Kalyana Nakshatrala, Carl F. Gauss Professor and Associate Chair of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering, has been elected to the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) User Executive Committee (UEC).
This is a distinguished, national leadership role within the U.S. Department of Energy research community. His three-year term started in October 2025.
EMSL is a scientific user facility sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science and operated as part of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The facility supports thousands of researchers by providing state-of-the-art experimental, computational, and analytical capabilities to advance the understanding of molecular and environmental processes central to national scientific priorities.
The UEC serves as a vital advisory body for the EMSL user community, offering strategic guidance on facility operations, research direction, instrument development and the annual EMSL User Meeting.
Nakshatrala is one of three newly elected members of the UEC and will represent the Computing, Analytics, and Modeling science area.
“EMSL is a national asset, and I am honored to join EMSL’s User Executive Committee,” Nakshatrala said. “Its unique integration of experimental capabilities with advanced computational resources creates an unparalleled environment for scientific discovery. I look forward to contributing to EMSL’s mission and supporting the evolving needs of the user community.”
Jay Bardhan, Ph.D., group leader of Computing, Analytics, and Modeling at EMSL, said, “We are excited and grateful that Professor Nakshatrala has joined the EMSL User Executive Committee. His expertise and perspectives will help us improve users’ experience in working with EMSL, which is critical to advancing the community’s interests in computing, analytics, and modeling (CAM) research.”
Roberto Ballarini, the chairman of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, added, “Professor Nakshatrala’s extraordinary expertise in science, modeling, applied mathematics, and computation—combined with his exemplary communication skills and passion for collaboration—will undoubtedly contribute to EMSL’s mission.”
“This recognition reflects not only Professor Nakshatrala’s outstanding scholarly achievements but also the University of Houston’s growing prominence in high-performance computing and environmental modeling,” said Pradeep Sharma, Dean of the Cullen College of Engineering.
Nakshatrala emphasized that this achievement is a collective success.
“The university and the department have strongly supported my computational research by providing outstanding resources, including those offered through the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Data Science Institute,” he said.
Nakshatrala also highlighted the broader impact of his appointment.
“Serving on the EMSL User Executive Committee will strengthen the University of Houston’s partnerships with federal laboratories and expand opportunities for our faculty and students to engage in world-class research,” he said.