HOUSTON (TIP): Two Indian American scholars from Rice University have been named CAREER Award recipients by the National Science Foundation.

Anshumali Shrivastava, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Statistics and Ashok Veeraraghavan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering earned prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award.

The NSF awards CAREER grants to young scientists who show the potential for leadership in their fields. The five-year grant to Veeraraghavan is for $549,000.

While Shrivastava’s research interests lie in machine learning and big data, Veeraraghavan specializes in the use of computer technology, statistics and sophisticated algorithms to see both farther and deeper, and at increasingly sharper resolution.

“My research leverages the existing algorithmic advances for pushing machine learning to the extreme scale,” said Shrivastava, who became a member of the Rice University faculty in 2015, in a statement. “I design ‘hashing and sketching algorithms,’ a class of randomized algorithms that can process humongous datasets in seconds.”

Veeraraghavan, who joined Rice in 2010 said, “Apart from the theoretical and algorithmic improvements, we’re looking at applications like obtaining high-resolution images from long distance. In particular, we’re building applications to answer questions like, can you do face recognition from a kilometer distance?”

CAREER awards support the research and educational development of young scholars likely to become leaders in their fields. The five-year grants, which are among the most competitive awarded by the NSF, are given to some 400 scholars each year across all disciplines.