Georgia Institute of Technology College of Sciences

Five faculty members in the College of Sciences are among the recent recipients of the early-career grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The highly competitive awards are from the NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program; they provide five years of funding to junior faculty.

Of the five College of Sciences CAREER award recipients, four are assistant professors in the School of Mathematics. Their names and research interests are:

• Michael K. Damron - dynamical systems, probability, and statistics

• Esther Ezra - discrete geometry, combinatorics, probability, discrepancy theory, and approximation algorithms

• Jennifer C. Hom - low-dimensional topology, Heegaard Floer homology, knot theory, concordance, and Dehn surgery

• Kirsten G. Wickelgren - algebra, geometry, and topology

Amit R. Reddi, an assistant professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is the fifth College of Sciences CAREER awardee. Reddi studies metalloproteins. His lab is interested in determining the cellular, molecular, and chemical mechanisms by which these proteins are activated in cells and their roles in cell metabolism and physiology. 

"I'm thrilled - but not at all surprised - by the recognition of accomplishment and promise by our early-career colleagues that these NSF CAREER awards signal. Their successes reflect the vigor they bring to their respective schools and to mathematics and the sciences at Georgia Tech," says College of Sciences Dean Paul M. Goldbart.

The CAREER awards are NSF's most prestigious grant to support junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars. Through five years of sustained support, the award enables promising and talented researchers to build a foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research.