Indian-Origin US Professor Honoured For Outstanding Contribution To Energy

An award-winning Indian-origin distinguished professor at the University of Houston's Cullen College of Engineering has been elected as an International Fellow of the Engineering Academy of Japan, the university said in a statement.

Originally from a small village in Karnataka, Professor Kaushik Rajashekara has been recognised for his contributions to power conversion and electrification of transportation, the statement said on Thursday.

According to the academy, Mr Rajashekara's election as an international fellow specifically honours his "outstanding scientific research and scientific-technical developments in the field of energy which promote greater efficiency and environmental security for energy sources on the Earth in the interests of all mankind".

Mr Rajashekara, 73, stands among an elite group of fewer than 10 fellows from the US, out of a distinguished group comprising 800 fellows and 15 international fellows.

"I am deeply honoured to have been chosen as an International Fellow of the Engineering Academy of Japan, a distinction that I hold in high regard. This recognition reflects the longstanding relationships I've cultivated with several esteemed Japanese universities and industries throughout my career," said Mr Rajashekara, the director of the University of Houston's power programme PEMSEC (Power Electronics, Microgrids and Subsea Electrical Systems Centre).

For over three decades Mr Rajashekara has worked with Japanese students, engineers and the faculty of several Japanese universities.

As the former lead propulsion system engineer for General Motors' IMPACT electric vehicle and as chief technologist at Rolls-Royce Corporation, he visited Japan often to give seminars at Meiji University among others.

In 2022, Mr Rajashekara received the most coveted prize in the field of international energy -- the Global Energy Prize -- bestowed by the Global Energy Association.

Only three people in the world were selected in 2022 for the honour out of a record 119 nominations from 43 countries.

As a self-described "futurist", Mr Rajashekara is confident that flying cars are the next big thing, the statement added. 

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