Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) faculty Prof R I Sujith has been elected as an international member of the United States National Academy of Engineering (NAE). He was elected in recognition of his contributions to engineering ‘for applications of dynamical systems theory to the understanding and control of instabilities in engineering systems.’ He is one of the 18 international members newly elected. Prof Sujith is currently the D Srinivasan Chair Professor at the department of aerospace engineering, IIT Madras, and the head of the centre of excellence for studying critical transitions in complex systems. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature" 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.” Prof RI Sujith is the second Indian to be elected to the Aerospace Section of the National Academy of Engineering after Dr B N Suresh, who was the director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, ISRO, from 2003-07. He also become the second IIT Madras professor who is elected to the National Academy of Engineering, after Prof Ashok Jhunjhunwala.
