 Needleman is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a fellow of the American Academy of Mechanics, an honorary member of MECAMAT (Groupe Français de Mecanique des Matériaux) and a foreign member of the Danish Center for Applied Mathematics and Mechanics.He has been recognized by Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Science Citation Index as a highly cited author both in engineering and in materials science.In 1994, his work on 3D modeling of metallic fracture was a finalist in the Science Category for the Computerworld-Smithsonian Award.