Caltech's Joseph E. Shepherd (PhD '81) and Shouleh Nikzad (PhD '90), chief technologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), have been elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). The 2026 class, which includes 130 members and 28 international members, was announced on February 10.
Membership in the NAE is an honor afforded to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice, or education. "Induction into the National Academy of Engineering is both a distinguished career milestone and a call to service," said NAE president Tsu-Jae Liu in the Academy's press release. "These accomplished engineers join a community dedicated to advancing the nation's well-being and promoting public understanding and appreciation of engineering."
Joseph E. Shepherd
Joseph E. Shepherd is Caltech's C.L. "Kelly" Johnson Professor of Aeronautics and Mechanical Engineering, Emeritus. He was recognized by the Academy "for contributions to the understanding of detonation waves and to mitigating explosion hazards in air transportation systems and nuclear facilities."
A major theme of Shepherd's research has been making the world a safer place. His group studies the flammability and combustion of the next generation of aviation fuels with lower carbon footprints than current fossil fuels and is also focused on understanding more about what Shepherd describes as "the most fascinating type of combustion: detonation waves." These supersonic pressure waves can be generated within a few microseconds by combustion, creating a complex and furious tangle of turbulent motion. Shepherd's students are using specialized facilities to learn more about these waves and to find new aerospace technology applications for them.
"Election to the NAE is an honor," Shepherd says. "I am grateful to all who supported me over my 50-year journey in science and engineering. Although membership is singular, the honor is collective. Credit is due to the creativity and industry of colleagues, students, scholars, and staff that went on this journey with me." He also thanks the Caltech faculty and leadership for providing the "essential balance between support and independence," and his family for their unwavering love and support.
Shepherd earned his undergraduate degree at the University of South Florida and completed his graduate studies at Caltech. He was a staff member at Sandia National Laboratories from 1980 to 1986 and then served on the faculty of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute until he joined the Caltech faculty as an associate professor in 1993. Shepherd became a full professor in 1999 and was named the Johnson Professor in 2008. He served as Caltech's dean of graduate studies from 2009 to 2015, as vice president of student affairs from 2015 to 2020, and as the Allen V. C. Davis and Lenabelle Davis Leadership Chair of Student Affairs from 2018 to 2020. He became an emeritus professor in 2025.
Shouleh Nikzad
Shouleh Nikzad is the chief technologist at JPL, which Caltech manages for NASA. Prior to this role, she led the Science Division at JPL. She is a JPL Fellow, senior research scientist, and principal engineer at JPL as well as a senior faculty associate in physics at Caltech. Nikzad was elected to membership in the NAE "for contributions to ultraviolet instrument technologies for space exploration," according to the official citation.
Indeed, Nikzad's research has focused on ultraviolet technologies, detectors, instruments, and science. When she was named a JPL Fellow in 2020, the citation noted "her contributions to JPL's Microdevices Laboratory (MDL) and her vision, which has resulted in the expansion of JPL core capabilities from technology to instrumentation and has led to the development of a new generation of ultraviolet imaging spectrometers and cameras." The thread throughout her research is to uncover the mysteries of the universe through nanoscale manipulation of devices and materials. Her research and inventions have found applications from astrophysics to planetary science and medical applications.
"I am incredibly honored to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering," Nikzad says. "I am grateful for the opportunities that I have had at JPL and Caltech to innovate and to work with amazingly creative and dedicated individuals and teams with whom I share this honor."
Nikzad completed her undergraduate studies at USC and her graduate work at Caltech. She gained hands-on experience by working in the electronics industry while simultaneously working on her master's degree in electrical engineering at Caltech. Her PhD work involved spending two years of graduate fellowship at Argonne National Laboratory. Nikzad returned to Caltech in 1990 as a postdoctoral fellow. She then joined JPL as a member of the technical staff. Nikzad has been a visiting associate at Caltech for much of the last 30 years and was a lecturer from 2015 until 2022.
Alumni
Seven other Caltech alumni were also named to the 2026 class of members: Nader Engheta (DAA '23, PhD '82) of the University of Pennsylvania; Gary Guthart (PhD '92) of Intuitive Surgical Operations, Randal Koster (BS '82) of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Kam Yin Lau (DAA '22, BS '78, PhD '81) of UC Berkeley, Jeffrey Morris (PhD '96) of City College of New York, John Morris (PhD '96) of Seagate Technology, and Michael Thien (BS '82) of Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Mohamed-Slim Alouini (PhD '98) of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology was named an international member.
The class of 2026 will be formally inducted during a ceremony at NAE's annual meeting in the fall.
Joseph Shepherd, Caltech's C.L. "Kelly" Johnson Professor of Aeronautics and Mechanical Engineering, Emeritus
Shouleh Nikzad, the chief technologist at JPL, which Caltech manages for NASA
