Rory Cooper was elected to the National Academy of Engineering

Rory Cooper, a distinguished professor in Pitt’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and founding director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories, was among 114 new U.S. members elected to the National Academy of Engineering Class of 2024.

Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice or education and recognizes "the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering and developing or implementing innovative approaches to engineering education."

A celebrated inventor and the world’s most cited rehabilitation engineer, Cooper’s work in advancing wheelchairs has increased mobility for people with disabilities. Among his other recent honors are a Distinguished Eagle Scout award from the Boy Scouts of America and the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal. In October, President Joe Biden presented Cooper with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

Cooper will be formally inducted during the NAE's annual meeting on Sept. 29.

Cooper joins Distinguished Professors Anna Balazs and Savio L-Y. Woo as Swanson School of Engineering honorees. NAE members are among the nation’s most knowledgeable engineering experts and have distinguished themselves in business and academic management, in technical positions, as university faculty, and as leaders in government and private engineering organizations.