ASHRAE recognized members for leadership, service and technical contributions to HVAC&R and building sciences during its 2026 Annual Conference in Austin, Texas. The Honors and Awards program covered achievements in sustainability, research, education, standards and environmental health.
Iain Walker of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory received the Donald Bahnfleth Environmental Health Award and was also named among the Exceptional Service Award recipients. Steven Emmerich of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology received the Standards Achievement Award for volunteer service in developing ASHRAE standards and guidelines.
Luke Leung, a principal at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, received the Eunice Foote Decarbonization Award for work to reduce carbon emissions in the built environment. Costas Balaras, research director at the National Observatory of Athens, received the Louise and Bill Holladay Distinguished Fellow Award for continuous preeminence in engineering or research.
Research awards included the Science and Technology for the Built Environment Best Paper Award for work on empirical models for unitary equipment, and the Crosby Field Award for the paper “Understanding PCO Air Purification Systems.” S. Kia Mossalaei received the Willis H. Carrier Award for a paper on control verification procedures for variable-speed heat pump behavior.
“ASHRAE’s strength is built on the expertise, dedication and leadership of its members,” said 2025–26 ASHRAE President Bill McQuade, P.E., CDP, Fellow ASHRAE, LEED AP. “This year’s Honors and Awards recipients have made meaningful contributions to our Society, our industry and the communities we serve.”
