On January 14th, 2025, President Biden recognized almost 400 scientists and engineers with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the U.S. government's highest merit for exceptional scientists and engineers at the beginning of their careers.
Among the award recipients was Dr. Zak Kassas, Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at The Ohio State University and WNCG alum. He is the Director of the Autonomous Systems Perception, Intelligence, and Navigation (ASPIN) Laboratory at OSU, as well as the Director of CARMEN (Center for Automated Vehicle Research with Multimodal AssurEd Navigation) with the US Department of Transportation. He received a B.E. with Honors in Electrical Engineering from the Lebanese American University, an M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The Ohio State University, and an M.S.E. in Aerospace Engineering and a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.
Kassas’s former advisor, Dr. Todd Humphreys, wrote of the achievement: "I'm thrilled to see Zak so richly honored by the NSF and President Biden. Zak has been doing high-impact work — and a lot of it! -- since he graduated from UT in 2014. I'm very proud to see his accumulating accomplishments."
Kassas received the PECASE award, which was created by President Bill Clinton in 1996, in recognition of his contributions to groundbreaking advancements in science and technology. The award underscores the vital role of science and technology in shaping the nation's future.
Kassas wrote on his LinkedIn account: “I am honored to have received from the White House the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). I am grateful to my advisors and mentors and to my students, past and present. I am thankful to NSF for nominating me for this prestigious honor and to the cyber-physical systems program for believing in my research vison and enabling me to make it possible.”