US President Barack Obama to honour six Indian Americans, who have made to the list of 106 scientists and engineers, with the highest US government prize for young independent researchers. The Indian Americans selected for the Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers are Milind Kulkarni (Purdue University), Kiran Musunuru (Harvard University), Sachin Patel (Vanderbilt University Medical Centre), Vikram Shyam (NASA), Rahul Mangharam (University of Pennsylvania) and Shwetak Patel (University of Washington).
The Presidential Early Career Awards highlight the key role that the administration places in encouraging and accelerating American innovation to grow our economy and tackle our greatest challenges, a White House announcement said. Established by President Bill Clinton in 1996, the awards recognize pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and awardees’ commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach.
About the Winners
Milind Kulkarni is an associate professor with the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University. His research focuses on Programming Languages and Compilers.
Kiran Musunuru is an Assistant Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University, and Associate Physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He has developed a ‘genome editing’ approach to permanently reduce cholesterol levels.
Sachin Patel is an assistant professor of psychiatry, molecular physiology, and biophysics at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre. His research is to understand the intricate role of brain function in psychological disorders.
Vikram Shyam works at NASA’s Glenn Research Centre. He is a member of the Turbo-Machinery and Heat Transfer Branch. His research includes computational and experimental analysis of biomimetics, energy harvesting, engine flow physics, flow visualisation, and water purification.
Shwetak N. Patel is a Professor in Computer Science and Engineering and Electrical Engineering at the University of Washington. His work includes developing new sensor systems and new interaction technologies.
Rahul Mangharam is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. His interests are in real-time scheduling algorithms for networked embedded systems. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical & Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
