Sept. 9, 2016
Renowned biometrics expert Anil Jain elected Foreign Fellow by the Indian National Academy of Engineering
For demonstrated eminence and outstanding accomplishments in engineering and technology, Anil Jain of Michigan State University will become a Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), effective Nov. 1, 2016.
Only five Foreign Fellows are elected each year by the INAE.
The INAE is an academy of distinguished engineers and technologists that advances the practice of engineering and technology, related sciences and disciplines and their application to problems of national importance. The academy is also a member of the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS).
Jain, a University Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at MSU, is world renowned for biometric recognition, computer vision, and fingerprint and face matching technology.
“As the foremost authority on biometrics in the world, Dr. Jain is highly deserving of this significant international recognition,” said Leo Kempel, dean of the MSU College of Engineering. “He brings a great value to Michigan State University as his skills, knowledge, and insightful leadership are translated through our Department of Computer Science and Engineering. On behalf of our entire college, we extend a sincere congratulations.”
Jain’s list of honors is extensive. Along with the INAE honor this fall, he will be inducted into the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) on Oct. 9 in Washington, D.C. -- one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer in the United States.
In 2015, he was named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors for innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society, and support and enhancement of innovation.
“As someone who received his first engineering degree in India, this recognition by INAE means a lot to me,” Jain said. “I have maintained close ties with the Indian scientific community, and I am especially proud of my association with India’s Aadhaar program, the world’s largest biometric system which has already enrolled more than one billion Indian residents.”
Jain holds one of 17 inaugural appointments to the U.S. Forensic Science Standards Board, a newly developed organization dedicated to identifying and fostering standards and guidelines for the nation’s forensic science community.
He has previously served as a member of the Defense Science Board and the National Academies panels on Whither Biometrics and Improvised Explosive Devices.
He is a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, Humboldt Research Award, Fulbright Scholarship, King-Sun Fu Prize, and W. Wallace McDowell Award.
He is regularly invited to speak at national and internal forums, including the 2014 keynote address at the Microsoft Computing in the 21st Century Conference in Beijing, 2014, and at the Royal Society meeting on United Kingdom forensics in London, 2015.
MSU named him a University Distinguished Professor in 1992. It is among the highest honors that is bestowed on a faculty member by the university and is awarded for national and international importance of their teaching, research, and outreach achievements. He joined MSU in 1974.
His expertise is regularly quoted in national and international media. For more on Jain, visit:
Accessing a murder victim's smartphone to help solve a crime
3-D fingerprint phantoms improve fingerprint-matching technology
