A
Nigerian genius professor has broken very much into the world of science
and is now set to receive the U.S government's highest award for
scientists.
Professor Deji Akinwande
Highly acclaimed professor, Deji Akinwande has been selected to receive a '2016 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)'
by President Barrack 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.
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 nano-materials, 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 nano-materials 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.
