A 65-year-old Indian American scientist will receive the prestigious ‘National Medal of Science’ award from US President Barack Obama.

Rakesh K Jain, a professor of tumor biology at Massachusetts General Hospital in the Harvard Medical School, will receive the award from Obama along with 16 other recipients of the ‘National Medals of Science and National Medals of Technology and Innovation’ on May 19.

Awarded annually, the Medal of Science recognises individuals who have made outstanding contributions to science, engineering and mathematics. The National Medal of Technology and Innovation recognises those who have made lasting contributions to America’s competitiveness and quality of life and helped strengthen nation’s technological workforce.

Jain, an IIT-Kanpur alumnus, has received numerous awards for his work on tumor biology, particularly research on the link between tumor blood vessels and improving the effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. He received his B Tech degree from the IIT-Kanpur in Chemical Engineering in 1972. The National Medal of Science was created by statute in 1959 and is administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation.