October 15, 2009

Professor Cui named 2009 Packard Fellow

Chemistry Professor Bianxiao Cui has been named one of the 2009 recipients of Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has named 16 new promising scientific researchers as the 2009 recipients of Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering. Each Fellow will receive an unrestricted research grant of $875,000 over five years.

The Fellowship Program was established in 1988 and arose out of David Packard's commitment to strengthening university-based science and engineering programs. By supporting unusually creative researchers early in their careers, the Foundation hopes to develop scientific leaders, further the work of promising young scientists and engineers, and support efforts to attract talented graduate students into university research in the United States.

"Each year the Packard Foundation is honored to support a cadre of innovative young scientists and engineers who are attacking some of the most important research questions of our time," said Lynn Orr, Keleen and Carlton Beal Professor at Stanford University, and Chairman of the Packard Fellowship Advisory Panel. "Their research, and the talented students who will work in their research groups, will continue to have a profound impact on the scientific community for years to come."

Over the past 21 years, the Packard Fellowship Program has awarded 440 fellowships, totaling $274 million, to faculty members at 52 top national universities. It is among the nation's largest nongovernmental program designed to seek out and reward the pursuit of scientific discovery with "no strings attached" support. The Packard Fellowship Program funds research in a broad range of disciplines that includes physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, astronomy, computer science, earth science, ocean science, and all branches of engineering.

The 2009 Fellows were nominated by presidents of 50 universities that participate in the Packard Fellowship program. The 99 nominations were reviewed by the Fellowship Advisory Panel, a group of nationally recognized scientists, which then recommended 16 Fellows for approval by the Packard Foundation Board of Trustees.