Four young faculty members to receive $50,000 Sloan Research Fellowships

Four faculty members from the University of California, Berkeley, have been awarded prestigious Sloan Research Fellowships, given annually by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to scientists, mathematicians and economists who are at an early stage of their research careers.

The four are among 118 new fellows from 54 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada announced today (Tuesday, Feb. 15) by the foundation. All will receive a $50,000 grant over the next two years to pursue any line of research they choose.

“The scientists and researchers selected for this year’s Sloan Research Fellowships represent the very brightest rising stars of this generation of scholars,” said Paul L. Joskow, president of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “The Foundation is proud to be able to support their work at this important stage in their careers.”

The new fellows from UC Berkeley are:

• Per-Olof Persson, assistant professor of mathematics
• Koushik Sen, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences
• Pieter Abbeel, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences
• David F. Savage, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology

With the announcement today, some 154 current or former UC Berkeley faculty members have received Sloan Research Fellowships. The fellowships have been awarded since 1955.

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a philanthropic, not-for-profit, grant making institution that supports original research and education in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and economic performance.

For more information about the new awards, visit the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation home page.