A 34-year-old Stanford University professor of chemical engineering and chemistry whose work is leading to the discovery of new drugs to fight infections and diseases has received the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s most prestigious prize for young researchers.
Chaitan S. Khosla will be honored with the 1999 Alan T. Waterman Award at a National Science Board awards ceremony May 5 in Washington, D.C.
Khosla's work in elucidating the genes involved in the microbial production of polyketides, and methods for modifying these genes, "has captured the attention of the entire pharmaceutical industry as an exciting new approach for the production of new antimicrobial agents from engineered organisms," said 1988 Waterman Award winner and University of California-Berkeley professor of chemistry Peter G. Schultz.
Khosla's "creativity, productivity and intellect are defining the forefront of his field and opening a whole new opportunity at the interface of chemistry, biology and chemical engineering," Schultz added.
Khosla earned a Bachelor's in Technology in 1985 from the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay and a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology. Both degrees are in chemical engineering.
His previous honors include the Camille and Henry Dreyfus New Investigator Award (1991); a David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowship in Science and Engineering (1994); and the Allan P. Colburn Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (1997). He was named to the National Institutes of Health Bioorganic and Natural Products Chemistry Study Section in 1997.
A current NSF grantee, Khosla received his first federal research grant from what is now the NSF Division of Bioengineering and Environmental Systems in 1992, and was named a NSF Young Investigator in 1994.
The Alan T. Waterman Award, named after the NSF's first director, honors an outstanding young U.S. scientist who is at the forefront of science or engineering. The recipient receives a medal as well as a $500,000 grant over three years for scientific research or advanced study in any field of science or engineering.
Note: Fact Sheet on Waterman Award is attached.
National Science Foundation
Alan T. Waterman Award
Background. The National Science Foundation's (NSF) annual Alan T. Waterman Award honors an outstanding young U.S. scientist or engineer. The honoree receives a grant of $500,000 over three years for scientific research or advanced study in any field of science, plus a medal and other recognition.
Public 94-86 of the 94th Congress established the Waterman Award on August 9, 1975 to mark the 25th anniversary of the NSF and to honor its first director, Alan T. Waterman.
Criteria. A candidate must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, 35 years of age or younger, or not more than five years beyond receiving a Ph.D. by December 31 of the year in which nominated. The candidate should have demonstrated exceptional individual achievements in scientific or engineering research of sufficient quality to be placed at the forefront of his or her peers. Criteria also include originality, innovation and a significant impact on the individual's field.
Nominations come from responses to solicitation letters sent to about 150 universities and colleges, and scientific, engineering and other professional societies and organizations, members of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. The solicitation is also made available on the NSF web site. Respondents nominate candidates who, in their judgment, have made outstanding contributions in science or engineering that put them in the forefront of their respective fields early in their careers.
The Waterman Award Committee reviews all nominations and supporting documentation and then forwards a recommendation of the most outstanding candidate to the NSF director and to the National Science Board for a final determination.