SAE International Awards Recognize Excellence in Mobility Engineering and Innovation chevron right

SAE Awards Honor Outstanding Contributions in Leadership,
Innovation, SAE Service and STEM Education

WARRENDALE, Pa. (April 15, 2026) - SAE International^® announced the 2026 SAE International Award recipients at a ceremony held during SAE's WCX™- World Congress Experience in Detroit, Mich. Recognizing mobility industry professionals, educators and students, SAE Awards represent mobility's highest honors. The Awards program is administered by SAE's Board of Directors and supported by a distinguished group of volunteers.

Created in 1986, the SAE Medal of Honor annually recognizes an individual who has demonstrated unwavering commitment to SAE International's mission of advancing mobility solutions for the benefit of humanity. The 2026 SAE's Medal of Honor recipient is Dr. Jay Zhou. Jay's career with Ford Motor Company has spanned more than 30 years, recently as VP of Ford China Quality and New Model Launch for Ford China and Ford Asia Pacific. Throughout his leadership positions inside and outside of Ford, Jay has made a direct and lasting impact on SAE and the mobility industry.

As a long-standing SAE member of more than 37 years, Jay's commitment began with co-authoring an SAE technical paper in 1988 and continued throughout his membership. Elected an SAE Fellow in 2022, he has supported the organization as a mentor, university industrial lecturer, professional development instructor, section speaker, associated editor, advisory board member, conference organizer, moderator and standards committee contributor. Jay's unwavering dedication, exemplary service, and significant contributions to his field sets him apart from his peers and makes him an outstanding candidate for this year's Medal of Honor. His commitment to excellence, integrity, and leadership consistently inspires those around him and reflects the highest standards of achievement and character.

Additional honors given that evening include:

• SAE International Award for Technical and Leadership Excellence honoring Rodica Baranescu - Mandi Damman, Executive Chief Engineer, General Motors
• SAE International Award for Emerging Leadership in Mobility - Jacqueline Zimny, System Owner, Hybrid Engine Stop Start, General Motors
• SAE International Award for Influential Executive in Automotive honoring Henry Ford - Jim Campbell, VP, Performance & Motorsports Commercial Operations, General Motors
• SAE International Award for Outstanding Student Leadership in STEM honoring Max Rumbaugh - Bridget O'Connell, President, ERAU Women's Baja SAE, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• SAE International Award for Safety in Transportation honoring Arnold W. Siegel - Elham Sahraei, Associate Professor, Temple University
• SAE International Humanitarian Award honoring Arnold W. Siegel - Jennifer Goforth, I-CAR Board of Directors / SAE Foundation Trustee / I-CAR / SAE Foundation
• SAE International Award for Excellence in Innovation - Kumar Vijay Mishra, Senior Fellow, CISD, US DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory
• SAE International Award for Outstanding Research in Mobility Fuels and Lubricants - Yuanjiang Pei (Team Lead), Aramco Americas; Abdullah S. AlRamadan, Aramco Americas; Anqi Zhang, Aramco Americas; Ji-Woong Park, Aramco Americas; Balaji Mohan, Saudi Aramco
• SAE John Johnson Award for Outstanding Research in Diesel Engines (Medal) - Paul Miles, Research Manager, Sandia National Laboratories (Retired)
• SAE John Johnson Award for Outstanding Research in Diesel Engines (Paper) - Harsimran Singh (Lead), University of Illinois-Chicago; Pinaki Pal, Argonne National Laboratory; Almoutazbellah Kutkut, West Virgina University; Hailin Li, West Virgina University; Suresh Kumar Aggarwal, University of Illinois-Chicago
• SAE International John Melvin Motorsport Safety Award - Thomas Gideon, Engineer, Motorsports Safety Consulting, LLC
• SAE International Award for Outstanding Student Paper honoring Phil Myers - David Fernandes (Team Lead), Clemson University; Pedram MohajerAnsari, Clemson University; Amir Salarpour, Clemson University; Mert Pese´, Clemson University
• SAE International Award for Quality Leadership honoring Subir Chowdhury - Meg Richards, Director, Service Diagnostics and Programming, General Motors
• Cooperative Engineering Medal Honoring Arch T. Colwell and the ESC Outstanding Achievement Award Honoring James M. Crawford - Francesca Favaro, Head of Safety Management and Best Practices, Waymo LLC
• SAE International Award for Outstanding AWIM Volunteers honoring Bill Agnew - Rian Johnson, Senior System Integration Engineer, Daimler Truck North America
• SAE International Educational Award honoring Ralph R. Teetor - Albert Patterson, Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University; Zhenghui Sha, Associate Professor, The University of Texas at Austin

SAE appreciates award support from Dr. Rodica Baranescu, Subir and Malini Chowdhury, Ford Motor Company, Dr. John H. Johnson, Phil and Jean Myers, NASCAR, Max E. Rumbaugh, Jr., Arnold and Stephanie Siegel, and Ralph R. Teetor.

Call for Spring Awards Nominations are currently open through May 31, 2026. Nominate a deserving colleague or yourself for one or more SAE Awards spanning four categories: Leadership, Innovation, SAE Service and STEM.

For additional details on SAE awards, visit: http://www.sae.org/awards.

About SAE International^®
SAE International is a global organization committed to advancing mobility knowledge and solutions for the benefit of humanity. By engaging nearly 200,000 engineers, technical experts and volunteers, we connect and educate mobility professionals to enable safe, clean, and accessible mobility solutions. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including award-winning programs like A World In Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series™. More at http://www.sae.org.

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SAE Media Contact:
Jeff Laskowski
SAE International
248.925.4770
[email protected]