In February 1996, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), was commissioned by President Clinton to create an award program that would honor and support the extraordinary achievements of young professionals at the outset of their independent research careers in the fields of science and technology. The Presidential Award embodies the high priority placed by the government on maintaining the leadership position of the United States in science by producing outstanding scientists and engineers who will broadly advance science and the missions important to the participating agencies.

The Presidential Awards are intended to recognize and nurture some of the finest scientists and engineers who, while early in their research careers, show exceptional potential for leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge during the twenty-first century. The Awards will first and foremost support the continued development of the awardees, foster innovative and far-reaching developments in science and technology, increase awareness of careers in science and engineering, give recognition to the scientific missions of participating agencies, enhance connections between fundamental research and national goals, and highlight the importance of science and technology for the nation's future.

The Presidential Award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers. The White House following recommendations from participating agencies will confer the awards annually. To be eligible for a Presidential Award, an individual must be a U.S. citizen, national or permanent resident. Each Presidential Award will be of five years duration. Selection criteria and processes are dependent upon the agency.

The participating agencies are:

National Science Foundation
National Science and Technology Council
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Smithsonian Institution
Environmental Protection Agency
Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce
Department of Defense
Department of Energy
Department of Health and Human Services: National Institutes of Health
Department of Transportation
Department of Veterans Affairs

Press Releases

• President Obama Meets the Nation's Cutting-Edge Researchers, October 17, 2011
• NIH Director, Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., recognizes 20 NIH recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), September 28, 2011
• President Honors Outstanding Early-Career Scientists, September 26, 2011
  

2010

Dr. Rommie E. Amaro (University of California, Irvine) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
1 DP2 OD007237-01 - For the use of cutting-edge computational methods in combination with flexible receptor methodologies and molecular design to enable and accelerate drug discovery.

Dr. Sonja M. Best (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
1ZIAAI001125-01 - For the use of Flaviviruses to elucidate the role of pathogen and cellular proteins in innate immune responses.

Dr. David T. Breault (Children's Hospital Boston) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
1R01DK084056-01A2 - For research on the characterization of telomerase expression in various populations of intestinal stem cells that could lead to novel therapeutic strategies for gastrointestinal disease.

Dr. John S. Brownstein (Children's Hospital Boston) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
1R01LM010812-01 - For research that aims to broadly characterize the impact of climate on infectious disease risk and for the development of models to project future changes in disease burden associated with projected global climate change.

Dr. Brian S. Caffo (Johns Hopkins University) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
1 R01 EB012547-01 - For creating and applying computational, mathematical, and statistical models to medical and neuroscience research, neuroimaging, electrophysiology, and nuclear medicine for the study of sleep and sleep disorders, developmental disorders, epilepsy, and Alzheimer's disease.

Dr. Nicola J. Camp (University of Utah) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
1R01CA134674-01A2 - For studies on genes that increase the incidence of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and for advances in the estimation ofassociated risk in order to improve clinical decisions related to diagnosis and treatment.

Dr. Pierre R. Comizzoli (Smithsonian Institution) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
R01 RR026064-01 - For studies on desiccated germinal vesicles to determine if they can be rehydrated and reanimated to facilitate recovery of the maternal genome, challenging existing paradigms about the practicality of mammalian oocyte preservation and storage.

Dr. Chyke A. Doubeni (University of Massachusetts Medical School) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
1R01CA151736-01 - For advanced population-based studies in real-world settings on the effectiveness of screening colonoscopy as a means of reducing death from both right- and left-sided cancers among average-risk adults.

Dr. Jose C. Florez (Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
R01 DK088214-01A1 - For studies employing state-of-the-art pharmacogenetic and metabolomic approaches in human volunteers who have been challenged with sulfonylurea, metformin, or glucose to better characterize genetic loci associated with type 2 diabetes and related traits in an effort to advance individualized therapy.

Dr. James L. Gulley (National Cancer Institute) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
1ZIABC010666-05 - For randomized, controlled studies using novel, recombinant vaccines to reduce the progression of prostate and other cancers and increase survival.

Dr. W. Nicholas Haining (Harvard Medical School) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
1 R01 AI091493-01A1 - For the use of cutting-edge, functional genomic technologies to characterize the T-cell response in humans in order to accelerate HIV vaccine development.

Dr. Thomas L. Kash (University of North Carolina School of Medicine) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
1R01AA019454-01 - For studies on the role that serotonin signaling in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis plays in alcohol-induced dysregulation of neuronal function and behavior.

Dr. John C. March (Cornell University) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
1 DP2 OD007155-01 - For research on the use of commensal bacteria for the controlled expression of the insulin-stimulating peptide GLP-1 in order to mediate a surrogate glucose regulatory mechanism that could lead to a new and inexpensive treatment for type 1 diabetes.

Dr. Katherine L. O'Brien (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
1RO1MD004011-01 - For studies on the effectiveness of the PCV 13 pneumococcal vaccine on the incidence of pneumococcal infection, prevalence of carriage, and serotype distribution in Native American populations.

Dr. Carla M. Pugh (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
R01-EB-011524-01 - For research on the development of innovative sensor technology to ensure minimum performance standards for hands-on clinical examinations in healthcare settings.

Dr. Jamie L. Renbarger (Indiana University) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
1R01HD062484-01 - For pharmacogenomic studies aimed at optimizing the use of vincristine in the treatment of children with cancer.

Dr. Sara L. Sawyer (University of Texas at Austin) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
1R01GM93086-01 - For research describing the role that infectious agents play in driving the evolution of genes that affect human susceptibility to cancer.

Dr. Hari Shroff (National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
1ZIAEB000074-01 - For developing and using super-resolution optical imaging techniques such as photoactivated localization microscopy on whole cells and fast optical scanning techniques such as selective plane illumination microscopy for high-speed volumetric imaging of cells and embryos.

Dr. Mary Jo Trepka (Florida International University) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
1R01MD004002-01 - For advanced studies on the role of the contextual factors such as community deprivation, segregation, and rural residence in explaining the survival disadvantage of African Americans infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

Dr. Linda E. Wilbrecht (University of California at San Francisco) (website, photo, Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)
1R01DA029150-01 - For studies investigating the effects of stimulant use on the development of neural circuits.