Houston, Texas: Ganesh Thakur Named President of Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology, Aiming to Elevate Houston's Research Profile

Houston, TX – Ganesh Thakur, a professor specializing in petroleum engineering at the Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, will take on the role of president of the Texas The Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology (TAMEST) will commence operations beginning February 2025. This appointment is notable as it represents the first occasion a faculty member from the University of Houston has held the top leadership position within the organization.

Thakur, of Indian descent, plans to use his presidency through 2027 to highlight Houston and Texas as premier centers for scientific research and innovation. He aims to foster collaboration among Texas's top research institutions—including UH, the University of Texas at Austin, and Texas A&M—and raise awareness of groundbreaking work underway at UH.

TAMEST, with more than 350 National Academy members and eight Nobel laureates, is Texas's leading scientific organization, dedicated to uniting experts to tackle real-world issues such as vaccine development and renewable energy.

As president, Thakur will oversee TAMEST's activities and lead the planning of its annual conference, scheduled for February 2026 in San Antonio, which will focus on climate change and its societal impacts—an issue Thakur strongly advocates.

Pradeep Sharma, dean of the Cullen College of Engineering at UH, commended Thakur's leadership, highlighting that it will rightly spotlight UH’s world-class faculty and foster outstanding accomplishments via TAMEST’s network.