PROVIDENCE, RI - Rhode Island Governor Gina M. Raimondo has appointed Dr. Nitin Padture to the Atomic Energy Commission (the Commission).
"Atomic energy is not only one of the nation's alternative energy sources, but it is also one of the future's great hopes for advancements in medicine, biotechnology, physics, material science, and other engineering and technology fields," said Raimondo. "The Commission plays a key role in ensuring that Rhode Islanders have the resources to take part and shape these advancements in technology, as well as have an impact on how atomic energy and nuclear technology fit into the STEM education of our students. I am confident that Dr. Padture will add incredible expertise to the Commission and I thank him for agreeing to be a part of this work."
"I am honored and excited about serving on the the Commission," said Dr. Nitin Padture. "I am passionate about energy and STEM (science-technology-engineering-math) issues, and I hope to bring my experience in those areas to the Commission."
Dr. Padture has been a Professor in the School of Engineering at Brown University since January 2012 and was appointed Director of Brown's Institute for Molecular and Nanoscale Innovation in January 2014. Dr. Padture previously worked in the College of Engineering at the Ohio State University (OSU) as a Distinguished Professor and was also the founding Director of the National Science Foundation-funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at OSU. He received B.Tech. in Metallurgical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (1985), M.S. in Ceramic Engineering from Alfred University (1987), and Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from Lehigh University (1991). Dr. Padture was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Gaithersburg, MD) before joining the University of Connecticut (UConn) faculty in January 1995 as Assistant Professor. He became Associate Professor in 1998 and Professor in 2003. Dr. Padture served as Interim Department Head at UConn for one year before moving to OSU in January 2005.
Dr. Padture's research and teaching interests are in the broad areas of advanced ceramics and nanomaterials, impacting energy, transportation, and defense sectors of the economy. Dr. Padture has published over 160 papers, is a co-inventor on four awarded patents, and has delivered over 170 speeches in the U.S. and abroad.
The Commission plays a vital role in building the infrastructure to provide education and research capabilities that ensure Rhode Island is positioned to participate in the nuclear technology world.