Dr. Sohini Ramachandran of Brown University was named a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences by The Pew Charitable Trusts. She receives $240,000 over four years to pursue her research, join a prestigious community that includes Nobel Prize winners and MacArthur Fellows. Dr. Ramachandran, who specializes in human economics and evolution, tries to answer questions like: Does variation on the human X chromosome reflect sex-specific processes in the past? Does genetic variation account for different cancer treatment outcomes? Do cultural traits "mutate" more quickly than genes? She received a bachelor's degree in mathematical and computational sciences from Stanford University in 2002 and her Ph.D. from Stanford in biological sciences in 2007. She was elected to the Harvard Society of Fellows in 2007 and did postdoctoral work with John Wakeley, studying coalescent theory. Ramachandran joined the faculty at Brown University as an assistant professor in ecology and evolutionary biology in July 2010. She is also a faculty member in the Center for Computational Molecular Biology.

Dr. Biju Parekkadan of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and Drs. Pawan Sinha and Parag A. Pathak, both from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, were among the 96 named by President Obama as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest US honor for young professionals. The Presidential early career awards embody the high priority the Obama Administration places on producing outstanding scientists and engineers to advance the nation's goals, tackle grand challenges, and contribute to the American economy.   Awardees employed or funded by various government agencies are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach.

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