The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) has recognized Azad Madni, a University Professor of Astronautics, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, and Education, with the 2025 Rodney Chipp Memorial Award. The award will be presented at SWE’s annual conference, WE25, which will be held from October 23 to 25 in New Orleans.
According to the organization’s website, The Chipp Memorial Award recognizes “…an individual (male) or a company who has contributed significantly to the acceptance and advancement of women in the fields of engineering technology or science related to engineering.”
Marilee J. Wheaton, a USC Viterbi alumna who is the past president of the International Council on Systems Engineering and now a Systems Engineer Fellow at the Aerospace Corporation, nominated Madni for the award.
Wheaton said, “After receiving my MS degree from USC Viterbi and serving as an adjunct lecturer in the SAE program, I was keen on pursuing a PhD degree. Professor Madni was the catalyst and inspiration who encouraged me to do so, and he has served as my PhD Advisor since then. Under his consistent stellar guidance, I have made excellent progress on my PhD research. In addition, Prof Madni has nominated me successfully for national and regional awards, which have been instrumental in advancing my industry and academic career. I am just one of the many women engineers to benefit from Prof Madni’s mentorship. We were delighted to nominate him for the prestigious national SWE Rodney Chipp Memorial award.”
Alumna Parisa Pouya, who is a machine learning engineer at American Express and collaborated on Madni’s nomination said, “Professor Madni’s guidance and support opened the door for me to pursue a PhD in Astronautical Engineering at USC, and his mentorship continued well beyond graduation—helping me grow into a Software Engineer at American Express. What makes him truly extraordinary is that my story is not unique; he has empowered countless women and underrepresented students in STEM to achieve their dreams. His mentorship is not just about academic success—it’s about instilling confidence, creating opportunity, and shaping leaders who carry his legacy forward.”
Madni has been the recipient of a litany of honors including the NAE Gordon Prize, the IEEE Simon Ramo Award, and the recognition as AIAA honorary fellow. He has received a Distinguished Career Award from the Washington Academy of Sciences. Professor Madni was particularly enthusiastic about this award. With USC Viterbi having reached gender parity it is entering undergraduate class for the last six years since 2019, while it is among the leaders nationwide for MS women students, he believes that his recent SWE award will further underscore the welcoming culture of the Viterbi School and his own department.
Chair of the Department Astronautical Engineering Department (ASTE), Dan Erwin said, “This is a great honor for Professor Madni and for the Astronautical Engineering (ASTE) department. While the award is his alone, it complements other recent milestones in our department. More recently, the last two entering ASTE undergraduate classes have been over 50% women. In addition, the Rocket Propulsion Laboratory, an ASTE student organization that has broken global records for amateur rocketry, has been led by a woman for 4 out of the past 5 years.”
Ellis Meng, Vice Dean for Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, said, “I am glad to see Azad receive this award, it’s important to create an environment which is supportive of all our colleagues.”
Published on September 12th, 2025
Last updated on September 19th, 2025