CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty member from The Grainger College of Engineering has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
Marcelo Garcia, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and the M.T. Geoffrey Yeh Endowed Chair in Civil Engineering, is part of the Class of 2025 for the prestigious engineering body. He joins 127 other new members and 22 international members elected by their peers, bringing the total U.S. membership to 2,487 and 336 international members, according to a press release from the NAE.
Garcia is one of the world’s foremost experts in water resources engineering. His distinguished research on sediment transport and river and marine morphodynamics at Illinois propelled his induction to the NAE along with his work advancing hydraulics and sedimentation engineering.
He also serves as director of the Ven Te Chow Hydrosystems Laboratory on the U. of I. campus and was named a Doctor Honoris Causa of the National University of Cordoba, Argentina, in 2024 — the highest academic honor conferred by the university.
Founded in 1964, the NAE provides objective analysis and advice to the nation, offering leadership and insights for a complex world. The ballot for this class was set in December and the final vote took place in January.
Garcia and his fellow class members will be formally inducted Oct. 5 at the NAE’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.