Alumni
Three Engineering Alumni Elected to the National Academy of Engineering
Two business leaders and a research scientist at Columbia are among this year’s class of fellows.
Three alumni from Columbia Engineering have been selected as new fellows to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), one of the highest professional distinctions in engineering.
The three new fellows are James R. Scapa BS’78, Thomas Zachary Scarangello PhD’87, and Moti Yung PhD’88, and their contributions span cutting-edge software development and business leadership, the design and construction of noteworthy buildings and venues, and pioneering advances in cryptography.
“We congratulate our distinguished alumni on this incredible honor,” said Shih-Fu Chang, Dean of Columbia Engineering. “Not only have they contributed so much to engineering, but they have made enormous and lasting contributions to society and, in particular, to Columbia, from student and faculty support to trusted guidance and mentorship and research breakthroughs. Their achievements should inspire the next generation of engineers and leaders.”
James R. Scapa BS‘78
James R. Scapa is the founder and CEO Emeritus of Altair Engineering, as well as a Trustee of Columbia University and a member of the Columbia Engineering Board of Visitors.
Altair is a global leader in computational intelligence software that Scapa guided through decades of expansion - serving over 16,000 customers and building a workforce of more than 3,000 employees across 79 offices in 28 countries. Under his leadership, Altair’s solutions were adopted across diverse industries, including automotive, aerospace, government and defense, finance, energy, electronics, life sciences, architecture, and construction. In March 2025, Altair was acquired by Siemens, marking a major milestone in the company’s journey. Following the acquisition, Scapa co-founded Escape Investment Management, a family office focused on investing in cutting-edge technology innovation.
In 2024, Scapa was awarded the Thomas Egleston Medal for Distinguished Engineering Achievement for his significant contributions to computational science and artificial intelligence through his software company, which also established the Altair #OnlyForward scholarship to support 10 undergraduate students pursuing STEM-related degrees. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia Engineering in 1978 and a MBA from the University of Michigan in 1983.
Thomas Zachary Scarangello PhD’87
Thomas Zachary Scarangello is senior advisor and former executive chairman of Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., an international engineering design, forensic, and analysis firm headquartered in New York with 40 offices internationally and a project presence in more than 50 countries.
He served as CEO and chairman until January 1, 2020, overseeing the development of the firm’s strategic plan for growth and innovation in areas such as building information modeling and integrated project delivery. He was instrumental in making Thornton Tomasetti a leader in advanced modeling techniques and technologies. Under his leadership, Thornton Tomasetti delivered a wide range of services, from engineering of Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia and resiliency work related to Superstorm Sandy, to structural, façade, and construction engineering at Hudson Yards and the structural engineering of buildings and venues worldwide, including Yankee Stadium.
He is a past chairman and a director emeritus of the New York Building Congress and is a member of AEC Angels, which drives investment in and adoption of cutting-edge technology. His philanthropic commitments include serving as a trustee of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Scarangello holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Manhattan College, and a professional engineering mechanics degree in the PhD program of Columbia University in 1987.
Moti Yung PhD’88
Moti Yung is a distinguished research scientist at Google and an adjunct senior research scientist at Columbia University.
An expert in cryptography, Yung holds a joint appointment with the Department of Computer Science as an adjunct senior research scientist.
In 1996, he and Adam Young coined the term “cryptovirology” to define how cryptography could be used as an attack weapon via computer viruses and other malware, in contrast to its traditional protective role. During the COVID‑19 pandemic, Yung played a key role in getting Google and Apple to develop the privacy‑preserving contact‑tracing API used worldwide.
Yung received the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy's Test of Time Award for his 1996 paper on cryptovirology, as well as the IACR’s Public Key Cryptography Conference's Test of Time Award. Among his numerous honors is the 2021 IEEE Computer Society’s Computer Pioneer Award. He is a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science. In 2023, he was named a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He received his BS and MS from Tel-Aviv University in 1982 and his PhD in computer science from Columbia University in 1988.
This year’s NAE Class of 2026 comprises 130 members and 28 international members. The new Fellows will be formally inducted during the NAE Annual Meeting in the fall.
Lead Photo Caption: Left to right: James R. Scapa, Thomas Scarangello, and Moti Yung