Irvine, Calif. – Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, a Distinguished Professor of civil and environmental engineering and Samueli Endowed Chair in engineering at the University of California, Irvine, has been elected an international fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. The announcement was made on September 24, 2026.
Foufoula-Georgiou is one of 75 new fellows chosen this year to join the Royal Academy of Engineering, which operates from the United Kingdom. Established in 1976, the academy serves as a leader in engineering and technology, offering independent expert advice to governments both in the U.K. and internationally. Its fellowship comprises approximately 1,700 individuals from diverse backgrounds, including academic research, industry, and entrepreneurship.
Commenting on her election, Foufoula-Georgiou stated, "I am deeply honored by this recognition." She noted her involvement in international research projects, including those with U.K. colleagues, as evidence of what can be achieved through cross-border scientific collaboration. She expressed an intention to leverage the strengths of both the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and the Royal Academy of Engineering to address shared challenges in water, climate, and environmental resilience.
Foufoula-Georgiou's research focuses on hydrology, hydroclimate science, and geomorphology. Her work has advanced the understanding and prediction of precipitation patterns, water-cycle extremes, and the evolution of landscapes. Specifically, her contributions to global satellite precipitation estimation and resilience planning for watersheds and coastal river deltas worldwide offer practical applications for water sustainability and hazard mitigation.
Her public service record includes an appointment by President Barack Obama to the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, where she contributed to reports submitted to Congress regarding the long-term safety of nuclear waste transport and disposal. She has also served on several U.S. National Academies committees, including the Decadal Survey on Earth Observations from Space. Other committee work involved studies on the modernization of the National Weather Service and flood risk management for critical infrastructure. Additionally, Foufoula-Georgiou has held advisory roles for organizations such as NASA, the National Science Foundation, and various European research councils.
Foufoula-Georgiou joined UC Irvine in 2016. Prior to her arrival in Irvine, she spent nearly three decades on the faculty at the University of Minnesota. During her tenure there, she directed the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory and led the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics, an NSF Science and Technology Center. At UC Irvine, she served as the associate dean for research and innovation in the Samueli School of Engineering from 2017 to 2023 and currently holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Earth System Science.
Her distinguished career has been marked by numerous honors. These include the John Dalton Medal from the European Geophysical Society, the Hydrologic Sciences Medal from the American Meteorological Society, and the Horton Medal from the American Geophysical Union. She is also a recipient of the UNESCO/WMO Dooge Medal, an international hydrology prize. Foufoula-Georgiou is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the American Meteorological Society (AMS), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is also a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the European Academy of Sciences.
The Royal Academy of Engineering plans to formally welcome its new fellows at a celebration scheduled to take place in London on October 19.
