On Jan. 14, former President Joe Biden awarded nearly 400 scientists and engineers the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers early in their careers. Among the awardees were six Vanderbilt faculty members, two of whom are Vanderbilt Kennedy Center members.
“Vanderbilt is proud to celebrate our faculty members and alumni who have received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. This prestigious honor highlights their groundbreaking research and profound contributions across diverse fields, reflecting the spirit of innovation and collaboration that defines our university,” said C. Cybele Raver, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Established by President Bill Clinton in 1996, PECASE honors scientists and engineers who show exceptional potential for leadership early in their research careers. The award recognizes innovative and far-reaching developments in science and technology, expands awareness of careers in science and engineering, recognizes the scientific missions of participating agencies, enhances connections between research and impacts on society, and highlights the importance of science and technology for our nation’s future. To receive the award, researchers must have participated in federally funded research.
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center affiliated faculty include:
Erin Calipari, Ph.D., is an associate professor of pharmacology, director of the Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research and principal investigator at the Calipari Lab. Through the lab, she uses cutting-edge techniques to outline the neural circuit dysfunction that underlies neuropsychiatric disease. Calipari’s current research works to understand how drug use changes circuits in the brain that control motivation to give rise to the maladaptive behaviors associated with substance use disorders.
Maithilee Kunda, Ph.D., is an associate professor of computer science. Currently on research leave at the University of Edinburgh, Kunda’s work is in artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive systems, examining how visual thinking contributes to learning and intelligent behavior. She is also a faculty member at Vanderbilt’s Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and the Vanderbilt Data Science Institute. Her research focuses on advancing AI algorithms as well as exploring applications related to autism and neurodiversity, special education and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
A full list of recipients may be found here.
