Seven ISA Fellows Named for 2025

Summary

The esteemed Fellow member grade is one of the highest honors ISA can bestow. It recognizes only those senior members who have made exceptional contributions to the automation profession, in practice or in academia. This year, ISA has elevated seven individuals to the status of Fellow. They join dozens of other distinguished professionals recognized by ISA since the 1960s.

Fellows often play an outsized role in furthering the organization, whether through active leadership positions or by volunteering to speak at conferences, write articles, or lead committees.  2025 Fellow Steve Mustard will speak in Brussels at the OT Cyber Summit, while 2025 Fellow Marco Ayala is on the program committee. Several 2025 Fellows also have speaking slots at the ISA Automation Summit & Expo in September—an excellent place to meet and talk with these accomplished professionals.  

“ISA is proud to acknowledge these distinguished achievers who have made a positive impact on the automation industry with their exceptional contributions," said ISA President Scott Reynolds. “We appreciate those who made nominations and congratulate those who are being elevated to Fellow. It is my honor to recognize them.” 

Marco (Marc) Ayala: MITRE Corporation

As a respected ISA cybersecurity course instructor, a member of the program committee for the OT Cyber Summit and AMSC Cybersecurity Chair. Ayala is president of the InfraGard Houston Members Alliance, serving as Maritime Domain Sector Chief for ports and terminals. Professionally, Ayala is Senior Principal Advisor for Energy, Oil, and Gas at The Cyber Infrastructure Protection Innovation Center (CIPIC) for MITRE.  He’s made many contributions to the ISA Interchange and ISAGCA blogs.

In a post on LinkedIn, Ayala said, “I am deeply honored to have been named an ISA Fellow…. This recognition is not just a personal milestone but a testament to the collective effort of everyone who has supported and collaborated with me throughout my journey in the automation and cybersecurity fields. [Crossing off a massive bucket list item! IYKYK]. My drive has always been to enhance the safety, efficiency, and security of our critical infrastructure, particularly in the sectors of oil, gas, chemicals, and maritime. Being recognized as an ISA Fellow underscores the importance of our work in industrial control system automation and security, pushing the boundaries to ensure our systems are resilient against the ever-evolving cyber threats.”

Dr. Jayesh Barve: GE Vernova Advanced Research Center

Dr. Jayesh Barve was named an ISA Fellow for his exemplary academia-plus-industrial R&D contributions in advanced controls optimization. His work addresses energy transition and global energy access challenges via an innovative “lab-scale steam-generator” research-prototype (“agile” power-plant boiler-controls R&D) and a “microgrid-in-box” with integrated an IIoT-edge-cloud solution pilot product (“viable” rural electrification solution). He is based in Bangalore, India.
 

Dr. Harvindar Singh Gambhir: Council of Vibration Specialists (CVS)

Dr. Harvindar Singh Gambhir was elevated for his contributions to the field of automation in process instrumentation and controls used in oil & gas, refinery, and petrochemicals. He is also a former section president of the ISA Mumbai section.

Steve Mustard: au2mation  

Steve Mustard was nominated for leading efforts to ensure the U.S. NIST Cybersecurity Framework included ISA/IEC 62443 and for successfully implementing a practical approach to cybersecurity based on the ISA/IEC 62443 standards across multiple industry sectors. Mustard is a prolific contributor to ISA, and has had articles published on the ISA Interchange blog AND the ISA CGA blog and Automation.com.

In a post on LinkedIn, he said, ISA Fellow “Marco (Marc) Ayala and I had a great time this week at ConocoPhillips delivering the International Society of Automation (ISA) IC32 and IC33 training courses to a great group of people from all over the world. As always, we learned just as much by sharing knowledge and experience, which is exactly what ISA is all about!”

Steven Pflantz: CRB Engineers and Consultants

Steven Pflantz was elevated to Fellow for the creation, execution and success of a unique and inclusive automation mentorship process utilizing real-time issues and considerations. Pflantz is based out of Wilmington, North Carolina, USA and has contributed many articles to ISA blogs over the years.

Dr. Brian P. Romano: The Arthur G. Russell Co., Inc.

Dr. Brian P. Romano was rewarded for his development of automation curricula and for teaching the art and science of control systems engineering. Romano spoke at the 2024 Automation Summit & Expo and has contributed many posts to the ISA Interchange blog. In a post on LinkedIn, he said, “I am beyond thrilled and deeply honored to share that I have been elevated to the prestigious level of ISA Fellow in 2025! I am incredibly grateful for this acknowledgment and excited to continue advancing and sharing my passion for our field. Thank you to the International Society of Automation (ISA) community and everyone who has supported me on this journey!”

Dr. Ravindra Thamma: Central Connecticut State University

Fellow status was bestowed on Dr. Ravindra Thamma for pioneering the first ABET-accredited robotics and mechatronics curriculum, harmonizing academic training with industry demands, and advancing early research in internet-based control systems and Industry 4.0 paradigms.

Look for opportunities to meet these Fellows at ISA events and read their work throughout the year on Automation.com. ISA members can nominate 2026 Fellows now. 


_{This piece originally appeared in the January/February issue of Automation.com Monthly.}