Praveen Sekhar, associate professor of electrical engineering at WSU Vancouver, has been named a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Based in London, the RSC is the oldest chemical society in the world, with more than 54,000 members across 40 countries. It champions the chemical sciences in a broad sense, and membership is interdisciplinary. The fellow designation signifies a high level of professional accomplishment that has advanced the field. Sekhar was recognized for his contributions to the study of electrochemical sensors—research that has spanned more than 15 years of his career. He is a member of RSC’s Electroanalytical Sensing Systems Group, which promotes the study of electroanalytical chemistry.
Sekhar came to WSU Vancouver in 2011 after two years as a postdoctoral research associate at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He directs WSU Vancouver’s Nanomaterials-Sensor laboratory. Among his research interests is the Internet of Things, encompassing the development of sensors and antennas aided by the convergence of human intelligence and artificial intelligence. His research on low-cost gas sensors, which he began at WSU Vancouver, won him the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship to collaborate with the University of Cologne, Germany, as well as speaking engagements at Yamagata University in Japan.
Since joining WSU, Sekhar has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles in international publications, including a high-impact venue titled Nanoscale published by the RSC; and has made more than 30 presentations at international conferences. He is the associate editor of the Journal of the Electrochemical Society and vice-chair of its sensors division. He currently chairs the council of faculty representatives at the Vancouver campus and the academic affairs committee for WSU systemwide. He was recently inducted as a member of the WSU Teaching Academy.
In April, in recognition of his dedication to diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice, Sekhar received an MLK Spirit Award from WSU. He has a special interest in broadening participation in engineering, particularly among women and nontraditional students. He is an executive member of iUrbanTeen, a national organization that encourages underrepresented middle and high school students to pursue STEM careers.
