Four engineering faculty recognized for outstanding research

Four faculty members from the College of Engineering were selected to receive a 2026 Distinguished Achievement Award for research from Texas A&M University and The Association of Former Students. 

This year’s honorees from the College of Engineering and Texas A&M Experiment Station (TEES) include Drs. Akhil Datta-Gupta, Arum Han, Shuiwang Ji and Jodie Lutkenhaus.

Funded by The Association, these distinctions are among the most prestigious awards presented to Texas A&M faculty and staff, recognizing achievement in teaching, research, individual student relationships, continuing education/extension, graduate mentoring, staff and administration.

“Having faculty representatives from four different departments recognized for their research is a testament to the interdisciplinary innovations taking place across the College of Engineering,” said Dr. Robert H. Bishop, vice chancellor and dean of Texas A&M Engineering. “It is an honor to have the success of our faculty acknowledged by The Association of Former Students. Congratulations to Drs. Datta-Gupta, Han, Ji, and Lutkenhaus.”

Dr. Akhil Datta-Gupta

A University Distinguished Professor and Peterson ‘36 Chair in the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering, Datta-Gupta’s research contributes to the theory and practice of streamline simulation in petroleum reservoir characterization, management and calibration of high-resolution geologic models. 

Three-dimensional streamline simulation is an important development in petroleum reservoir simulation and performance forecasting. He also researches flow-relevant imaging and inversion through integration of fluid flow and related geophysical data.

“It is an honor to be recognized for my contributions in high-resolution petroleum reservoir simulation, model calibration via inverse modeling and technology transfer through industrial consortium,” Datta-Gupta said.

Dr. Arum Han

Han is the associate agency director for TEES and the associate dean for research at the College of Engineering. His research focuses on developing and applying microfluidic lab-on-a-chip and organ-on-a-chip systems to solve grand challenge problems in biotechnology and biomedical applications. 

Han has pioneered the area of integrating high-throughput microfluidics with synthetic biology and microbiology. He applies these microsystems towards rapid pathogen detection and enables microbial bioproduction of high-value chemicals. Han’s organ-on-a-chip technologies also enable rapid drug development and quick assessment of the toxicity of potentially hazardous chemicals.

“My research success has been a team effort, so this recognition is really thanks to my entire research team, students, and my expert multidisciplinary collaborators,” Han said. “My research is also enabled by Texas A&M’s excellent research infrastructure, especially the AggieFab nanofabrication cleanroom facility.”

Dr. Shuiwang Ji

A professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Ji’s research seeks to bridge foundational advances in artificial intelligence with use-inspired research. On the foundational front, his work focuses on developing novel models and algorithms in physics-informed machine learning, large language models and autonomous agents for scientific discovery. 

Ji tackles pressing challenges across a wide spectrum of scientific and engineering disciplines, spanning from quantum chemistry to fluid mechanics. Collectively, his research advances the emerging field of artificial intelligence for science and engineering.

“It is a tremendous honor to receive this award, especially at a time when AI is transforming science and engineering,” Ji said. “I am very grateful to my students, both former and current, whose hard work has helped advance the frontiers of science and engineering.”

Dr. Jodie Lutkenhaus

An associate dean for research at the College of Engineering and associate agency director of TEES, Lutkenhaus is recognized as a global leader in organic batteries. Her discoveries have led to new designs for metal-free, organic batteries that can address society’s need for earth-abundant and circular materials. She also is a global leader in the understanding of polyelectrolytes, where she established new relationships between their physical properties and structures. 

Lutkenhaus proved that organic battery electrodes can swell during charging and discharging, and that the swelling is the source of the lost capacity. This discovery was made using a unique instrument called quartz-crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D), in which she is a leading global expert. 

“I am thrilled to receive this recognition from the Association for Former Students. It is especially humbling because there are so many faculty that I admire that received it in past years. I am excited to stand among them,” Lutkenhaus said. “I am thankful to the National Science Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Welch Foundation, and Department of Energy for continued support of my research.”