Stephen Forrest receives H. Scott Fogler Award for Professional Leadership and Service

Prof.  Stephen Forrest received the 2022 H. Scott Fogler Award for Professional Leadership and Service from the College of Engineering for his extensive service and extraordinary impact as a leader during his 36-year career as an academic.

Professor Forrest’s leadership and service since joining the faculty in 2006 reflects unwavering dedication to U-M excellence as well as society as a whole. As vice president for research, he established the U-M Energy Institute, followed by several initiatives to support a sustained innovation culture, College- and University-wide. These included forming the Business Engagement Center and reforming the Office of Technology Transfer and the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects. His founding investment helped realize Mcity, U-M’s autonomous vehicle research environment, the first of its kind in the nation. Also in this role, Professor Forrest instituted the process that has resulted in U-M repatriating one of the largest collections of Native American human remains and associated funerary objects to the indigineous peoples..

In 2019, Forrest was selected to co-chair (with Jennifer Haverkamp) the President’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality. The Commission provided a groundbreaking roadmap for all three U-M campuses to reach complete carbon neutrality by 2040. This roadmap is now being used as a model for other institutions. 

A nationally and internationally sought leader, Professor Forrest was elected vice chair and now chair of the National Academy of Engineering Section 7: Electronics, Communications and Information, and he serves on the Academic Committee of The Technion, Israel Institute of Technology Board of Governors. A trusted advisor, he served on the University Musical Society Board of Directors for six years, and led the board as chair during a key leadership transition. He also served on the Applied Materials Board of Directors for 13 years, and currently serves on their Global Technology Advisory Board.

Forrest’s research contributions in the area of optoelectronics are known around the world, and led to his being named the Peter A. Franken Distinguished University Professor of Engineering. He is also the Paul G. Goebel Professor of Engineering, and while his home department is Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, he also holds courtesy appointments in Physics, Materials Science & Engineering, and the program in Applied Physics. He has been a powerful advocate for sustainability, with his own research focused on developing organic photovoltaics for solar cells and efficient lighting.

Forrest has received numerous honors and awards, including membership in the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Sciences, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences; he is also a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. This latest award from the College of Engineering is a fitting acknowledgement of Stephen Forrest’s remarkable service and striking impact as a leader.