Hovakimyan elected ASME Fellow

MechSE Professor Naira Hovakimyan was named a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

The distinction recognizes Hovakimyan’s exceptional engineering achievements and contributions to the profession. She was nominated by her MechSE colleague, Professor Joseph Bentsman. Fellows represent just 5 percent of ASME’s membership.

The W. Grafton and Lillian B. Wilkins Professor, Hovakimyan’s research interests are in control and optimization, autonomous systems, machine learning, neural networks, game theory, and their applications in aerospace, robotics, mechanical, agricultural, electrical, petroleum, biomedical engineering, and elderly care.

She has co-authored two books and more than 450 refereed publications and has 11 patents. She has won numerous awards, including the 2011 AIAA Mechanics and Control of Flight Award, 2014 Humboldt Prize for her lifetime achievements, 2015 SWE Achievement Award, 2015 UIUC Engineering Council Award for Excellence in Advising, 2017 IEEE CSS Award for Technical Excellence in Aerospace Controls, and the 2019 AIAA Pendray Aerospace Literature Award. She is a Fellow and life member of AIAA, a Fellow of IEEE, and a member of SIAM, AMS, SWE, ASME, and ISDG. Earlier this year she was named a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).