On July 13, the International Engineering and Technology Institute (IETI) officially announced its 12th annual list of Fellows for 2026 (with the inaugural class dating back to 2015).
Overview
This year's distinguished cohort comprises 36 Fellows, including 4 Nobel Laureates, 8 University Presidents/Rectors, and 25 Academicians. Representing 5 continents, the newly elected members hail from 21 countries—including China, Germany, the USA, the UK, Italy, Portugal, South Korea, Canada, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, Latvia, Pakistan, the Czech Republic, Australia, South Africa, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Spain, and France.
All Fellows were elected through a rigorous five-stage process: initial screening, nomination, qualification review, anonymous voting, and final evaluation. Appointees have not only reached leading international or regional milestones in their respective fields but have also demonstrated outstanding dedication and support to the Institute.
Expert Commentary
Statement from Academician Ramesh K. Agarwal, IETI President and Co-Founder, Stanford Alumnus (Ph.D., 1975), and Professor at Washington University in St. Louis (ranked 20th in U.S. News Best Global Universities):
"Looking at the disciplinary distribution of this year's elected cohort, the 2026 IETI Fellows showcase a profoundly deep interdisciplinary integration and a sharp, forward-looking orientation:
Hard and Core Tech Remains Central: Fields like Attosecond Physics, Quantum Computing, and Embodied Intelligence sit at the absolute vanguard of humanity's surging 'new quality productive forces.'
A Global Consensus on Green and Sustainable Development: Frontiers such as Green Chemistry, the Global Carbon Project, and Paleoclimate research reflect contemporary scientists' deep commitment to a shared future for mankind.
A Great Leap Forward for Digital Twins and Smart Societies: From intelligent infrastructure to AI-driven educational transformation, digital technologies are comprehensively reshaping traditional social frameworks.
Congratulations to all the newly elected Fellows! It is these titans and young leaders shining upon the apex of human science who, with unparalleled creativity, are leading us through the gateway into the technological world of 2026 and beyond."
LDFIETI (IETI Laureate Distinguished Fellows)
1. Ferenc Krausz
Institution: Max Planck Institute (Director, Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, Germany) + The University of Hong Kong (Chair Professor)
Citation: An international authority in the field of Attosecond Physics. Elected for his pioneering contributions to the generation of attosecond light pulses for the study of electron dynamics in matter, which earned him the 2022 Wolf Prize in Physics and the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics.
2. Benjamin List
Institution: Max Planck Institute (Director, Max Planck Institut fur Kohlenforschung, Germany)
Citation: A global leading scientist in the field of Organocatalysis. Elected for his revolutionary and outstanding achievements in developing asymmetric organocatalysis, which earned him the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and deeply impacted green chemistry and pharmaceutical synthesis.
3. Peter Wilkinson Howitt
Institution: Brown University (USA)
Citation: A top international scholar in the fields of Macroeconomics and Innovation Economics. Elected for co-founding the Schumpeterian Growth Theory (endogenous growth theory), which earned him the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, and for profoundly revealing the driving mechanisms of technological progress on economic growth.
4. Philippe Mario Aghion
Institution: London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE, UK)
Citation: A titan in the fields of Growth Economics and Contract Theory. Elected for his foundational theoretical contributions to creative destruction and endogenous growth models, which earned him the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, and for his long-standing advancement of global economic policy innovation.
DFIETI (IETI Distinguished Fellows)
5. Teresa K. Woodruff
Institution: Michigan State University (Former President, USA)
Citation: A top international expert in Reproductive Science and Oncofertility. Elected for her research in female reproductive health and her outstanding leadership in higher education administration as the former President of Michigan State University.
6. Jennifer Schooling
Institution: Anglia Ruskin University (ARU, UK) + University of Cambridge (UK)
Citation: A renowned expert in Smart Infrastructure and Digital Twins. Elected for her outstanding contributions to driving the digital transformation of sustainable urban infrastructure and its application in major engineering practices.
7. Panagiota Angeli
Institution: University College London (UCL, UK)
Citation: An internationally renowned scholar in Multiphase Flows and Microfluidics Engineering. Elected for her cutting-edge research in fluid mechanics and its optimization in chemical processes and industrial innovation.
8. Luisa Torsi
Institution: Universita degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro (University of Bari, Italy)
Citation: A global leading scholar in Organic Electronics and Biosensing. Elected for her breakthrough achievements in developing ultra-sensitive organic transistor biosensors, and her outstanding contributions to integrating electronic technology with medical diagnostics.
9. Reisa Sperling
Institution: Harvard University (USA)
Citation: A top global medical expert in Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease research. Elected for his milestone academic contributions to the early clinical diagnosis, brain imaging technologies, and preventive treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
10. Leslie Claire Griffith
Institution: Brandeis University (USA)
Citation: An outstanding scientist in Neurobiology and Behavioral Genetics. Elected for his breakthrough discoveries in the neural circuit mechanisms of sleep and memory and the molecular regulation of circadian rhythms, alongside his top academic reputation.
11. Hamid Reza Karimi
Institution: Politecnico di Milano (Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy)
Citation: An internationally renowned scholar in Control Theory and Intelligent Systems. Elected for his excellent research and international academic influence in adaptive control, automation engineering, and industrial system intelligence.
12. Rodrigo Martins
Institution: NOVA University Lisbon (Portugal)
Citation: An international pioneer in Advanced Materials and Paper Electronics. Elected for his foundational work in transparent conductive oxides and green electronic devices, alongside his global scientific leadership.
13. Sang-Young Lee
Institution: Yonsei University (South Korea)
Citation: A leading international scholar in Energy Materials and Flexible Batteries. Elected for his breakthrough innovations in developing next-generation high-performance, printable, and highly secure flexible energy storage devices.
14. Bruce Blazar
Institution: Associate Vice President of University of Minnesota (USA)
Citation: A top international medical scientist in Hematology and Immunotherapy. Elected for his pioneering achievements in bone marrow transplantation, the clinical translation of regulatory T-cell (Tregs) immunotherapies, and minimizing the risks of graft-versus-host disease.
15. Tim Barfoot
Institution: University of Toronto (Canada)
Citation: A top global expert in Robotics and Autonomous Navigation. Elected for his pioneering research and excellent outcomes in 3D localization and mapping for field robotics and perception algorithms for autonomous driving.
16. Michael E. Mann
Institution: University of Pennsylvania (UPenn, USA)
Citation: An international academic giant in Climatology and Earth System Science. Elected for his milestone contributions to paleoclimate reconstruction (such as the famous "hockey stick graph") and global climate change science communication.
17. Rob Jackson
Institution: Stanford University (USA)
Citation: A top international expert in Earth System Science and Global Ecology. Elected for his profound academic and policy influence on the global carbon cycle, greenhouse gas emission assessments (leading the Global Carbon Project), and climate change solutions.
18. Alan Aspuru-Guzik
Institution: University of Toronto (Canada)
Citation: An international pioneer at the forefront of Quantum Computing and Theoretical Chemistry. Elected for his revolutionary interdisciplinary achievements in leveraging artificial intelligence and quantum algorithms to accelerate the design of new materials and molecules.
19. Michael Ugrumov
Institution: Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia)
Citation: A world-renowned master in Neuroscience and Neurodevelopment. Elected for his outstanding academic achievements in the pathogenesis, early diagnosis, and neuromodulation technologies of neurodegenerative diseases.
20. Pedram Fatehi
Institution: Lakehead University (Canada)
Citation: An internationally renowned expert in Green Chemistry and Biorefinery. Elected for his prominent achievements in lignin valorization, the development of green chemicals for water treatment, and sustainable industrial technologies.
21. Andre McDonald
Institution: University of Alberta (Associate Vice-President of Research, Canada)
Citation: An internationally renowned scholar in Materials Engineering and Thermal Spraying. Elected for his academic achievements in advanced coating designs and wear/corrosion-resistant materials, alongside his outstanding administrative leadership in higher education.
22. Mohamed-Slim Alouini
Institution: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST, Associate Vice-President, Saudi Arabia)
Citation: A top international master in Wireless Communications and Information Engineering. Elected for his leading global academic achievements in mobile communication network optimization, non-terrestrial networks (NTN), and advancing digital inclusivity.
23. MATE CSANAD
Institution: Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE, Director of the Institute of Physics, Hungary)
Citation: An internationally renowned expert in High-Energy Nuclear Physics. Elected for his prominent contributions to Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) evolution simulations, Femtoscopy, and collaborative research using international cutting-edge large scientific facilities.
24. Zhifeng Hao
Institution: Shantou University (President, China)
Citation: A top Chinese scholar in Big Data and Intelligent Systems. Elected for his prolific research in artificial intelligence and mathematical modeling for machine learning, alongside his outstanding administrative leadership in higher education governance and university innovation as the President of Shantou University.
25. Fuli Zhang
Institution: Fuyao University of Science and Technology (Executive Vice President, China)
Citation: A renowned expert in Electronic Information and Higher Engineering Education. Elected for his pioneering contributions to multi-dimensional interdisciplinary education, alongside his long-standing outstanding leadership in society development and academic community building.
FIETI (IETI Fellows)
26. Jelena Titko
Institution: EKA University of Applied Sciences (Vice-Rector for Science, Latvia)
Citation: A renowned scholar in Economics and Higher Education Innovation. Elected for her research in corporate finance and smart economic models, as well as her outstanding service and active long-term involvement in supporting international academic networks and journal developments.
27. Maria Palazzo
Institution: Universita Mercatorum (Universitas Mercatorum, Italy)
Citation: An outstanding scholar in Marketing and Sustainable Corporate Management. Elected for her prolific research in corporate reputation management, green marketing communications, and promoting theoretical innovation in corporate social responsibility.
28. Fazal Ahmad Khalid
Institution: Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIK Institute, Rector, Pakistan)
Citation: A senior expert in Materials Engineering and Higher Education Management. Elected for his academic contributions to advanced materials processing and nanocomposites, alongside his outstanding achievements in standardizing engineering education across Pakistan.
29. Mark Hermann Rummeli
Institution: VSB - Technical University of Ostrava (Czech Republic)
Citation: An internationally renowned scholar in Nanomaterials and Advanced Electron Microscopy. Elected for his breakthrough research in the in-situ synthesis and microscopic characterization of low-dimensional carbon nanomaterials (such as graphene and carbon nanotubes).
30. Shelton Peiris
Institution: The University of Sydney (Australia)
Citation: A senior theoretical expert in Statistics and Time Series Analysis. Elected for his outstanding contributions to non-stationary time series modeling, financial econometric methodologies, and long-term high-quality academic mentorship.
31. Abejide Ade-Ibijola
Institution: University of Johannesburg (South Africa)
Citation: A renowned scholar in Computer Science and AI Algorithms. Elected for his innovative contributions to formal languages, software engineering, and the application of artificial intelligence to solve local African and global social development challenges.
32. Davron Aslonqulovich Juraev
Institution: Baku Engineering University (Azerbaijan) + Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan
Citation: An excellent young-to-mid-career scholar in Applied Mathematics and Partial Differential Equations. Elected for his prominent outcomes in theoretical research fields such as regularization methods for the Cauchy problem and analytical solutions for mathematical physics equations.
33. Rahimzoda Alisher Orzu
Institution: National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan (Director of the Institute of Mathematics)
Citation: An academic leader in Analytical Number Theory and Modern Applied Mathematics. Elected for his breakthrough theoretical research results in short trigonometric sums, advanced asymptotic formulas, and Estermann problems.
34. Luis Martinez Lopez
Institution: Universidad de Jaen (University of Jaen, Spain)
Citation: An internationally Highly Cited Researcher in Fuzzy Logic and Multi-Criteria Decision Making. Elected for his outstanding international academic standing in intelligent decision support systems, fuzzy information processing, and computational intelligence applications.
35. Linhua Jiang
Institution: Universite de Technologie de Troyes (UTT, France)
Citation: A top global expert in Optoelectronic Information and Semiconductor Devices. Elected for his excellent research outcomes in micro-nano optics and intelligent sensing technologies, as well as his success in deeply integrating industry, academy, and research.
36. Xuesong Zhai
Institution: Zhejiang University (China)
Citation: An internationally renowned professor in Educational Technology and Educational Big Data. Elected for his outstanding achievements in AI-driven educational transformation, the development of digital instructional systems, and high-level academic research.