For more than three decades at the University of Kentucky, Professor I. S. Jawahir has built a far-reaching legacy in sustainable manufacturing—one that advances UK’s mission on campus and resonates across academia and industry worldwide. As James F. Hardymon Chair in Manufacturing Systems and Founding Director of UK’s Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing (ISM), he has transformed sustainability from aspiration into strength: a research, education, and outreach engine that develops solutions, prepares the workforce, and convenes global partners around responsible production.
Prof. Jawahir established ISM as a multidisciplinary institute with the explicit mission to “develop and advance sustainable manufacturing principles and practices in Kentucky, the nation and the world.” Through ISM, he has led multi-university and cross-college teams, mentored 26 postdoctoral researchers and more than 150 graduate students (100+ MS and 52 PhDs), and engaged companies to translate innovations into measurable improvements in productivity, resource efficiency, and sustainability performance. His work is supported by more than $75M in funding from federal agencies and industry. His leadership has enhanced education and workforce development, as well as innovation and technology transfer in sustainable manufacturing.
Internationally, Prof. Jawahir has elevated UK’s visibility as a leader in the field. He is Founding Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Sustainable Manufacturing, which has shaped the global research agenda for over a decade, and Technical Editor of Machining Science and Technology. He is also a Fellow of CIRP (International Academy for Production Engineering)—one of only 155 worldwide—as well as many other professional societies and led multiple international working groups. He has fostered collaboration with more than 45 researchers from 25 countries. He co-founded the highly regarded, CIRP-sponsored, Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing in 2003. All these efforts have positioned UK as a global center of excellence for sustainable manufacturing.
Prof. Jawahir’s scholarly record reflects sustained and transformative impact. He has authored foundational works on sustainable machining and product design for sustainability, published 185+ journal papers (from over 480 publications), secured five U.S. patents, and delivered 84 keynote/plenary addresses and 160+ invited talks globally. His contributions are recognized with prestigious international awards, including SME’s Frederick W. Taylor Manufacturing Research Medal (2022), ASME’s Milton C. Shaw Manufacturing Research Medal (2013), and the William Johnson International Gold Medal (2015) for lifetime achievements in manufacturing.
Equally important to the spirit of the Yanarella Levine Legacy Award, Prof. Jawahir has invested deeply in people and programs. In addition to mentoring students, early-career faculty, and industry practitioners, he has also helped modernize curricula to embed sustainability, and partnered with companies to upskill the Kentucky workforce for the circular economy and enhancing sustainability.
In summary, Prof. I. S. Jawahir exemplifies the award’s intent: a current faculty member whose “tremendous body of work” supports a lasting legacy of sustainability at UK and beyond. Through institution-building, field-leading scholarship and editorship, sustained global leadership, and unwavering commitment to students, colleagues and collaborators he has made sustainability a signature of the University of Kentucky. I enthusiastically nominate him for the Yanarella Levine Legacy Award.
- Fazleena Badurdeen, Earl Parker Robinson Chair Professor in Mechanical Engineering, Director of Graduate Studies for Manufacturing Systems Engineering