- Hideo Hanafusa Outstanding Investigator Award, ASME & ISCIE, 2024 – presented once every two years to the investigator who has significantly contributed to the field of flexible automation.
- Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2023
- Inaugural ASME DeVor-Kapoor Manufacturing Medal, 2023
- 2023 Ted Belytschko Applied Mechanics Award from the ASME Applied Mechanics Division
- 2022 Researcher to Know selected by Illinois Science & Technology Coalition
- SME NAMRC Outstanding Paper – “Data-driven prediction of next-layer melt pool temperatures in laser powder bed fusion based on co-axial high-resolution Planck thermometry measurements”
- Member, National Academy of Engineering 2022
- 2020 ISFA Best Application Paper Award at the ISFA 2020 – “Kinematic Calibration and Data-Based Error Compensation of a Parallel Robot-Based Incremental Sheet Forming Machine”
- 2020 ASME Milton C. Shaw Manufacturing Research Medal – to recognize significant fundamental contributions to the science and technology of manufacturing processes.
- 2020 SME Gold Medal – to recognize outstanding service to the manufacturing engineering profession in technical communications through published literature, technical writings or lectures
- 2020 The 20 most influential professors in smart manufacturing, SME
- 2019 Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellow, Department of Defense – most prestigious and competitive single investigator research award by DoD
- 2019 Distinguished Achievement Team Award, Department of Energy EERE Vehicle Technologies Office – to recognize outstanding industry-university-government partnerships, with Ford, Dow Chemical and NIST.
- 2019 Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
- 2018 ASME Blackall Machine Tool and Gage Award – Best Journal Paper Award “Pressure and Draw-in Maps for Stamping Process Monitoring”
- 2017 Charles Russ Richards Memorial Award, ASME and Pi Tau Sigma – to recognize outstanding achievement by an individual who graduated in mechanical engineering more than 20 years ago
- 2016 Frederick W. Taylor Research Medal, Society of Manufacturing Engineers
- 2014 Fellow, The International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP)
- 2014 STLE Best Journal Paper Award, Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers “Surface Texturing of Drill Bits for Adhesion Reduction and Tool Life Enhancement”
- 2014 ISFA Best Application Paper Award at the ISFA 2014 – “Design and evaluation of an embedded pressure sensor for microrolling process monitoring”, Awaji-Island, Hyogo, Japan
- 2013 Distinguished Service Award, ASME Manufacturing Engineering Division
- 2012 ASME Blackall Machine Tool and Gage Award – Best Journal Paper Award “An Investigation on Deformation-based Micro Surface Texturing”
- 2011 ASME Dedicated Service Award
- 2010 Fellow, Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME)
- 2009 Distinguished Service Award, ASME Manufacturing Engineering Division
- 2008 Best Poster Award, ASME Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference, “Deformation Machining: A New Hybrid Process”, Woody, B., Smith, K.S., Cao, J., Ziegert, J., Belytschko, T., Foecke, T. and Li, M
- 2007 Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers
- 2006 Young Investigator Award, American Society of Mechanical Engineers/Applied Mechanics
- 2002 Outstanding Young Investigator Award, Japan-US Flexible Automation
- 2002 Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award, Society of Manufacturing Engineers
- 1999 Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award, SAE International
- 1997 Early CAREER Award, National Science Foundation
- 1997 ALCOA Foundation award, 1997