At GW Engineering, research is never just a theoretical exercise–it’s a catalyst for real-world impact. This spring, GW Engineering’s commitment to engaged scholarship took center stage as faculty collected awards at GW’s 16th annual Faculty Honors Ceremony and the Technology Commercialization Office’s (TCO) 2026 Innovation Competition.
Recognizing his impact on both the university and society, Elias Balaras, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, received the Office of the Vice Provost for Research’s (OVPR) Distinguished Career Award. Balaras’s work developing fluid flow simulations has significantly impacted various fields, including medicine, aerodynamics, chemical processing, and environmental protection.
Balaras’s most recent work is related to congenital heart disease at the interface of engineering and medicine. His team developed advanced workflows that take cardiac magnetic resonance images as input to build high-fidelity biomechanical models to simulate various pre- and post-operative scenarios in children who undergo heart surgery.
“Receiving the OVPR distinguished career award is incredibly humbling. In computational science, our work sits at the intersection of many disciplines, said Balaras. “To have the University recognize this career path validates not just my own work, but also the growing importance of computational modeling as a pillar of modern scientific discovery.”
Through the lens of GW’s TCO, the school celebrated a dual victory in innovation. Xitong Liu, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, joined Balaras at the Faculty Honors Ceremony as the recipient of the Early Career GW Inventor of the Year award. Following his selection for OVPR’s Early Career Researcher Award in 2025, Liu’s recognition this year further highlights his dedication to translating research outputs into useful products that impact lives.
“This recognition means a great deal to me because it reflects the collective efforts of my students and collaborators. Some of our most exciting innovations began as creative ideas from students who were willing to think differently and to challenge the status quo. It has been especially rewarding to work alongside collaborators from different disciplines to transform fundamental research into technologies that can make a real impact on water purification and resource recovery,” said Liu.
Liu’s research group examines environmental phenomena to develop durable, selective, and cost-effective separation technologies for water purification and resource recovery. Paving the way for safer, more resilient water treatment systems, his work addresses key issues in desalination and groundwater remediation. For sustainable resource extraction, his inventions include an electrochemical technology for selectively extracting lithium from geothermal brines and wastewater.
At the Innovation Competition, Ahmed Louri, the David and Marilyn Karlgaard Endowed Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and IEEE Life Fellow, and former students Ke Wang and Hao Zheng won first place and $10,000 for their versatile, flexible interconnection framework for chiplet-based manycore systems.
Based on a 2022 patent, this invention has the potential to improve performance, scalability, and efficiency in next-generation computing and artificial intelligence (AI) platforms. The award reflects Louri’s cutting-edge research program, especially in the critical area of AI, and recognizes the technology’s commercialization potential, which the financial award will further support.
Additional GW Engineering community members recognized at the Faculty Honors Ceremony included Joseph Barbera of the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering and Rahul Simha of the Department of Computer Science, who received silver anniversary awards for completing 25 years of continuous service at GW. Barbera recently retired alongside Murray Loew and Mona Zaghloul, who were each inducted into GW’s Society of Emerti in recognition of their distinguished careers.
Altogether, these awards not only celebrate individual achievements but also reflect the GW Engineering community’s commitment to applying research outcomes and technology to improve lives. We congratulate this year’s winners, whose efforts enrich our university, school, and students while driving real-world impact.