USU brings on USTAR researchers
Two world-class researchers have relocated here to develop new major research teams at Utah State University.
The researchers, Krishna Shenai and David York, were recruited to Utah State as part of the Utah Science, Technology and Research Initiative. Passed in the 2006 state legislative session, USTAR provides funding for research personnel and facilities at USU and the University of Utah with the expectation that the research will create new technologies, jobs and businesses.
“We are elated to see Dr. Shenai and Dr. York come to Utah as USTAR researchers,” said Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr. “They have impressive qualifications that will make them tremendous assets to USU and to the state.”
To maximize USTAR’s benefit, researchers are being hired in areas most likely to create the largest future return on investment. These industry “clusters,” defined by the governor’s Office of Economic Development, reflect the state’s current strengths and competitive advantages.
USU’s first hire, Shenai, will lead a research team in the area of intelligent systems engineering. Shenai’s research pertains to solid-state energy conditioning in a wide range of industrial, commercial, military and space applications.
“Dr. Shenai’s work in electrical engineering complements some of USU’s strongest competitive advantages,” said Stan Albrecht, president of Utah State. “By adding his competence to our nationally-renowned engineering program and Space Dynamics Laboratory, we’ll see some great ideas and technologies coming from this program in the near future.”
Shenai earned his doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1986. Between 1980 and 1993, he held senior scientist positions at COMSAT Labs, General Electric Corporate R&D Center and Intel Corporation. He then took an academic position at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1993 and then at the University of Illinois in 1995, where he has been a tenured professor until now.
Shenai has authored, or co-authored, more than 300 peer-reviewed papers and four books, and has served in many editorial and leadership capacities for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
“Dr. Shenai’s academic reputation is excellent, but he stands out because of his experience in technology commercialization,” said Brent Miller, vice president for research at Utah State. “Shenai holds 15 issued patents and ten pending patent applications. He has co-founded three high-tech startup companies and consults for major corporations around the world. Those are qualities that will help him achieve the aims of USTAR.”
York, hailing from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., will build on USU’s strengths in the area of nutrition research. York’s current research interests include animal models of obesity, mechanisms that control food intake and nutrient selection and metabolic hormone dependence in animal obesity.
“We already have an established group of researchers at USU studying different areas of nutrition research, and York will undoubtedly create valuable collaborations with these talented individuals,” said Albrecht. “We expect to see major advances from this research in the future.”
York earned his doctorate in physiology from the University of Southampton in 1969. He conducted postdoctoral research at the Medical Center Hospital in Boston, Mass., and the UCLA School of Medicine. He then moved back to Southampton University Medical School, where he was on the faculty for 18 years, before joining the Louisiana State University System, serving primarily in research positions at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
“Dr. York has presented or chaired at more than 100 major conferences and symposia, and he has received more than $20 million in research grants,” said Miller. “He is well-respected in his field, and his research has been continuously supported throughout his career. We are extremely fortunate to have him at USU.”
Shenai assumes his position at Utah State June 1, and York will begin Aug. 1.
“Hiring new researchers is an important part of the USTAR initiative, and we are therefore looking for the best,” said Huntsman. “We need researchers who have a strong record of collaborative research and technology commercialization, and we’ve found that in Dr. Shenai and Dr. York.”
USTAR-funded researchers will be expected to publish their research results, grow their sponsored research funding, and promote technology commercialization by filing invention disclosures, patent applications and applying for business-related grants and programs.
The USTAR bill was sponsored by Utah Sen. Al Mansell and is designed to help Utah keep pace in scientific research and technological advancement – directly translating to a stronger economy, high-paying jobs, increased tax revenue and better quality of life, said Miller. The USTAR Economic Development Initiative leverages the proven success of Utah’s research universities in creating and commercializing innovative technologies.
Miller said that one aspect of the cost effectiveness of the USTAR proposal is its focus on core areas of technology where Utah has a competitive advantage and billion-dollar industries are going to emerge: personalized and regenerative medicine, genetically-linked cancer and neurological treatments, biotechnology applications for bio-defense and microbial biotechnology.
For more information on USTAR, visit http://www.usu.edu/research/ustar/about.cfm.