SAN DIEGO, CA – Indian-American scientist Saket Navlakha has received a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation, totaling more than $1 million over the next five years. An assistant professor in the integrative biology laboratory at the La Jolla, based Salk Institute for Biological Studies and a Pioneer Fund Developmental chair, Navlakha received the CAREER award to fund his proposed study, “Algorithms in nature:
uncovering principles of plant structure, growth, and adaptation,” the institute stated in a press release.
The goal of this project, it said, “is to elucidate the naturally occurring algorithms in biological systems, such as the branching of a tree in search for light, and compare the network design strategies and optimization principles to that of developing neurons in the brain and human engineered transportation structures.”
The results of his study will help reveal the basic patterns that evolution has used to design these systems and will offer an improved understanding of how these natural networks process information and function in both health and disease, the institute explained. “Saket’s work is as innovative as it is interdisciplinary, with an approach that spans the fields of plant biology, computer science and neuroscience to reveal fascinating patterns in nature, including the brain,” said Rusty Gage, president of the Salk Institute. “We are grateful that his research is being recognized and supported by the NSF, as it will help advance our understanding of how mathematics is intrinsically linked with the natural world, with relevance to topics as diverse as finding the causes of Alzheimer’s disease or enhancing crop yields.” Navlakha received his Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Maryland and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University.
The goal of this project, it said, “is to elucidate the naturally occurring algorithms in biological systems, such as the branching of a tree in search for light, and compare the network design strategies and optimization principles to that of developing neurons in the brain and human engineered transportation structures.”
The results of his study will help reveal the basic patterns that evolution has used to design these systems and will offer an improved understanding of how these natural networks process information and function in both health and disease, the institute explained. “Saket’s work is as innovative as it is interdisciplinary, with an approach that spans the fields of plant biology, computer science and neuroscience to reveal fascinating patterns in nature, including the brain,” said Rusty Gage, president of the Salk Institute. “We are grateful that his research is being recognized and supported by the NSF, as it will help advance our understanding of how mathematics is intrinsically linked with the natural world, with relevance to topics as diverse as finding the causes of Alzheimer’s disease or enhancing crop yields.” Navlakha received his Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Maryland and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University.
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