Professors S.V. Sreenivasan (left) and Dr. C. Grant Willson, a chemical engineering professor, (right) created a better fabrication method for high-end computer chips, data storage and LED devices by combining their expertise in nano-precision machines and microelectronic materials to invent a mechanically-driven approach to pattern tiny features on silicon chips, hard disk drives and energy-efficient LED devices.
The University of Texas at Austin announced that Professor S.V. Sreenivasan, the Thornton Centennial Faculty Fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, and co-founder and chief technology officer of Molecular Imprints, Inc. is the recipient of the 2010 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in Technology Innovation. The O'Donnell Award in Technology Innovation recognizes outstanding achievements by a Texas-based researcher whose work meets the highest standards of professional performance, creativity and resourcefulness. With the goal of positioning Texas as a national research leader, The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST) selects O'Donnell Award winners in four categories: technology innovation, engineering, science and medicine. Recognized in the category of technology innovation for his work in developing imprint lithography as both a University of Texas researcher and high-tech entrepreneur, Professor Sreenivasan was an invited speaker at the 2010 annual TAMEST conference attended by many of the state's leading thinkers and researchers. The TAMEST conference was held on January 7-8, 2010 in San Antonio, TX.
About Dr. Sreenivasan
Gregory L. Fenves, Dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering, added, “We are delighted that Professor Sreenivasan has been recognized with this prestigious award. His pioneering work with Professor Grant Willson and their students at The University of Texas at Austin, coupled with venture capitalists and seasoned professionals from the private sector, have commercialized a new and innovative nanotechnology. The end result is that an idea, which began in a Texas university, has now become a growing company serving customers around the world.”
“Dr. Sreenivasan is a deserving winner of the O'Donnell Award in Technology Innovation, as his work not only gave birth to an innovative technology that will enable the affordable manufacturing of incredibly small feature designs on leading-edge applications, but serves as an exemplary model for how Texas research institutions and the private sector can partner together,” said Mark Melliar-Smith, CEO of Molecular Imprints.
