University of Michigan Engineering now includes 35 NAE members among its active and emeritus faculty

University of Michigan Engineering professors Ilya Kolmanovsky, Chris Ruf and Karen A. Thole are among the newest members of the National Academy of Engineering—one of the highest honors bestowed on engineers in the United States.

“The National Academy of Engineering plays a vital role in our nation by bringing together the critical sectors of industry, higher education and government to help the U.S. chart its path in technology and engineering,” said Karen A. Thole, the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering.

“The work of these faculty members—whom I’m honored to be among—has improved energy efficiency, advanced automotive and aircraft systems, and given us a new way to study our planet.”

Ilya Kolmanovsky, the Pierre T. Kabamba Collegiate Professor of Aerospace Engineering, is elected for his work on nonlinear and optimal control systems theory and its applications in automotive and aerospace engineering.

Kolmanovsky bridged theory and practice to develop control algorithms that tell vehicles, aircraft and spacecraft how to calculate safe, efficient maneuvers in real time under constraints, even in the face of changing conditions or incomplete information. His work has advanced safety-critical decision-making and real-time optimization, which are becoming critical to enabling new capabilities in vehicle control and autonomy.

Recently, he and his collaborators have applied these techniques to improve autonomous spacecraft operations in the area of rendezvous and proximity operations and to reduce engine emissions in commercial heavy-duty vehicles. He is currently developing systems for navigating spacecraft between Earth and the moon, and for making vehicles safer and more efficient.

“I feel deeply honored with this most significant distinction, and see this honor as shared with the many students, collaborators, and colleagues with whom I’ve had the privilege to collaborate over the years,” Kolmanovsky said. “I look forward to contributing to NAE’s leadership on some of the most important technological and engineering challenges facing our world.”

Chris Ruf, the Frederick Bartman Collegiate Professor of Climate and Space Science and director of the U-M Space Institute, is elected for developing remote sensing technology to observe Earth’s environment using small satellite constellations.

Ruf pioneered a more cost-effective approach to studying Earth with satellites. Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry, or GNSS-R, gleans information out of reflected signals from existing GPS systems. He introduced it as principal investigator on NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission that launched in 2016 to study how hurricanes rapidly intensify.

Since then, it has led to a paradigm shift in Earth remote sensing—constellations of lower-cost small satellites can replace expensive monoliths and enable continuous coverage. Today, it’s being used in launched or planned missions around the world. And CYGNSS led to dozens of other data products. A replica will be in the National Air and Space Museum’s RTX Living in the Space Age Hall exhibition, opening in July.

“Election to the NAE is a great honor and wonderful recognition of the impactful work I have been lucky enough to be a part of,” Ruf said. “There has never been a more important time to monitor and understand the Earth environment, and I am grateful to be able to play a part in doing so more efficiently and effectively.”

Karen A. Thole, the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering and a professor of mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering, is honored for seminal contributions to gas turbines through the development and deployment of innovative cooling technologies.

An expert in heat transfer and cooling of gas turbine airfoils, or blades, Thole’s experimental and analytical work turned fundamental research into patented technologies that influenced how gas turbines are designed—both for propulsion and power generation. The new designs her work enables improve energy efficiency of both aircraft propulsion and gas turbine power generation systems.

With support from industry, federal agencies, and Penn State, Thole built and founded the Steady Thermal Aero Research Turbine (START) Lab. She collaborated with four turbine manufacturers and the U.S. Department of Energy to develop and manufacture the National Experimental Turbine, an industry testbed for advanced turbine designs. Thole led efforts to use metal additive manufacturing techniques for turbine research to rapidly evaluate new cooling technologies.

She is the first woman to serve as dean of University of Michigan Engineering.

“This distinction is a reflection of the many contributions from my students, faculty colleagues, and supporters throughout my career,” Thole said. “I am honored to be in the 2026 class with my other colleagues at U-M and elsewhere, and excited to serve not only our students and fields of scientific discovery, but also society at large, and our nation.”

These new members bring U-M’s total membership in NAE to 35 active and emeritus faculty members.

Founded in 1964, the U.S. National Academy of Engineering is a private, independent, nonprofit institution that provides engineering leadership in service to the nation. Its mission is to advance the welfare and prosperity of the nation by providing independent advice on matters involving engineering and technology, and by promoting a vibrant engineering profession and public appreciation of engineering.