A pair of University of Michigan professors — one a developer of surgical technology, the other a leader in design optimization — have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the profession’s highest distinctions.
Shorya Awtar and Panos Papalambros of the College of Engineering join this year’s NAE class of 106 new members and 18 international members.
Awtar is a professor of mechanical engineering and the CEO of Parallel Robotics. He was recognized for “inventing and commercializing game-changing surgical products that have made minimally invasive surgery affordable and accessible around the world,” according to the NAE.
Papalambros is the James B. Angell Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Engineering, the Donald C. Graham Professor Emeritus of Engineering and a professor emeritus of integrative systems and design. The NAE’s recognition is based on his “contributions to complex systems optimization and leadership in advancing transformative engineering design research and education.”
Their election brings U-M’s total NAE membership to 34.
“Election to the NAE is among the highest honors accorded in our profession,” said Alec D. Gallimore, the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering, Richard F. and Eleanor A. Towner Professor, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and professor of aerospace engineering.
“This is a well-deserved recognition of Professor Awtar and Professor Papalambros’ positive impact on society through their respective research, their contributions to engineering education and their commitments to shape the world for the better.”
Awtar helped found FlexDex Surgical to develop mechanical instruments that aid surgeons during complex laparoscopic procedures. These devices allow surgeons to access organs in the abdomen in a way that is less invasive, resulting in reduced pain and shortened recuperation periods afterward. And because they don’t involve complex electronics, this design enables surgeries without access to multimillion-dollar robotic surgery systems.
His Precision Systems Design Laboratory has produced numerous innovations for a variety of industries, from health care to semiconductor manufacturing to automotive. Recent research reflects that scope with technologies addressing motion sickness in autonomous vehicles as well as upper limb prostheses.
“Michigan has provided me with the ideal ecosystem for creating new innovations within the university, and then translating and commercializing them via startups to make societal impact,” Awtar said.
Awtar is currently on leave launching his new company, Parallel Robotics.
Papalambros retired from U-M in 2022. In 2006, he helped launch the nation’s first design science doctoral program at U-M and served as its director. The interdisciplinary program focused on how good design benefits society and can head off unintended consequences, ideas that today are a central part of the College of Engineering’s people-first framework.
Papalambros helped establish the Optimal DEsign Laboratory at U-M in 1979. From the start, the group’s mission was “to study design as a process conducted by humans aiming at improving the human condition, and to employ a pragmatic approach as best we know how.”
The formal induction for Awtar, Papalambros and the rest of the new NAE inductees will take place Oct. 1 at the organization’s annual meeting.
Awtar and U-M have a financial interest in FlexDex Surgical, and Awtar has a financial interest in Parallel Robotics.
