Sankaran Mahadevan, John R. Murray Sr. Professor of Engineering, has been elected a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the highest honor bestowed by the society.
Mahadevan, who is professor of civil and environmental engineering and mechanical engineering, was recognized at the 2025 ASCE Convention in Seattle, Washington, on October 9 for outstanding research and educational contributions to risk, reliability, and uncertainty analysis and management of engineering systems, as well as outstanding professional service and leadership in ASCE, including as president of the Engineering Mechanics Institute.
“The ASCE Distinguished Membership is an honor that has been conferred on luminaries in my field that I have looked up to throughout my career,” Mahadevan said. “I am humbled by this recognition. Many people have contributed to my achievements, such as my mentors, collaborators, students, colleagues, and my family.”
Ghina Absi, a former graduate student of Mahadevan’s research group who is currently assistant professor of the practice of civil and environmental engineering at Vanderbilt, introduced Mahadevan during the induction ceremony.
“Through decades of patient, dedicated guidance, he has uplifted so many students, making us better researchers, engineers, and better people in general,” Absi said.
Earlier this year, Mahadevan received the esteemed Alfredo Ang award for risk analysis and management of civil infrastructure at the ASCE Structures Congress in Phoenix, Arizona.
Mahadevan’s contributions in engineering research are in the fields of risk and reliability analysis, uncertainty quantification, systems health management, and decision-making under uncertainty. He is author of the definitive textbook in probabilistic methods in engineering design.
In 2023, the ASCE honored Mahadevan with the George Winter Award for technical contributions as a structural engineer, creativity as a professional musician, composer and teacher, and exemplary research in risk and reliability methods with impact in multiple disciplines.
Mahadevan is a professionally trained vocalist in Carnatic music, commonly associated with South India, and has performed for more than 30 years in concerts and music festivals in India and the United States.
Contact: Lucas Johnson, lucas.l.johnson@vanderbilt.edu