3 faculty members elected to National Academy of Engineering
This week, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) announced that three faculty members at CU Boulder were elected to the ranks of this prestigious organization. Dana Anderson, Iain Boyd and Bob Erickson are among the 130 scientists and engineers from around the country who will be inducted as members of the NAE at a meeting this fall.
According to an announcement: “Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice, or education.”
Richard Obermann, senior technical advisor for the Colorado Space Policy Center at CU Boulder, was also elected as a member of the NAE.
The new members of the Class of 2026 join Scott Diddams, Hanspeter Schaub, Dan Frangopol and Charles W. Hull, engineers with ties to CU Boulder, who were elected to the NAE last year. More than 20 engineers with ties to the College of Engineering and Applied Science at CU Boulder have been elected to the NAE over the years.
Dana Anderson
Dana Anderson (Credit: Infleqtion)
JILA Fellow; Professor, Department of Physics; appointment to the Department of Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering
Anderson was recognized for "for contributions to optical quantum engineering of ultracold atoms."
He joined the CU Boulder faculty in 1984 and has long been at the forefront of translating laboratory science into real-world impact. As founder and chief science officer of Infleqtion (formerly ColdQuanta), he has helped lead the development of practical quantum systems including clocks, inertial sensors, radio frequency sensors, networks, and quantum computing platforms. Infleqtion systems are currently operating on the International Space Station through NASA’s Cold Atom Laboratory mission, with continuous operation for over five years.
Anderson's academic research spans quantum optics, atomic physics, atom-chip technologies and precision measurement, areas in which his group has developed integrated atom interferometers and practical devices based on ultracold atoms. He earned his doctorate in physics from the University of Arizona and is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the Optical Society of America.
Reflecting on his election to the NAE, Anderson emphasized the community that helped make it possible: “I owe much to the support that CU Physics, JILA and Engineering have given me over the years to transition atom-based quantum technology into the ‘real’ world.”
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Iain Boyd
Iain Boyd
H.T. Sears Memorial Professor, Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences; Director, Center for National Security Initiatives
Boyd is recognized "for contributions to the computational simulation of high-temperature gases and plasmas using kinetic methods for hypersonics and space propulsion."
He is an internationally recognized expert in the field of aerothermodynamics. Boyd's research focuses on physical and computational methods for analysis of nonequilibrium gas and plasma dynamics processes that occur around hypersonic vehicles and in space propulsion systems.
He has authored over 250 journal articles, more than 450 conference papers, and a book titled "Nonequilibrium Gas Dynamics and Molecular Simulation." He joined CU Boulder in 2019 following positions at the University of Michigan, Cornell University and NASA Ames Research Center.
Boyd earned his doctorate in aeronautics and astronautics from the University of Southampton in England. He is a fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA), the American Physical Society and the Royal Aeronautical Society.
"Hypersonics is so engaging to me because it involves so many different disciplines including gas dynamics, chemistry, materials, structures and propulsion," Boyd said. "Interest in hypersonic systems has never been greater with major activities in national security, space exploration and the evolving space economy."
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Bob Erickson
Bob Erickson
Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
Erickson is recognized "for advances in modeling, control, education and massive open online courses in power electronics."
He is a pioneering figure in power electronics whose innovative research has transformed the field and set new standards for efficiency and performance in electric vehicles, as well as in inverters for solar power, wind power and battery energy storage systems. He joined the CU Boulder faculty in 1982 and served as chair of the Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering from 2002-06, 2014-15 and 2018-2020.
Erickson is a life fellow of IEEE, a fellow of the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute at CU Boulder and is the author of the textbook Fundamentals of Power Electronics. He received the IEEE William E Newell Power Electronics Award in 2021, the CU Boulder Inventor of the Year award in 2015, the Holland Teaching Excellence Award in 2010, and the IEEE Power Electronics Society Transactions Prize Paper Award in 1996.
His research interests include modeling and control of power conversion systems, modular and multilevel converter systems and power electronics for electric vehicles, renewable energy sources, and data centers. Erickson received his doctorate in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology.
“I am most grateful for this honor, and I very much appreciate the support and collaboration of my colleagues in ECEE, the college and CU Boulder through the years," Erickson said.
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