February 10, 2026
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) announced today that two UC Berkeley engineering faculty members — Ken Goldberg and Kam Lau — have been elected to its ranks. The number of engineering faculty members in the NAE is now 73.
Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice or education. Members are also recognized for pioneering new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering or developing and implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.
Goldberg, professor of industrial engineering and operations research and of electrical engineering and computer sciences (EECS), is recognized for contributions to practice, research and education in robotics and automation for industrial parts handling. He serves as director of UC Berkeley’s AUTOLab, where he supervises research on robotics, with an emphasis on AI and robot learning. Goldberg is also a professional artist and holds an appointment at UCSF, where he conducts research in medical robotics.
Lau, professor emeritus of EECS, is cited for contributions to semiconductor lasers and radio frequency over fiber (RFoF) systems. His innovative research in semiconductor laser dynamics was central to enabling linear fiber-optic transmission products for Hybrid-Fiber-Coax (HFC) infrastructure, widely deployed today for CATV-distribution and cable modem internet access.
The EECS department is shared with the College of Computing, Data Science and Society.
In addition to the new members from Berkeley Engineering, UC Berkeley faculty members Nitash Balsara, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and Jennifer Doudna, professor of chemistry and of molecular and cell biology, were elected to the NAE.
This year’s roster of newly elected members also includes several Berkeley Engineering alumni:
Jonathan Cagan (Ph.D.’90 ME), George Tallman and Florence Barrett Ladd Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Giovanni De Micheli (M.S.’80, Ph.D.’83 EECS), professor and director, EcoCloud, Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne
Gary Guthart (B.S.’87 Eng. Physics), executive chair of the board of directors, Intuitive Surgical Inc.
Jitendra Kikani (M.S.’85 ME), vice president, Subsurface, Chevron Corp.
Mark Liu (M.S.’81, Ph.D.’83 EECS), executive chairman, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
Howard McKenzie (B.S.’88 ME), executive vice president and chief engineer, Engineering, Test, and Technology, Boeing Co.
Peyman Milanfar (B.S.’88 Eng. Math & Statistics), distinguished scientist, Google Inc.
Mason Walters (MEng’80 CE), senior principal structural engineer, Forell/Elsesser Engineers
Andrew Whittaker (M.S.’85, Ph.D.’88 CE), SUNY Distinguished Professor, Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering, University at Buffalo
Felix Wu (Ph.D.’72 EECS), chair professor, University of Hong Kong
This announcement brings the total number of NAE members to 2,534 nationwide and 356 internationally. Inductees will be formally inducted during the NAE’s Annual Meeting this fall.