Six Nigerian scientists and engineers were honoured by US President Joe Biden as part of the 400 recipients for the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in the United States.

The award, which was created by former US President Bill Clinton in 1996, is the highest honour  granted by the US government to exceptional engineers and scientists still in the early stages of their careers.

President Joe Biden selected this year’s recipients from 14 US government agencies that have been earmarked for their groundbreaking contributions to science, engineering, and technology.

The Nigerians include:

Azeez Butali, Gilbert Lilly Endowed Professor of Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Iowa.

Ijeoma Opara, Associate Professor of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences), Yale School of Public Health, Yale University.

Oluwatomi Akindele, Postdoctoral Researcher, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Eno Ebong, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biology, Northeastern University.

Oluwasanmi Koyejo, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Stanford University.

Abidemi Ajiboye, Executive Vice Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case School of Engineering, Case Western Reserve University.

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President Bola Tinubu hailed the Nigerians through an official statement by his special adviser on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

Tinubu said their achievement “underscores Nigerians’ vast potential to excel both at home and on the global stage” and noted that he “looks forward to the honorees sharing their multidisciplinary expertise to benefit Nigeria’s development efforts under the Renewed Hope Agenda.”