Eleven MIT Faculty Win Presidential Early Career Awards

Eleven esteemed faculty members from MIT, prominently featuring nine innovators from the School of Engineering and two exceptional talents from the School of Science, have been honored with the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Additionally, over 15 noteworthy MIT alumni have also received accolades.

Initiated by President Bill Clinton in 1996, the PECASE recognizes scientists and engineers who demonstrate remarkable promise for leadership in their respective research fields. The most recent winners were publicly acknowledged by the White House on January 14, under President Joe Biden, with 14 federal agencies recommending researchers for this esteemed honor.

Among 400 distinguished scientists and engineers celebrated for their groundbreaking innovations and scientific contributions, the honored MIT faculty and alumni include:

• Tamara Broderick, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), received a nomination from the Office of Naval Research for her pioneering project aimed at advancing lightweight representations for decentralized learning within data-rich environments.
• Michael James Carbin SM ’09, PhD ’15, associate professor in EECS, was recognized by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for his CAREER project focused on developing reliable execution techniques for programs on approximate and unpredictable computation substrates.
• Christina Delimitrou, the KDD Career Development Professor in Communications and Technology and an associate professor in EECS, was nominated by NSF for her team’s endeavors in reinventing the cloud system stack to align with new programming frameworks, such as microservices and serverless computing, enabling more predictable and efficient cloud data centers.
• Netta Engelhardt, the Biedenharn Career Development Associate Professor of Physics, garnered a nomination from the Department of Energy for her innovative research tackling the black hole information paradox and its implications for quantum mechanics.
• Robert Gilliard Jr, the Novartis Associate Professor of Chemistry, was selected based on the outcomes of his 2020 NSF CAREER award project titled “Boracycles with Unusual Bonding as Creative Strategies for Main-Group Functional Materials.”
• Heather Janine Kulik PD ’09, PhD ’09, the Lammot du Pont Professor of Chemical Engineering, was recognized by NSF for her 2019 CAREER proposal to unveil spin-state-dependent reactivity using advanced computational tools.
• Nuno Loureiro, professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, received a nomination from NSF for his exploration of magnetic field generation and amplification in the cosmos.
• Robert Macfarlane, associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, was nominated by the Department of Defense’s Air Force Office of Scientific Research for his work on innovative materials using molecular and nanoscale components.
• Ritu Raman, the Eugene Bell Career Development Professor of Tissue Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, earned a nomination from the DoD for her research on utilizing biological actuators in next-gen robotics that dynamically respond to their surroundings.
• Ellen Roche, the Latham Family Career Development Professor and associate department head in Mechanical Engineering, was nominated by NSF for her CAREER project aiming to develop a cutting-edge benchtop model that combines soft robotics with organic tissue to accurately mimic the heart and diaphragm movements.
• Justin Wilkerson, a visiting associate professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, was nominated by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research for his research into the design and optimization of novel multifunctional composite materials able to withstand extreme environments.

Among the distinguished MIT alumni acknowledged are: Elaheh Ahmadi ’20, MNG ’21; Ambika Bajpayee MNG ’07 PhD ’15; Katherine Bouman SM ’13, PhD ’17; Walter Cheng-Wan Lee ’95, MNG ’95, PhD ’05; Ismaila Dabo PhD ’08; Ying Diao SM ’10, PhD ’12; Eno Ebong ’99; Soheil Feizi-Khankandi SM ’10, PhD ’16; Mark Finlayson SM ’01, PhD ’12; Chelsea B. Finn ’14; Grace Xiang Gu SM ’14, PhD ’18; David Michael Isaacson PhD ’06, AF ’16; Lewei Lin ’05; Michelle Sander PhD ’12; Kevin Solomon SM ’08, PhD ’12; and Zhiting Tian PhD ’14.