Faculty

Juan Pablo Vielma is a 2017 recipient of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers, in recognition of “their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service.” Vielma was nominated by the National Science Foundation for this award, which has been coordinated annually since 1996 by the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President.

The award was announced in January last year by the White House and conferred by then-President Obama, who praised the “impactful work” of award recipients. “These innovators are working to help keep the United States on the cutting edge, showing that federal investments in science lead to advancements that expand our knowledge of the world around us and contribute to our economy,” Obama said.

The Frances Perkins Center has named Tom Kochan as its 2018 Intelligence and Courage Award recipient, recognizing his outstanding work in the areas of social justice and economic security. These are causes to which Frances Perkins, the first female Cabinet secretary, as President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Secretary of Labor, devoted her career. Perkins was the author of many foundational New Deal labor and economic reforms. The award’s name derives from a 1929 speech when Perkins pledged (as a New York State Industrial Commissioner): “I promise to use what brains I have to meet problems with intelligence and courage.” Frances Perkins Center Board Member Allison Beck wrote: “Tom has dedicated his life’s work to the challenges facing working families. His research, scholarship, and teaching reflect the intelligence and courage with which Tom has always met the problems of our times.”

Thomas Kochan is the first-ever winner of the International Labour and Employment Relations Association Academic Excellence Award. This award, which will be given every three years, was created to recognize outstanding academic achievements in the field of labor and employment relations. The award selection committee, comprised of distinguished scholars from around the world, selected Kochan in recognition of his lifelong contributions to the field.