Feb 12, 2025
Dear colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that two UC Irvine faculty members, Kyriacos Athanasiou and Eric Rignot, have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest distinctions for those in engineering and technical fields.
Kyriacos Athanasiou, Henry Samueli Chair in Engineering and Distinguished Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, is being recognized for contributions to the understanding and treatment of musculoskeletal afflictions and for leadership in bioengineering. A leading authority on translating engineering innovations into commercially available medical instruments, Professor Athanasiou’s research has led to functional, tissue-engineered cartilage replacements that are used in applications all over the body – including the nose, spine, ears, knees, hips and shoulders. Professor Athanasiou is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Inventors, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Eric Rignot, Donald Bren Professor and Distinguished Professor, Department of Earth System Science, is being recognized for contributions to modeling and analysis of the effects of global climate change on polar ice sheets using radar interferometry. A world-renowned glaciologist, Professor Rignot uses satellites, airborne sensors, field data and numerical models to study the effects of global climate change along the coasts of the Antarctic and Greenland, among other locations. Professor Rignot is a senior research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a fellow of the American Geophysical Union and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a recipient of NASA’s Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medals and Outstanding Leadership Medals.
With the election of these two members, UC Irvine is now home to 17 members of the National Academy of Engineering. Please join me in congratulating Professors Athanasiou and Rignot on this exceptional professional achievement.
Sincerely,
Hal Stern
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Distinguished Professor, Department of Statistics