GE Digital's chief technology officer, and an officer of GE, Dr. Colin Parris, was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineers (NAE). Dr. Parris; Dr. Manoj Shah, an engineer with GE and GE Research; and John D. McDonald, smart grid business development leader, GE Grid Solutions, are among 133 U.S. and international members elected as part of the 2022 class.
Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to "engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature" and to "the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education," according to the NAE. Election of new NAE members is the culmination of a yearlong process. The ballot is set in December and the final vote for membership occurs during January.
As GE Digital’s chief technology officer, Dr. Parris leads teams that leverage digital technologies in the energy industry and other industrial environments. He is currently working across GE to accelerate business impact and transformation by combining lean principles with digital solutions. His expertise spans engineering, software, and AI-driven analytics. Working closely with some of GE’s biggest customers, he is leading a team that champions breakthrough technologies and capabilities to accelerate innovative solutions to solve emerging customer problems. Dr. Parris, an alumnus of GE Research, created and leads the Digital Twin Initiative across GE and is a board member of the Digital Twin Consortium.
Dr. Parris has been widely published, including his most recent participation in the latest World Economic Forum white paper, Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Accelerate the Energy Transition. Because of his deep domain knowledge and expertise on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Twin technology, Dr. Parris has been regularly featured and interviewed by top international media outlets such as Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, POWER, Business Insider, Axios, CIO, Chemical Engineering, among others. For more than 20 years, Dr. Parris has been committed to the development and enhancement of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs across minority communities and serves as a board member of Ambyese.
“This is a well-deserved honor for Colin, Manoj, and John. On behalf of the entire GE Digital team, I want to congratulate all three of them and the talented technical teams they represent,” said Pat Byrne, GE Digital CEO. “We are truly honored to have them leading teams on behalf of GE.”
