Professor Jiann-Wen Woody JU was the sole laureate of the prestigious 2025 Blaise Pascal Medal in Engineering, in July 2025 from the European Academy of Sciences (Academia Scientiarum Europaea). Prof. Ju is a pioneering researcher whose groundbreaking work has profoundly influenced the fields of computational damage mechanics and micromechanics. His seminal contributions particularly the extension of scalar damage models to anisotropic formulations and the integration of micromechanical considerations have established a robust thermodynamically consistent framework that bridges microstructural and engineering scales. These innovations have enabled accurate modeling of damage and healing processes in a wide range of materials, including concrete, rocks, advanced composites, and asphalt systems, thereby impacting both academia and industry worldwide. Prof. Ju received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from UC Berkeley. He is a senior Professor at UCLA, and served as the Department Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Damage Mechanics, an Associate Editor of ASCE J. of Nanomechanics and Micromechanics, and an Editorial Board member of Acta Mechanica. He served as the ACI 446 Committee Chair. Prof. Ju received the 1991 Presidential Young Investigator Award from NSF and White House, 1991 Alfred Rheinstein Faculty Award from Princeton Univ., 1997 ASCE Walter Huber Civil Engineering Research Award, 1998 ASME Fellow Award, 2000 ACI-James-Instruments Award in NDE, 2006 ASCE Fellow Award, 2007 USACM Fellow Award, 2008 ACI Fellow Award, 2008-2009 Invited Chair Professor from University of Paris VI and ENS Cachan (France), 2008 Publication Award of Merit from the Structural Engineers Association, 2009-2012 Chang-Jiang Scholar Chair Professor, 2010 IACM Fellow Award, 2010 Kwang-Hua Chair Professor (Tongji University), Tongji Univ. Chair Professor (2011-current), National 1000 Talents Program (Short-Term) Distinguished Chair Professor (2013-2017), Guangxi University Chair Professor (2013-current), 2013 ICACM Award, Honorary Distinguished University Professor from Southwest Jiaotong University (2015-present), 2018 ICDM-3 Lifetime Achievement Medal, and 2020 EMI Fellow Award, etc. In Jan. 2024, Prof. Ju was honored as an ASCE Life Fellow. In March 2024, Prof. Ju was elected as an Academician (Member) of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. In July 2025, Prof. Ju was elected as an Academician (Fellow) of the European Academy of Sciences. Prof. Ju has published more than 230 SCI- indexed scholarly journal papers. Furthermore, Prof. Ju’s journal publications have been highly cited by the Web of Science; his h-index is over 57, his i10-index is over 185, and his citations are about 14,000 times.

 

Blaise Pascal Medal in Engineering (2025)
Awarded in recognition of his pioneering contributions to computational damage mechanics and micromechanics. His extension of scalar damage models to anisotropic formulations, together with the integration of micromechanical considerations, has established a robust, thermodynamically consistent framework linking microstructural and engineering scales. These advances have enabled accurate modelling of damage and healing processes in diverse materials, with lasting impact across both academia and industry.