Six distinguished faculty members from the Texas A&M University College of Engineering have been awarded the prestigious Chancellor Enhancing Development and Generating Excellence in Scholarship (EDGES) Fellowship for 2025. This fellowship is designed to honor and retain mid-career faculty who have demonstrated significant accomplishments in their disciplines and have gained recognition both nationally and internationally.
Launched in 2019 with resources from Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp, EDGES Fellowships are granted to faculty members recognized by their deans for their potential to achieve national and international acclaim. These individuals are on career paths that may lead to membership in national academies or prestigious awards in fields without national academies. Along with essential funding support, EDGES Fellows maintain their titles throughout their tenure as faculty members in good standing at Texas A&M.
We are proud of our six faculty members selected as EDGES Fellows for 2025. They are leaders in their fields who are inspiring the next generation of innovators. This recognition reflects not only their outstanding research and scholarship but also their growing influence in shaping the future of engineering on a national and international scale.
The following six faculty members from the College of Engineering were recognized with this fellowship:
Dr. Moble Benedict is an associate professor of aerospace engineering and director of the Advanced Vertical Flight Laboratory.
Dr. Akhilesh Gaharwar is a professor of biomedical engineering, holder of the Tim and Amy Leach Professorship and a Presidential Impact Fellow.
Dr. Pushkar Lele is an associate professor of chemical engineering and holder of the William and Ruth Neely Faculty Fellowship.
Dr. Alaa Elwany is a professor of industrial & systems engineering and holder of the Mike and Sugar Barnes Career Development Fellowship I and the Kincaid Professorship in Undergraduate Teaching Excellence.
Dr. Michael Demkowicz is a professor of materials science & engineering and a Presidential Impact Fellow.
Dr. Waruna Kulatilaka is a professor and associate department head of undergraduate programs in mechanical engineering and holder of the Holdredge/Paul Professorship.
"We are proud of our six faculty members selected as EDGES Fellows for 2025. They are leaders in their fields who are inspiring the next generation of innovators," said Dr. Robert H. Bishop, vice chancellor and dean of Texas A&M Engineering. "This recognition reflects not only their outstanding research and scholarship but also their growing influence in shaping the future of engineering on a national and international scale."
This recognition underscores Texas A&M’s commitment to intensively support, retain, and recognize faculty with notable and sustained achievements and the promise of continued high-impact scholarship.
The Chancellor EDGES Fellowship funds will be available starting September 1, 2025, with a total of $3 million allocated for the program. Each fellowship is awarded for a three-year period, during which recipients are expected to submit progress reports at the end of the first year and final reports at the end of the third year, outlining the achievements and recognitions resulting from the fellowship.