The Class of 1934 Distinguished Professor Award recognizes outstanding achievement in teaching, research, and service. It is the highest honor given to a Georgia Tech professor. Created in 1984 by the Class of 1934 in observance of its 50th reunion, the award is presented to an active professor who has made significant, long-term contributions — contributions that have brought widespread recognition to the professor, to their school, and to the Institute. The award includes a stipend of $25,000.
2023
Ellen Zegura
Fleming Chair and Professor in the School of Computer Science at Georgia Tech
Passion for new challenges and dedication to her role as a teacher have become hallmarks of Ellen Zegura’s career at Georgia Tech.
2022
Marilyn Brown
Regents & Brook Byers Professor of Sustainable Systems, School of Public Policy
Brown is a world leading expert on renewable energy and energy efficiency, a transformative intellectual thinker, and one of the founders of the field of energy and climate policy. Her research has shaped energy policy in the U.S. and globally.
2021
Andrés García
Executive director of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and Regents Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
García is known as a global pioneer in developing biomaterials systems for translational applications in regenerative medicine.
2020
Jeff Wu
Professor and Coca Cola Chair in Engineering Statistics in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Wu is considered a visionary in engineering statistics, and has received almost every award in the field.
2019
David McDowell
Regents Professor and Carter N. Paden Jr. Distinguished Chair in Metals Processing in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
McDowell has developed new techniques and methods for measuring, understanding, and modeling the way materials behave in areas such as transportation and energy production.
2018
Seth Marder
Regents Professor and Georgia Power Chair of Energy Efficiency in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the School of Materials Science and Engineering
Marder is a world-renowned educator and researcher whose work focuses on the interactions of light with matter, most notably in the setting of organic electronic and photonic materials.
2017
Gary Schuster
Vassar Woolley Professor Emeritus in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Schuster’s research has been primarily in the field of organic and bioorganic chemistry, including groundbreaking work in several research areas.
2016
Robin Thomas
Regents Professor in the School of Mathematics
A world leader in graph theory, Thomas established a remarkable legacy of research and teaching that included serving as leader of the Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization Ph.D. program.
2015
George Nemhauser
A. Russell Chandler III Chair and Institute Professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering
George Nemhauser is widely considered to be one of the world’s top optimization researchers. He was the first sitting professor at Georgia Tech to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
2014
Zhong Lin (Z.L.) Wang
Regents Professor and Hightower Chair, College of Engineering Distinguished Professor, and director of the Center for Nanostructure Characterization
A pioneer researcher in nanoscience, Wang invented the nanogenerator and figured out how it could harvest mechanical energy using nano-enabled technology.
2013
John Cressler
Schlumberger Chair Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Cressler leads research in the understanding, development, and application of new types of microelectronic devices and circuits for high-speed electronics in emerging communications systems.
2012
Dick Lipton
Professor, College of Computing, and the Frederick G. Storey Chair
Lipton has a strong reputation in computer science theory, cryptography, and academics. He is considered one of the original pioneers of DNA computing.
2011
Mark Hay
Regents Professor and Harry and Linda Teasley Chair in Environmental Biology
Hay's research has provided key insights into the conservation and restoration of coral reefs and challenged scientists' view of ecological and evolutionary processes affecting the establishment and impact of invasive species.
2010
Charles Liotta
Former chair of the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and vice provost for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies
For decades, Liotta developed collaborations with other chemists, chemical engineers, textile chemists, and mechanical, electrical, and aerospace engineers at Georgia Tech, and with researchers at other academic institutions, national laboratories, and in industry.
2009
Robert M. Nerem
Professor, Mechanical Engineering, and Parker H. Petit Distinguished Chair for Engineering in Medicine; founding director of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience
Nerem received awards and accolades from around the world for pioneering work in regenerative medicine and bioengineering, and was known for interdisciplinary collaboration.
2008
James D. Foley
Professor of interactive computing and the Fleming Chair in Telecommunications
Foley is a computing pioneer, innovative educator, and author. He was one of the computer graphics pioneers who went on to help establish HCI as a discipline.
2007
Mostafa El-Sayed
Regents Professor Emeritus, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Julius Brown Chair
A leading nanoscience researcher, El-Sayed has done work in the potential use of nanoparticles in nanomedicine, nanocatalysis, and plasmonics.
2006
Bryan G. Norton
Professor Emeritus, School of Public Policy
Norton writes on intergenerational equity, sustainability theory, biodiversity policy, and valuation methods. His specialty is the integration of spatio-temporal scaling considerations into sustainability criteria.
2005
Thomas K. Gaylord
Regents Professor, Julius Brown Chair Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Gaylord was instrumental in the founding and development of the optics educational and research programs in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
2004
C. P. Wong
Regents Professor and Smithgall Institute Endowed Chair, Materials Science and Engineering
Among his research interests are the fields of polymeric materials, electronic packaging and interconnect, interfacial adhesions, and nano-functional material syntheses and characterizations.
2003
Kevin F. Brennan
Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
His research interests were in the general area of semiconductors and microelectronics, with a particular emphasis on physics and device application of emerging semiconductor materials for future power.
Earlier Award Recipients
2002
Jay Bolter
Professor, Literature, Communication and Culture
2001
James D. Meindl
Professor, Microelectronics Research Center
2000
William Chameides
Regents Professor, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
1999
Jim Powers
Regents Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
1998
Rao Tummala
Pettit Chair Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
1997
Charles Eckert
Professor, Chemistry, J. Erskine Love Jr. Professor of Chemical Engineering
1996
Ajeet Rohatgi
Regents Professor, John H. Weitnauer, Jr. Chair in the College of Engineering; Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar
1995
Ray Flannery
Regents Professor, Physics
1994
Jerry H. Ginsberg
Professor, Mechanical Engineering
1993
Daniel S. Papp
Director, International Affairs
1992
Uzi Landman
Regents Professor, Physics
1991
Robert F. Hochman
Professor, School of Materials Engineering
1990
Ben T. Zinn
Regents Professor, Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering
1989
Leon Zalkow
Regents Professor, Chemistry
1988
Eugene C. Ashby
Regents Professor, Chemistry
1987
Ward Winer
Regents Professor, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
1986
Satya N. Atluri
Regents Professor, Civil Engineering
1985
Ron Schafer
Regents Professor, Electrical Engineering, John O. McCarty/Audichron Chair
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