Prof. Faez Ahmed

(BT-MT(Dual)/ME/2012)

Prof. Faez Ahmed is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he holds the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Career Development Professorship and directs the Design Computation and Digital Engineering (DeCoDE) Lab. An internationally recognised researcher at the intersection of artificial intelligence and engineering design, he is advancing computational methods that enable humans and intelligent systems to collaboratively develop innovative, efficient and high-performing engineering solutions.
Prof. Ahmed graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 2012 with a B.Tech.-M.Tech. dual degree in Mechanical Engineering. He subsequently gained industrial experience in Australia's railway and mining sector, where he worked on reliability engineering and pioneered data-driven approaches to predictive maintenance and infrastructure renewal planning. These experiences helped shape his interest in applying advanced computational methods to real-world engineering challenges. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2019, followed by postdoctoral research at Northwestern University. He joined MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2020 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2025.
At MIT, Prof. Ahmed has established a research program combining artificial intelligence, machine learning, optimisation and engineering design. His work focuses on first-principles-informed generative AI, multimodal representation learning, automated design synthesis and human-AI design copilots. By integrating physical principles, engineering constraints and human expertise into intelligent design systems, his research seeks to transform how complex engineering products and systems are conceived, evaluated and optimised.
A major contribution of his research is the development of AI-driven methods capable of exploring vast design spaces, discovering novel solutions and addressing competing engineering objectives. His work spans generative models, topology optimisation, computational creativity and AI-assisted design discovery, alongside methods that augment human creativity and support collaborative design. Through these efforts, Prof. Ahmed is helping establish AI as an intelligent collaborator in engineering innovation.
Prof. Ahmed's contributions have earned him numerous prestigious honours, including the NSF CAREER Award (2025), AFOSR Young Investigator Award, ASME Design Automation Conference and Design Theory and Methodology Young Investigator Awards, Google Research Scholar Award (2024), Amazon Research Award (2026), and 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award (2022). He has also received the University of Maryland Alumni Excellence Research Award and has held MIT's Doherty, ABS and d'Arbeloff faculty chairs.
Beyond research, Prof. Ahmed is committed to engineering education and academic leadership. At MIT, he teaches Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Engineering Design, preparing students to apply emerging AI technologies to challenging engineering problems. His contributions to teaching were recognised with MIT's Joseph H. Keenan Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Education in 2026. He also serves as an Associate Editor of Design Science and on the editorial boards of Computer-Aided Design and Machine Learning: Engineering.
Through his pioneering research, educational leadership and commitment to translating advances in artificial intelligence into engineering practice, Prof. Ahmed is helping redefine the future of engineering design. His accomplishments exemplify the spirit of intellectual excellence, innovation and real-world impact fostered by IIT Kanpur.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to artificial intelligence and engineering design; his pioneering advances in generative AI and optimisation; and his distinguished achievements in research, education and engineering innovation, the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur confers upon Prof. Faez Ahmed the Young Alumni Award 2026 under the category of Academic Excellence.