Two University of Delaware researchers — Tingyi Gu and Kevin Solomon — have received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). It is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers early in their careers, according to the announcement by the White House on Jan. 14.

“On behalf of the entire University community, congratulations to Tingyi and Kevin on this very prestigious honor. This is a testament to their pioneering accomplishments and exceptional potential for leadership in driving research and innovation for the benefit of society,” President Dennis Assanis said. “We are proud to have among our ranks such distinguished faculty members at UD, and we look forward to their continued success.”

Gu, an associate professor in UD’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is working on next-generation optical communications that would enable the exchange of messages at the speed of light. Her research focuses on developing integrated photonic devices, which are built using tiny chips that process and transmit particles of light versus electrons. They are faster, use less energy, and are much smaller than traditional electronic circuits. Potential applications range from creating more reliable, less-intensive forms of computer memory, to improving the precision imaging critical to biomedical scans or avoiding collisions for driverless cars or even navigating in space. Gu and her team did the space experiments with miniaturized optical input/output (I/O) components, validating these nanoscale devices for navigation and remote sensing.

The research being pursued by Kevin Solomon, the Thomas and Kipp Gutshall Career Development Associate Professor in UD’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, is inspired by nature — in particular, microorganisms — which he heralds as “the most innovative chemists.” He is working to characterize and harness the capabilities of these tiny organisms to address challenges in sustainability, human health and food safety. A focus of his research is to create novel gene editing techniques that will accelerate the development of new industry platforms for fields ranging from drug development to biofuel manufacturing.  

Established by President Clinton in 1996, PECASE recognizes scientists and engineers who show exceptional potential for leadership early in their research careers. The award recognizes innovative and far-reaching developments in science and technology, expands awareness of careers in science and engineering, recognizes the scientific missions of participating agencies, enhances connections between research and impacts on society, and highlights the importance of science and technology for our nation’s future.

This year’s nearly 400 awardees are employed or funded by 14 participating agencies within the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Interior, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs and the Environmental Protection Agency, the intelligence community, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, and the Smithsonian Institution. 

Gu was recognized for the PECASE through the recommendation of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research — she received the Young Investigator Award in 2017, and Solomon was recognized through the National Science Foundation, where he received the NSF CAREER Award in 2022.