Melissa Cregger of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has received the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineers, or PECASE, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding early-career scientists and engineers.
The PECASE award recognizes scientists and engineers who, while early in their research careers, show exceptional potential for leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge. The awards reached across 14 federal agencies with nearly 400 recipients. Among the honorees are 55 scientists and engineers funded by DOE.
The award acknowledges innovative and far-reaching developments in science and technology, expands awareness of science and engineering careers, recognizes the scientific missions of participating agencies, enhances connections between research and impacts on society, and highlights the importance of science and technology for the nation's future.
Cregger is a senior staff scientist in ORNL's Biosciences Division who studies plant-microbe-soil interactions to improve plant growth and ecosystem resilience. She was nominated by DOE's Office of Science, Environmental and Biological Research Program, or BER. Cregger in 2021 received an Early Career Research Program award from DOE BER to study the effects of fungal symbionts on poplar trees, a model DOE plant being studied as a bioenergy feedstock crop.
"Melissa's work is advancing scientific breakthroughs in support of a strong bioeconomy," said ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer. "ORNL is fortunate to have her exemplary leadership in developing high-yield, robust plants and beneficial microbes for biofuels and products. This important research supports rural economies, energy security and U.S. competitiveness."
As task lead for a number of projects at ORNL, Cregger supports the DOE Center for Bioenergy Innovation as well as two large DOE Science Focus Areas - the Plant-Microbe Interface project and the Secure Ecosystem Engineering and Design project.
Melissa's work is advancing scientific breakthroughs in support of a strong bioeconomy. ORNL is fortunate to have her exemplary leadership in developing high-yield, robust plants and beneficial microbes for biofuels and products. This important research supports rural economies, energy security and U.S. competitiveness.
Cregger actively mentors undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate scientists in her role at ORNL. She also holds a joint faculty appointment with the Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Cregger is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Ecological Society of America, and serves as a subject matter editor for the journal Ecology.
Cregger began her career at ORNL as a postdoctoral researcher and received a staff appointment in 2015 as a Liane Russell Distinguished Fellow. She holds a doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology from UT Knoxville, and a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Southern Indiana.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE's Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE's Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science .
