ASCE Inducts New President, Interim Executive Director
Marsha Anderson Bomar, Ph.D., has been inducted as president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for 2025-26. She serves as the strategic transportation advisor for the engineering, architecture, and construction services firm GHD. She is the second GHD professional to serve as ASCE president. Maria Lehman, P.E., executive advisor, U.S. infrastructure, held the role in 2022-23 and is now ASCE interim executive director while a search is underway for the society’s next executive director.
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“We are in an extraordinary time of focus on infrastructure, and it has highlighted the need for more smart, talented, and hard-working individuals to join our profession,” Dr. Bomar said in a news release. “We must be vigilant in leading an effort to transform the education of new civil engineers, so their skills are relevant now and are future-ready. We must provide ongoing training opportunities so that we improve our ability to connect and serve our increasingly diverse membership and communities thoughtfully and appropriately.”
Dr. Bomar has been involved in ASCE since 1984, when she joined the Urban Goods Movement committee. She co-founded the Georgia Section of ASCE’s Transportation & Development Institute and served as president in 2009-10. She chaired the transit chapter of the 2019 Georgia Infrastructure Report Card and served as treasurer of the Technical Region Board of Governors in 2007-08. She was appointed society treasurer in 2022 and served on the ASCE board of direction from 2018 to 2020, during which she served as the director of the Technical Region Board of Governors. Dr. Bomar also served as the board liaison for ASCE’s committee on professional advancement in 2021-22.
Across a career spanning more than four decades, Dr. Bomar has served as the emeritus commissioner for the city of Atlanta Department of Transportation and assistant general manager for capital program delivery at the Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transportation Authority. She founded and served as president of Street Smarts and Data Smarts, during which time she earned the Society of Women Engineers’ Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2005.
Dr. Bomar earned a Ph.D. in environmental design and planning at the University of Georgia, College of Environment and Design, an M.S. and an M.A. in civil engineering at Princeton University, and a B.S. in mathematics at New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering.
Lehman, in her capacity as interim executive director, will work closely with current ASCE Executive Director Tom Smith, who retires in December 2025. She will assume many of the public-facing duties of the role. Lehman retired from GHD in November. She has served as vice chair of the presidentially appointed National Infrastructure Advisory Council. Read more about her in SWE Magazine’s Fall 2021 issue.
The National Academy of Engineering inducted Dr. Bomar and Lehman into its Class of 2025 for their outstanding contributions — Dr. Bomar “for advancing sustainable passenger and freight ground transportation systems and land use development” and Lehman “for leadership in public service and business engineering management focused on the sustainability and resilience of critical civil infrastructure.”
Maria Corina Machado Awarded Nobel Peace Prize
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 to Maria Corina Machado, leader of the democracy movement in Venezuela, “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
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Machado is the recipient of several recognitions for her work, including the Freedom Award of the Swedish International Liberal Centre, the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize by the Council of Europe, and the Prize for Freedom from Liberal International.
Born and raised in Caracas, Machado earned a degree in industrial engineering at Andrés Bello Catholic University, with a specialization in finance from the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Administracion. She is credited with establishing the Atenea Foundation, which works to benefit street children in Caracas, and was one of the founders of Súmate, which promotes free and fair elections.
Machado was elected to the National Assembly of Venezuela in 2010, but the regime expelled her from office in 2014. She is a founding member of the liberal political organization Vente Venezuela and helped found the Soy Venezuela alliance, which unites pro-democracy forces in the country. In 2023, she announced her candidacy for president in the 2024 elections but was blocked from running and has, in recent times, been living in hiding due to death threats. While still in hiding, she received the call from the Norwegian Nobel Committee announcing that she would receive the prize for her efforts to advance democracy in Venezuela.
Patricia Mawuli Porter Named African Genius Awards Finalist
Patricia Mawuli Porter, a Ghanaian aviation pioneer and founding director at Wales-based Metal Seagulls, is a finalist for the African Genius Awards, recognizing her accomplishments in aviation and efforts to empower African women in STEM.
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The annual awards, launched in 2021, are a partnership between the University of Pretoria in South Africa and African Genius Awards to honor Africans making exceptional contributions worldwide to the progress of the continent.
Mawuli Porter is working on the Fafali Aircraft project at her Pembrokeshire workshop. It is a fuel-efficient prototype to be unveiled in 2026 that will fly on automobile fuel and take off in under 100 meters. Fafali, a word from the Ewe language, means peace. The aircraft is intended for surveillance, humanitarian, training, and recreational flying. Features include cockpits better suited to accommodate African women’s physiques and pilots with disabilities, as well as aircraft structures with robust undercarriages suited to African terrain.
A Volta Region native, she is Ghana’s first civilian woman pilot, and the only Black woman aircraft inspector for the Light Aircraft Association and British Microlight Aircraft Association in the United Kingdom. She is the first Black African woman certified to build Rotax Aircraft Engines and the first woman in West Africa certified to build and repair these engines.
In 2021, she was recognized by Ghanaian President John Mahama with a National Youth Achievers Award for her achievements in aviation. In 2022, she was appointed an honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in recognition of her services to aviation.
Quantum Science Initiative Selects Netherlands Professor
Shima Rajabali, Ph.D., an assistant professor in quantum and computer engineering at Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands (TU Delft), and associate research fellow at Harvard University, has been selected for the Top Talent Initiative, a program designed to support and accelerate the careers of exceptional early-stage quantum professionals in the country.
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Quantum Delta NL offers the program, a national initiative to drive the development of a world-class quantum technology ecosystem within the Netherlands and turn quantum science into solutions that benefit global society.
Initiative sponsors selected Dr. Rajabali for “demonstrated remarkable ambition, originality, and potential to shape the future of quantum technologies.” Her efforts are geared toward bridging theory and application with her research focused on translating cutting-edge physics into practical compact technology. She combines her experience in electrical engineering, quantum optics, and integrated photonics in her research work.
The Top Talent Initiative program provides tailored support to help selected candidates increase their impact, expand their networks, and contribute to the Dutch quantum ecosystem. Dr. Rajabali receives funding, mentorship, and visibility within the national and international quantum community.
Dr. Rajabali leads efforts at TU Delft’s Quantum Integrated Nonlinear Photonics Lab, where research focuses on exploring the interaction between light and matter in advanced optoelectronic systems. She earned a B.S. in electrical engineering (electronics) and an M.S. with distinction in semiconductor devices technology at the University of Tehran, Iran, and a Ph.D. in physics at ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
Birmingham Chemist Receives Women in Tech Academic Award
Ruchi Gupta, Ph.D., associate professor of analytical science and global engagement lead for the School of Chemistry at the University of Birmingham, received the Academic Award at the Women in Tech Awards, which recognizes the contributions of women in the tech sector in the United Kingdom. She is one of 15 women recognized in the annual awards, which “aim to shine the spotlight on all the women who are pioneering and making a name for themselves in the world of tech.”
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Dr. Gupta’s area of expertise is sensors, microfluidics, and analytical platforms. Her research on novel optical biosensors is transforming approaches to disease detection, particularly cancer diagnosis, and her hydrogel sensing technology earned her a patent. She earned a B.Eng degree in electrical and electronic engineering at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, a MASc in engineering physics at McMaster University, Canada, and a Ph.D. in instrumentation and analytical science at the University of Manchester, U.K.
Dr. Gupta’s research group at the University of Birmingham focuses on the study and design of materials, methods, and devices for biosensing and analytical measurements, spanning from fundamental science through engineering to translational activities. Her team’s efforts to develop a flavored lollipop for the early detection of mouth cancer have earned funding from Cancer Research UK and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, as well as global attention with media mentions in the BBC, and the Independent and Sun newspapers.
Stella Bvuma Honored in ‘Power of Women’ List
Stella Bvuma, Ph.D., director of the School of Consumer Intelligence and Information Systems, University of Johannesburg, is named to the annual Mail & Guardian Power of Women list, which celebrates women who are transforming leadership, innovation, and social progress across South Africa. She is one of six women university staff members recognized.
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Now in its 20th year, the list honors 100 women whose work has made an extraordinary contribution to fields such as science, governance, education, health, law, and the arts.
Dr. Bvuma was recognized in the women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and innovation category for championing digital transformation and innovation. Her work empowers small businesses through technology and fosters entrepreneurship in the digital economy.
In her role as director at the University of Johannesburg, where she earned a Ph.D. in information technology management, Dr. Bvuma oversees three departments: marketing management, information and knowledge management, and applied information systems. She also oversees the Applied Data Science and Technopreneurship centers. Her focus areas are information and communication technology (ICT) for small, medium, and micro-enterprises operating in townships in South Africa.
Dr. Bvuma is the equality, diversity, and inclusion champion for a new cybersecurity seminar program launched by the Johannesburg Business School at the university. It is a partnership with Google in response to South Africa’s growing cybersecurity crisis. The program aims to train 100 individuals from underserved provinces over two years who will then support 125 local small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Harvard Mathematician Named a ‘Genius Grant’ Fellow
Lauren K. Williams, Ph.D., Dwight Parker Robinson Professor of Mathematics at Harvard University, has been named a MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellow for “uncovering transformative connections between algebraic combinatorics and problems in other areas of math and physics.” Dr. Williams has contributed significantly to mathematical fields, expanding fundamental mathematical theory and building connections between mathematics and other scientific fields.
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Each fellowship awards $800,000 to the recipient, paid out in equal quarterly installments over five years. She is one of 22 new fellows to receive the award. The fellowships are given directly to individuals and their projects rather than the institutions they are associated with.
Her research interests are in algebraic, enumerative, and topological combinatorics, and their connections with algebraic geometry, representation theory, and physics. Her focus areas are total positivity, cluster algebras, statistical mechanics, and tropical geometry. Her research has been published in journals such as Advances in Mathematics, the American Journal of Mathematics, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, among others.
Dr. Williams earned a B.A. in mathematics at Harvard University, Part III of the Mathematical Tripos (with Distinction) at Cambridge University, and a Ph.D. in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prior to teaching at Harvard, she served as a faculty member at the University of California, Berkeley from 2009 to 2018. She is only the second woman to earn tenure in Harvard University’s math department. Dr. Wiliams is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was an invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 2022.
Dr. Williams is among hundreds of researchers who lost all National Science Foundation grant money after a funding freeze in April amid the current administration’s ongoing effort to restrict federal funding to Harvard University. Though a judge ordered that funding be restored, Dr. Williams and several Harvard awardees are still waiting for it to be reinstated.
UCF Faculty, Alumna Recognized in Forbes 50 Over 50
Lalehvash Moghaddam, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Industry Leadership Award for helping build a circular, climate-resilient economy, delivering environmental, social, and economic impact by combining Queensland’s rich biomass resources with cutting-edge science. She is a senior polymer and industrial chemist and program leader in bioresources, bioprocessing, and biorefining at Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, where she has worked for more than 15 years. She is engaged in efforts supporting the agricultural industry to produce sustainable fuels, chemicals, and plastics from industry by-products.
Dr. Moghaddam also completed Ph.D. studies on the vibration spectroscopy analysis of polymer processing at QUT. Her current research interests include biopolymers and biofuels, the use of analytical chemistry in biological applications, application of chemometrics, and biomass pretreatment chemistry. Dr. Moghaddam is one of several QUT researchers awarded six grants under the 2025 Queensland-Bavaria Collaborative Research Program, supporting innovative research from antimicrobial materials and bio-inspired 3D-printed bone implants to artificial intelligence, clean energy, and next-generation construction. Her work is part of a project that received a developmental grant to explore next-generation, sustainable, multimaterial 3D printing methods for affordable housing using circular, low-carbon materials, and robotic construction technologies.
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Aida Branković, Ph.D., received the Emerging Tech Star Award for her mission to develop innovative, safe, ethical, and trustworthy AI-enabled clinical decision-support tools and medical devices that improve health care delivery and patient outcomes. She is a research scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s Australian e-Health Research Centre, where she applies her expertise in mathematical modeling, complex algorithms, artificial intelligence, and engineering to develop new medical devices and decision-support tools.
Dr. Branković earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of Sarajevo and a Ph.D. in information technology (nonlinear identification, machine learning) at Polytechnic University of Milan.
She is the primary and secondary inventor of two patents licensed to a third party. The technology has already passed clinical trials and is now in prototype development with an industry partner. Her research interests include data analysis and AI, including nonlinear model identification, randomized algorithms, AI-powered real-time decision-making, and explainable and responsible AI.
Dr. Branković was a Global Australian Global Talent Award finalist in 2022, and her work on the reliability of explainable AI received the Best Paper Award by the International Medical Informatics Association in 2023.
Alise Fox received the Emerging Science Star Award for championing alternative STEM career paths through her work, “highlighting that a successful, impactful STEM career can exist beyond academia, without a Ph.D., and with authenticity at the forefront.” She is a senior fisheries scientist with the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, where she develops population models for wild fish species in Queensland waters to ensure sustainable fishing levels, influencing critical decisions affecting Australia’s seafood industry. Fox earned both a B.S. and an M.S. in industrial mathematics at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Fox received the Highly Commended award in the 2022 Queensland Women in STEM Prize. She is one of Australia’s 2025 Superstars of STEM, making her one of 150 women in the country who are part of an initiative to “smash society’s gender assumptions about scientists and increase the public visibility of women and nonbinary people in STEM.”
Fox is a science communicator and artist, performing science stand-up comedies and presenting at events such as Vogue Australia’s Codes in Conversation and the Queensland Flying Scientists program, in an effort to make the technical field more accessible through creative science communication.She is also an avid painter and creates the cover art of fisheries stock assessments that she produces with her colleagues.
