UT Tyler Engineering Professor Earns National Research Award

February 11, 2026 | Hannah Buchanan

Dr. Prabha Sundaravadivel, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at The University of Texas at Tyler, received the American Society for Engineering Education 2026 Curtis W. McGraw Research Award–Non-PhD Granting Program Category. This is UT Tyler’s second McGraw awardee in four years.

The award recognizes Sundaravadivel’s significant research achievements and outstanding research abilities, trajectory and potential. She will receive a certificate along with a $1,500 honorarium.

“We congratulate Dr. Sundaravadivel for earning this outstanding honor from the American Society for Engineering Education,” said Dr. Javier Kypuros, dean of the UT Tyler College of Engineering. “This is a well-deserved recognition of her great work and commitment to engineering research.”

Sundaravadivel’s research focuses on edge artificial intelligence, embedded systems and robotics, with a sustained emphasis on translating research outcomes into deployable, real-world technologies. Currently, she is working on four funded projects from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service to help enhance drones-based frameworks for imagery and crop monitoring on large farms.

A senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Sundaravadivel directs the UT Tyler Center for Robotics and Intelligent Systems and advises the university’s IoT student club. She joined the UT Tyler College of Engineering in 2018.

Sundaravadivel will be recognized in March at the annual business meeting of the ASEE Engineering Research Council during the 2026 Research Leadership Institute to be held in Alexandria, Virigina.

The Curtis W. McGraw Research Award was established in 1957 to recognize outstanding early achievements by young engineering college researchers from an ASEE-recognized college/institution. Founded in 1893, the ASEE is a non-profit member association dedicated to promoting engineering and engineering technology education. To learn more, visit: asee.org/.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,500 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.