URI engineering professor honored with a White House award for leadership in their early career
KINGSTON, R.I. – Jan. 23, 2025 – Before the peaceful transition of power, the Biden administration recognized 400 scientists and engineers with the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering. Among the honorees were two University of Rhode Island faculty members: psychology assistant professor Justin Parent and mechanical, industrial, and systems engineering assistant professor Ashutosh Giri.
“It’s humbling,” said Giri. “It’s very humbling to be recognized by the White house for the contributions that my group has made in the area of nanoscale heat transfer and thermal management.”
The program, established in the mid-90s by then-president Bill Clinton, recognizes early-career scientists and engineers who show exceptional potential for leadership in their field. Staying humble, Giri credits his mentor’s guidance and the hard work being done by his group as the reason for this recognition.
“This award is definitely due to the unwavering support from my mentors,” said Giri. “Their support has really paved the way for me to conduct innovative research and strengthened my commitment to undertake community service and outreach efforts.”
Giri’s research is exploring ways to improve heat dissipation in everyday devices such as cell phones and laptops which can be known to overheat during use.
He’s also looking at different materials’ thermal properties and why some are better at conducting heat than others. One example he cited was how a glass-enclosed room can get extremely hot despite frigid midwinter temperatures.
“The glass which has insulating properties arising from the lack of order in their atomic arrangement is why a room can maintain a certain temperature,” said Giri. “We try to understand those fundamentals and employ them in real-world applications where we can make an impact engineering-wise.”
The award also comes with grant funding. Giri says the funding will be instrumental in helping advance the work being done in his lab and engaging more students in research.
In receiving the honor, Giri joins a distinguished group of awardees. Following in the footsteps of his mentors, he hopes to continue their legacy of excellence, guiding future scientists to achieve their full potential.
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