Four Indian-American researchers in a slate 106 such people were named by President Obama Feb. 18 as recipients of Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers to encourage American innovation.
The winners, including the six Indian-Americans – Milind Kulkarni, Purdue University; Sachin Patel, Vanderbilt University; Vikram Shyam, NASA Glenn Research Center and Shwetak Patel, University of Washington,Kiran Musunuru, Harvard Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology and Rahul Mangharam, University of Pennsylvania – will receive their awards in Washington, DC this spring.
Kulkarni of Purdue University is an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering who graduated in 2002 with a B.S. in both computer science and computer engineering from North Carolina State University and received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Cornell.
Sachin Patel is an associate professor of psychiatry and molecular physiology and biophysics. His overall research goal is to understand the role of ‘neuronal cannabinoid signaling’ in brain function relevant to psychiatric disorders.
While Vikram is a member of the Turbomachinery and Heat Transfer Branch at NASA Glenn and a member of the graduate faculty at Cleveland State University Shwetak N. Patel is the Washington Research Foundation Entrepreneurship Endowed Professor in Computer Science and Engineering and Electrical Engineering at the University of Washington.
“These early-career scientists are leading the way in our efforts to confront and understand challenges from climate change to our health and wellness,” President Obama said. “We congratulate these accomplished individuals and encourage them to continue to serve as an example of the incredible promise and ingenuity of the American people.”
This year’s recipients are employed or funded by various government departments and agencies. These departments and agencies join together annually to nominate the most meritorious scientists and engineers whose early accomplishments show the greatest promise for assuring America’s preeminence in science and engineering and contributing to the awarding agencies’ missions.
The Presidential Early Career Awards highlight the key role that the administration places in encouraging and accelerating American innovation to grow the economy and tackle America’s greatest challenges.
The awards, established by President Clinton in 1996, are coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President.
Awardees are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach.
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