MP Grad Earns Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

University of North Carolina (UNC) researcher Thomas L. Kash, Ph.D. and Miller Place Class of 1995, has received the highest honor possible for scientists early in their careers.

Kash was named as one of 94 researchers receiving the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers. He is receiving the award at a ceremony at the White House in October.

“It is inspiring to see the innovative work being done by these scientists and engineers as they ramp up their careers—careers that I know will be not only personally rewarding but also invaluable to the Nation,” President Barack Obama said in a release. “That so many of them are also devoting time to mentoring and other forms of community service speaks volumes about their potential for leadership, not only as scientists but as model citizens.”

Kash is an assistant professor in the pharmacology department and the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at the UNC School of Medicine.

He and the rest of the award winners receive research grants of up to five years to further studies that support critical government missions. Kash was honored for his research program on the effects of alcohol on neural circuits in the brain.

Read more on Kash and the award on UNC's website. Read the original press release from the Office of the Press Secretary on Whitehouse.gov.