Selim Chacour is a professor in the Institute for Advanced Discovery & Innovation and was the principal founder of American Hydro Corporation, which, under his leadership, became an industry leader in hydro turbine upgrades. In his industry, he is hailed for various improvements to the design of turbine components and for completely revolutionizing runner design by creating computer design programs which obviated the need for physical model testing, the previous standard. This work had a great impact on hydro plants already in existence, allowing them to upgrade their facilities and improve performance. His turbine runner designs have been used in such iconic structures as the Aswan High Dam in Egypt and the Hoover Dam in the United States. Additionally, his designs have generated concrete improvements in efficiency, resulting in gains in power generation and reductions in costs and environmental impact. Lauded as a visionary, he was elected as a member of the NAE "for pioneering three-dimensional finite element computations in mechanical and hydraulic design, leadership in hydro turbine research and development, and business stewardship," highlighting his status as an innovator and as a business leader. He is also the recipient of the National Hydropower Association's Henwood Award, the industry's highest honor, and holds eight U.S. patents for his work. In 2015, he became a fellow of the NAI.