Academic Senate Recognizes Three Engineering Faculty
From left, Engineering Dean Magnus Egerstedt stands proudly with the three engineering faculty being recognized, Kyriacos Athanasiou, Yanning Shen and Farzin Zareian, as well as UCI Provost Hal Stern.
March 24, 2025 - The UC Irvine Academic Senate honored three engineering faculty -- Kyriacos Athanasiou, Yanning Shen and Farzin Zareian -- at the recent Distinguished Faculty Awards event held in early March at the UCI Student Center.
These annual awards are given to Senate members who have achieved excellence through their activities in research, teaching, mentorship and service. Athanasiou, Shen and Zareian were among 10 across the university who were honored.
Athanasiou, a Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering, received the Distinguished Senior Faculty Award for Research. Athanasiou, who is also the Henry Samueli Chair of biomedical engineering, was recently named a fellow of the National Academy of Engineering for his contributions to the understanding and treatment of musculoskeletal afflictions and for his leadership in bioengineering. Having established one of the world’s most recognized research groups in tissue regeneration, Athanasiou explores the interface of engineering, medicine, surgery, veterinary surgery, life sciences and business. His functional, tissue-engineered cartilage replacements can be used all over the body – from nose and ears to shoulders, spine, hips and knees.
Kyriacos Athanasiou delivers a presentation at the Distinguished Faculty Awards Ceremony. His talk was titled “Toward Biomedical Engineering Translation.”
Athanasiou’s groundbreaking work has significantly impacted health science and technology. He is a leading authority on translating engineering innovations into commercially available medical instruments, devices and biologics. Alongside his membership in the NAE, Athanasiou is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Inventors, and he is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Shen, an assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, earned the Distinguished Early-Career Faculty Award for Research. Shen’s research focuses on algorithms, analysis and application of machine learning, optimization and statistical signal processing tools to data science and network science. She is dedicated to improving the efficiency of training and deploying ML/AI algorithms, while also enhancing their trustworthiness in regards to privacy and fairness. In 2022, she was recognized as one of 35 Innovators under 35 by MIT Technology Review Asia. The same year, Google selected her a winner of its Research Scholar Program for her efforts to address unfairness in learning over social networks.
Zareian, professor of civil and environmental engineering, won the Distinguished Mid-Career Faculty Award for Service. During his time at UCI, Zareian has participated in many departmental, school and university-wide committees, serving as chair on some of them. He has also been active in professional societies. A structural engineer whose research focuses on analytical and experimental studies in earthquake engineering, Zareian works to improve the characterization of structural energy dissipation during seismic events and developing practical tools that bridge the gap between academic research and real-world engineering practice. He currently serves as a director for the Southern California Chapter Earthquake Engineering Research Institute and as chair of the Board of Directors at Natural Hazards Risk and Resilience Research Center.
Zareian says his service activities are rooted in representing UCI faculty across all facets of governance and contributing to a collaborative academic community. “In every service role I undertake, I strive to uphold transparency, advocate for accountability, and foster a culture of inclusivity. This recognition reaffirms my dedication to these principles and inspires me to continue serving our institution and its mission.”
– Lori Brandt
