Praveen Sekhar
Praveen Kumar Sekhar, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at Washington State University Vancouver (WSU-V) and Chair of the ECS Sensors Division, received the Governor’s Outstanding Leadership Award for exceptional leadership and a longstanding commitment to public service and the communities he serves.
Prof. Sekhar will also receive the 2026 ECS Sensor Division Outstanding Achievement Award during the 250th ECS Meeting Plenary Session in Calgary, Canada, on October 26, 2026. He will present his award talk, “Printed Sensors, Reconfigurable RF Devices, and Emerging Quantum Platforms: Engineering the Future of Intelligent Sensing Systems,” on October 28.
Governor’s Outstanding Leadership Award
Washington State’s Governor’s Outstanding Leadership Award (GOLP) is an annual award recognizing state employees who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through performance results. Washington State University Provost and Executive Vice President T. Chris Riley-Tillman said that Prof. Sekhar’s contributions “…have strengthened the School of Engineering and Computer Sciences, enriched the student experience, and advanced the mission of WSU-V. We are proud to celebrate this achievement and grateful for the many ways (he has) made a lasting impact on our university and beyond.”
Praveen Sekhar
An internationally recognized engineer, educator, and scholar, Prof. Sekhar’s work advances sensing technologies and expands opportunities for students and communities historically underserved in STEM. At WSU-V, he leads an interdisciplinary research program spanning electrochemical and quantum sensing, wireless sensor systems, machine learning, and advanced manufacturing.
Prof. Sekhar earned his BE from the Coimbatore Institute of Technology in 2001 and his MS and PhD from the University of South Florida in 2005 and 2008, respectively. He has secured more than $2.25 million in research funding for projects addressing healthcare, food security, environmental monitoring, and sustainable agriculture. His work has fostered collaborations among academia, industry, government agencies, and community partners.
An ECS member since 2000, Prof. Sekhar serves as a Technical Editor of the Journal of The Electrochemical Society along with chairing the ECS Sensors Division. His many honors include the Washington State University Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence and Chancellor’s Award for Advancing Equity. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, and Fulbright Specialist.
A dedicated mentor and community leader, Prof. Sekhar has created educational and workforce-development pathways through partnerships with Tribal nations, K–12 schools, and community organizations that empower the next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators.