Alumnus Wins Presidential Award

August 8, 2019 - Samueli School electrical and computer engineering alumnus Salvatore Campione has won a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the U.S. government’s most prestigious recognition of young researchers in those fields.

Campione received his award, which included $25,000 in research support, at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on July 25. Nominated by the Department of Energy, he was recognized for “pioneering work in metamaterial and nanophotonic design, capability development in accurately predicting electromagnetic-pulse consequences on the U.S. power grid, and for excellence in engaging with the external scientific community and mentoring junior staff."

An electromagnetic analyst at the Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Campione earned his doctorate at UC Irvine in 2013. He works on national security projects that include analysis and modeling for lightning, electromagnetic pulse effects and radiation, and fundamental research and design in metamaterials and nanophotonics.

An author on more than 80 peer-reviewed journal articles, two book chapters and more than 120 conference papers, Campione has been awarded three patents. He is a member of several professional societies, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the International Union of Radio Science, and is an associate editor for the peer-reviewed journals URSI Radio Science Letters and the Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society Journal.

Established in 1996, the PECASE award acknowledges contributions to the advancement of science, technology, education and mathematics education and to community service through scientific leadership, public education and community outreach.

- Anna Lynn Spitzer