Photo of John O. Dabiri

John O. Dabiri

  • National Medal of Science
  • Biological Sciences

For outstanding achievements in aeronautical and biological engineering. Inspired by the movements of fish and jellyfish, John Dabiri’s work on biological fluid dynamics, turbulence, and biological propulsion has advanced our clean energy future – leading to more efficient wind turbines and wind farms that make our world cleaner, safer, and more sustainable for future generations.

John O. Dabiri is the Centennial Chair Professor at Caltech, with appointments in the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories (GALCIT) and Mechanical Engineering. His research takes inspiration from unexpected biological systems like jellyfish, combining biological experiments and field work with mathematical tools from fluid dynamics to impact technologies ranging from wind energy to biomedicine.

Dabiri is a MacArthur Fellow and a Fellow of the American Physical Society as well as the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Other honors include the Alan T. Waterman Award from the National Science Foundation, the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Award for Aquatic Sciences, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program Award, and being named one of MIT Technology Review’s “35 Innovators Under 35” as well as one of Popular Science’s “Brilliant 10.”

Dabiri serves in numerous science advisory roles, including on President Biden’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), Energy Secretary Granholm’s Energy Advisory Board (SEAB), the Board of Directors of NVIDIA Corporation, the Board of Trustees of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and as a founding board member of the Hypothesis Fund for bold ideas in basic science.

Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio by Nigerian immigrant parents, Dabiri received his B.S.E. summa cum laude in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University (2001); his M.S. in Aeronautics from Caltech (2003); and his Ph.D. in Bioengineering with a minor in Aeronautics from Caltech (2005). He was a Professor of Aeronautics and Bioengineering at Caltech from 2005 to 2015, during which time he also served as Director of the Center for Bioinspired Wind Energy, Chair of the Faculty, and Dean of Students. From 2015 to 2019 he served as a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University, where he was recognized with the Eugene L. Grant Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Arati Prabhakar, Ph.D., Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), awards John O. Dabiri the National Medal of Science during an awards ceremony at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, January 3, 2025. Photo by Ryan K. Morris