Azad M. Madni, an Indian American professor at the University of Southern California (USC) has been awarded the 2026 John Fritz Medal, widely regarded as engineering’s highest honor and often called the “Nobel Prize of Engineering.”
Established in 1902, the medal honors pioneering leaders whose work has fundamentally advanced human progress. Madni joins a distinguished group of recipients that includes Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Claude Shannon, Gordon Moore, Andrew Viterbi and Elon Musk.
Madni, executive director of USC’s Systems Architecting and Engineering Program, was recognized for pioneering contributions to transdisciplinary systems engineering, according to a university release. His research has reshaped how complex, high-risk systems in aerospace, defense, autonomous navigation, manufacturing and healthcare are designed, built and deployed.
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He is the Northrop Grumman Foundation Fred O’Green Chair in Engineering and is a University Professor, a rank awarded very selectively at USC based on multi-disciplinary interests and significant accomplishments in several disciplines.
His official citation recognizes his “pioneering advances in transdisciplinary systems engineering through exploitation of disciplinary convergence, augmented intelligence, green learning, and interactive storytelling in virtual worlds.”
“Professor Madni’s pioneering work has helped transform how we design complex systems, and this extraordinary honor is a fitting recognition of the innovation, imagination, and impact that have defined his illustrious career,” said USC President Beong-Soo Kim.
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“The John Fritz Medal is among the highest honors in engineering, and Professor Madni’s recognition is all the more meaningful here at USC Viterbi, because our school’s namesake – Andrew Viterbi – received the award in 2011 for his pioneering contributions to digital communications,” said Gaurav Sukhatme, dean (interim) of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and director of the USC Stevens School of Computing and AI. “Professor Madni’s recognition continues this remarkable legacy of engineering innovation at USC.”
A member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of multiple science and engineering academies and societies, Madni has also received the NAE Gordon Prize, IEEE Simon Ramo Medal and ASME Spirit of St. Louis Medal.
He holds joint and courtesy appointments in engineering, medicine and education at USC and earned his PhD, MS and BS degrees in engineering from University of California, Los Angeles.