Eleven AFOSR-funded researchers have been named winners of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) for their pursuit of innovative research and community service.
The PECASE is the highest award the U.S. government gives to outstanding, young scientists and engineers on the threshold of their careers. Since 1996, they have bestowed the awards through the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), which also coordinates the government's science and technology policy agenda across several federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The PECASE was established to help maintain the position of leadership the United States holds in science by developing the careers of the next generation of scientists. Not surprisingly, the awards identify the most accomplished among their ranks.
This fall the NSTC will present the PECASE Awards at the White House to the 100 top researchers, including these who are funded by AFOSR:
- Dr. Scott A. Craver, Information Security, Binghamton University
- Dr. Gregory S. Engel, Solar Energy Capture and Storage, University of Chicago
- Dr. Anastasia H. Muliana, Bio-Inspired Aerospace Vehicles, Texas A&M University
- Dr. Thomas H. Epps III, Energy Generation and Storage Devices, University of Delaware
- Dr. Anthony Grbic, Electromagnetic Metamaterials, University of Michigan
- Dr. Michael J. Hochberg, Optical Mode in a Waveguide, University of Washington
- Dr. Rashid Zia, Nanophotonics, Brown University
- Dr. Xiaoqin Li, Spectroscopy, University of Texas
- Dr. Mathew M. Maye, Nanomaterials, Syracuse University
- Dr. Beverley J. McKeon, Turbulent Boundary Layers, California Institute of Technology
- Dr. Jiwoong Park, Nanostructures, Cornell University
Each PECASE winner will receive $200,000 annually over five years to cover further research in the fields that yielded their nominations.
By funding research like that represented by each of these PECASE winners, AFOSR continues to promote scientific knowledge through its leadership and management of the Air Force's basic research program.