in living tissues, including how the microstructure, hierarchical organization, composition, and material properties of a tissue affect its functional properties or its dysfunction. Dr. Basser was elected to the NAE for “development of diffusion tensor MRI and streamline tractography, transforming the characterization of brain disorders and visualization of nerve fiber pathways.”

Former IRP scientists elected to the NAE (year of election):

• Elias Zerhouni (2013)
• Roderic I. Pettigrew (2010)
• John T. Watson (1998)