Four UCLA faculty members were among the nearly 400 scientists and engineers selected for the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. PECASE, established by former President Bill Clinton in 1996, is the federal government's highest honor recognizing scientists and engineers who show leadership potential early in their research careers.
The award also recognizes innovative developments in science and technology, highlights the importance of those fields for the nation's future, acknowledges participating agencies' scientific missions, and enhances connections between research and impacts on society. This year's awardees are employed or funded by 14 participating agencies.
The 2024 honorees from UCLA include:
Elaheh Ahmadi
Ahmadi, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, leads research that explores the fabrication and characterization of semiconductor materials and microelectromechanical devices. Her research group aims to improve energy efficiency across a range of technologies, from wireless communications to autonomous vehicles.
Nominated for the honor by the Office of Naval Research, Ahmadi develops high-power, high-frequency gallium nitride-based transistors that can be used in the next generation of radio frequency technologies. Her work could improve the resiliency and effectiveness of communications technology.
Other honors Ahmadi has received include young investigator awards from the Office of Naval Research and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, as well as a National Science Foundation CAREER Award.
Dr. Justine Lee
Lee is the Bernard G. Sarnat Professor of Craniofacial Biology at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. Using her background in cell biology, Lee is working to develop regenerative therapies for patients with head and neck deformities caused by a trauma injury or cancer. Her early research is specifically focused on developing regenerative materials for skull defects by implanting material that instructs cells to inhibit bone loss. This research has laid the groundwork for therapies that could one day benefit patients.
"It is a wonderful surprise," said Lee about the award. "I am very happy."
Osvaldo Gutierrez
Gutierrez, an alumnus of the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, rejoined the department this year as a faculty member. He uses a mechanistically guided approach to design and develop new catalytic and environmentally friendly chemical transformations and has contributed to the development of new iron-based catalysts to make cheaper medicines. Gutierrez is the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center's inaugural Hispanic Serving Institution STEM senior faculty director.
Other honors he has received include the NSF CAREER Award and the National Institutes of Health's NIGMS Maximizing Investigators' Research Award. In 2020, he made Chemical & Engineering News', or C&EN's, annual Talented 12 list of young rising stars in the field.
Mitchell Spearrin
Spearrin, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UCLA Samueli, leads research on spectroscopy and molecular gas dynamics. His research group develops novel laser-based sensors to study chemically reacting fluid systems, including propulsion and hypersonic flows, as well as sustainable materials synthesis and wildfires.
NASA nominated Spearrin for the presidential award to recognize his work on multiple breakthroughs in innovative instrumentation systems for extreme environments and a commitment to designing and promoting STEM education. His research in high-temperature gas dynamics has applications in advanced rocket propulsion and planetary entry systems for spacecraft.
Spearrin has also earned the National Science Foundation's CAREER Award, in addition to young investigator awards from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and NASA.
Read the full release about Ahmadi and Spearrin on the UCLA Samueli website.
