ARLINGTON, Va. – (April 5) – The Office of Naval Research (ONR) named 17 recipients as winners of its 2010 Young Investigator Program, which invests in academic scientists and engineers who show exceptional promise for creative study.
"We are proud of this group of young outstanding scientists and engineers," said ONR's Director of Research Dr. Michael Kassner. "Through their great work in the science and engineering fields, the recipients have raised the bar for excellence in research."
Award recipients for ONR's highly competitive Young Investigator Program, or YIP, were selected from 211 proposal submissions. The winners will receive a three-year research grant up to $510,000. They were chosen based on a comprehensive evaluation that includes the applicant's past performance, a creative research proposal and a long-term commitment from the recipient's university.
The 2010 YIP recipients are: Dr. Hatice Altug, Boston University; Dr. Seth Bank, University of Texas at Austin; Dr. Luca Carloni, Columbia University; Dr. Chang-Hwan Choi, Stevens Institute of Technology; Dr. Chiara Daraio, California Institute of Technology; Dr. Yongpei Guan, University of Florida; Dr. Dijiang Huang, Arizona State University; Dr. Matthias Ihme, University of Michigan; Dr. Ali Khademhosseini, Brigham & Women's Hospital; Dr. Eric Pop, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Dr. Vijay Ramani, Illinois Institute of Technology; Dr. Armin Sorooshian, University of Arizona; Dr. Ben Taskar, University of Pennsylvania; Dr. Joseph Teran, University of California, Los Angeles; Dr. Fumin Zhang, Georgia Institute of Technology; Dr. Yongjie Zhang, Carnegie Mellon University; and Dr. Martin Zwierlein, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
YIP winner Ramani, of the Illinois Institute of Technology, said he was grateful for ONR's investment in his research. "I look forward to this outstanding opportunity to work closely with ONR and Navy laboratories on anion exchange and bipolar membrane technologies for electrochemical energy conversion, especially in relation to unmanned propulsion applications," Ramani said.
YIP winners must have obtained a doctorate or equivalent degrees within the past five years and show exceptional promise for conducting innovative research. Started in 1985, the program seeks to attract outstanding professors at higher education institutions to the Department of the Navy's research program, support their research and encourage their teaching and research careers.
"We support these researchers with the hope that they will become lifelong research contributors," said Dr. William Lukens, program manager for YIP. "ONR is hugely invested in these individuals and often continues to support their research after their YIP experience through core program funding."
For more information on YIP, go to http://www.onr.navy.mil/Science-Technology/Directorates/office-research-discovery-invention/Sponsored-Research/YIP.aspx
About the Office of Naval Research
The Department of the Navy's Office of Naval Research provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps' technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning, and 914 industry partners. ONR employs approximately 1,400 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel.