President Barack Obama will present the National Medal of Science to Dr. Rakesh K. Jain, an Indian-American professor at Harvard Medical School and director of tumor biology laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital.
An alumnus of IIT-Kanpur, Jain will receive the honour along with 16 other winners of the National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology and Innovation at a White House ceremony early next year. These medals are regarded as America’s highest honours for achievement and leadership in advancing the fields of science and technology.
A pioneer in the area of tumour micro-environment, Jain is widely recognised for his seminal discoveries in tumor biology, drug delivery, in vivo imaging, bioengineering, and bench-to-bedside translation. These include uncovering the barriers to the delivery and efficacy of molecular and nano-medicines in tumors; developing new strategies to overcome these barriers; and then translating these strategies from bench to bedside. Jain has been a mentor to more than 200 master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral students from over a dozen different disciplines, he has received more than 75 awards from engineering and medical professional societies/institutions.