Six Indian-Americans among early-career scientists honoured by Obama

President Obama has named 106 researchers, including six of Indian origin, as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest US government honour for young independent researchers.

The winners will receive their awards at a Washington, DC ceremony this spring.

"These early-career scientists are leading the way in our efforts to confront and understand challenges from climate change to our health and wellness," 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."

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 recognise 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.

The six Indian-American recipients are:

Milind Kulkarni, an associate professor with the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University. His research focuses on Programming Languages and Compilers that support efficient programming and high performance on emerging complex architectures.

Kiran Musunuru, Assistant Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University. His research focuses on the genetics of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

Sachin Patel, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, and Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Vanderbilt University Medical Centre. Patel's overall research goal is to understand the role of neuronal cannabinoid signalling in brain function relevant to psychiatric disorders.

Vikram Shyam, is a member of the Turbomachinery and Heat Transfer Branch at National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA Glenn Research Centre.

His research includes computational and experimental analysis of and concept development in unsteady engine flow physics, biomimetics, energy harvesting, active and passive flow control, flow visualization and water purification.

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 with applications in energy-efficient buildings, automotive systems, medical devices and industrial wireless control networks.

Shwetak Patel, is Endowed Professor in Computer Science and Engineering and Electrical Engineering at the University of Washington, where he directs his research group, the Ubicomp Lab.

His research interests are in the areas of Human-Computer Interaction, Ubiquitous Computing, Sensor-enabled Embedded Systems, and User Interface Software and Technology.

His work includes developing new sensing systems, energy and water sensing, mobile health, and developing new interaction technologies.

By Arun Kumar

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])