Twenty-five faculty and researchers from the University of California and its affiliated national laboratories have been awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor given by the U.S. government to scientists and engineers who are at the beginning of their research careers.
President Donald J. Trump announced the 2019 recipients on July 2, a list that included 315 people from across the nation, including more than two dozen young scientists and engineers with UC ties.
The PECASE awards were established in 1996 and are coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President. Awardees are selected for the prestigious honor based on two criteria: Pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and a commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education or community outreach.
UC-affiliated recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, along with their nominating federal agency, are:
- Félicie Albert, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Department of Energy
- Daniel Casey, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Department of Energy
- Eric Chang, UC San Diego, Department of Veterans Affairs
- Phillip Christopher, UC Riverside/UC Santa Barbara, Department of Defense
- Jim Ciston, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Department of Energy
- Anca Dragan, UC Berkeley, National Science Foundation
- Nathaniel Gabor, UC Riverside, Department of Defense
- Adriana Galván, UCLA, Department of Health and Human Services
- Jacklyn Gates, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Department of Energy
Credit: Berkeley Lab
- Shafali Jeste, UCLA, Department of Health and Human Services
- Zachary Knight, UC San Francisco School of Medicine, Department of Health and Human Services
- Richard Kraus, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Department of Energy
- Javad Lavaei, UC Berkeley, Department of Defense
- Lin Lin, UC Berkeley/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Department of Energy
- Darren Lipomi, UC San Diego, Department of Health and Human Services
- Thomas Maimone, UC Berkeley, National Science Foundation
- Suveen Mathaudhu, UC Riverside, National Science Foundation
- James Olzmann, UC Berkeley, Department of Health and Human Services
- Arthur Pak, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Department of Energy
- Piya Pal, UC San Diego, Department of Defense
- Aaron Parsons, UC Berkeley, National Science Foundation
- Padmini Rangamani, UC San Diego, Department of Defense
- Spencer Smith, UC Santa Barbara, National Institutes of Health
- Andrea Young, UC Santa Barbara, Department of Defense
- Wenjun Zhang, UC Berkeley/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Department of Health and Human Services
Credit: UC San Diego
