Prof. Deji Akinwande has been selected to receive ( a 2016 Presidential
Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) by President
Obama, the United States government’s highest honor for scientists and
engineers in the early stages of research. Prof. Akinwande is an
associate professor in electrical and computer engineering and the Jack
Kilby/Texas Instruments Endowed Faculty Fellow in Computer Engineering
in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at
Austin.
He is among 106 recipients announced by the White House
on Thursday. The winners, who will be honored at a ceremony in
Washington, D.C., this spring, were selected for having research that is
both innovative and beneficial to society. Prof. Akinwande is one of
two PECASE recipients from The University of Texas at Austin. The other
recipient is Prof. Keji Lai from the Department of Physics.
“These
early-career scientists are leading the way in our efforts to confront
and understand challenges from climate change to our health and
wellness,” President Barack 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.”
Now
in its 20th year, the Presidential Early Career Awards are coordinated
through the President’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, which
selects winners “for their pursuit of innovative research at the
frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community
service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education,
or community outreach.”
Prof. Akinwande is known for his
groundbreaking research on nanomaterials, sensors, devices and flexible
technology. He is considered one of the top researchers in the world in
the areas of graphene, silicon electronics and 2-D nanomaterials for use
in flexible electronics. In 2015, Akinwande created the first
transistor out of silicene, the world’s thinnest silicon material, and
he is continuing to advance the capabilities of computer chips and other
electronics.
Prof. Akinwande has been the recipient of several
prestigious awards, including the Inaugural IEEE NANO "Geim and
Novoselov Graphene Prize," an IEEE Early Career Award in Nanotechnology,
a National Science Foundation Career Award, an Army Research Office
Young Investigator award, and a Young Investigator award from the
Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
Previously, Texas ECE professor
Mattan Erez received the PECASE award in 2014 and Prof. Seth Bank
received the PECASE award in 2009.
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