Fulay appointed program director of NSF Convergence Accelerator program

Pradeep Fulay, professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering atthe Statler College, has been appointed to serve as the program director of a newly created program at the National Science Foundation. (WVU Photo/Paige Nesbit)

Pradeep Fulay, professor and former associate dean of research in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resourcesat West Virginia University, has been appointed to serve as program director ofthe new Convergence Accelerator program at the National Science Foundation (NSF).

By Adrianne Uphold
Graduate Assistant

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

The Convergence Accelerator program is designed to accelerate use-inspired, convergence research in areas of national importance via partnerships between academic and non-academic stakeholders.

“I will be working with other researchers at different universities, national labs, government entities, and private sectors to create solutions toproblems,” Fulay, of the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, said. “Our goal is to promote an ecosystem of seeking convergence in research to tackle some of the most urgent and difficult problems we face and come up with deliverables.”

Fulay explained that the program is designed to be a unique platform that will involve more people collaborating on complex problems to formulate solutions.

“I am honored to be part of this new program at NSF,” Fulay said. “This is a unique program aimed at enhancing and promoting large scale, interdisciplinary research, that is founded on convergent partnerships between industry, academia and national laboratories. Areas that this program has made recent investments in include quantum computing, future of work, the COVID-19 pandemic and harnessing data revolution”

Fulay will be leading the launch of several research projects involving academia, industry, and national laboratories. He will be working with colleagues at NSF to develop and grow future tracks and funding opportunities.

“We are extremely happy to have Dr. Pradeep Fulay join the NSF,” Douglas Maughan, inaugural office head for NSF, said. “Fulay has a very good understanding of the challenges of many different areas of science and engineering technologies and a breadth of understanding across multiple disciplines, which will be particularly valuable for the Convergence Accelerator program.”

Fulay’s research career has been focused on advanced materials, specifically, nanomaterials, electronic devices, smart materials, flexible electronics, energy technologies and biomaterials. Fulay, who is an elected Fellow of the American Ceramic Society, has been a leading engineering educator for the past thirty years.

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