English Alumnus Elected to National Academy of Engineering

Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences alumnus William D. Magwood IV is among six Carnegie Mellon University faculty members and alumni elected to the National Academy of Engineering this year. The NAE is one of the highest professional distinctions for engineers. 

"I congratulate all of the Carnegie Mellon community members elected to the National Academy of Engineering on this well-deserved recognition of their leadership and contributions to engineering research and practice," said Farnam Jahanian, president of Carnegie Mellon. "Their impacts in their respective fields are invaluable, as are their associations with our university. Their membership in the NAE is yet another reminder that the CMU community is home to the world's brightest minds and most remarkable leaders."

Magwood earned a bachelor of science degree in physics from CMU in 1982 and a bachelor of arts degree in English from CMU in 1983. He is the director general at the Nuclear Energy Agency, an intergovernmental agency of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Prior to that he was a commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and managed electric utility research and nuclear policy programs at the Edison Electric Institute.

His citation is "for leadership and contributions to research programs that drive innovation in global nuclear energy enterprises."

NAE membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to "engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature" and to "the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education."

More than 60 members of the CMU community have been elected into the NAE. Individuals in the newly elected class will be formally inducted during the NAE's annual meeting on Oct. 4.

Read more about all of the CMU community members elected to the NAE in 2021