Dr. S.V. Sreenivasan Recognized with O'Donnell Award in Technology Innovation for Pioneering Work in Imprint Lithography

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Molecular Imprints, Inc., the market and technology leader for nanopatterning systems and solutions, and The University of Texas at Austin today announced that Dr. S.V. Sreenivasan (co-founder and chief technology officer of Molecular Imprints, and professor and Thornton Centennial Faculty Fellow in mechanical engineering at the university) is the recipient of the 2010 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in Technology Innovation. The O'Donnell Award in Technology Innovation recognizes outstanding achievements by a Texas-based researcher whose work meets the highest standards of professional performance, creativity and resourcefulness. With the goal of positioning Texas as a national research leader, the Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST) selects O'Donnell Award winners in four categories: technology innovation, engineering, science and medicine. Recognized in the category of technology innovation for his work in developing imprint lithography as both a Texas university researcher and high-tech entrepreneur, Dr. Sreenivasan is an invited speaker at the 2010 annual TAMEST conference attended by many of the state's leading thinkers and researchers. The TAMEST conference is being held on January 7-8, 2010 in Austin.

"Dr. Sreenivasan is a deserving winner of the O'Donnell Award in Technology Innovation, as his work not only gave birth to an innovative technology that will enable the affordable manufacturing of incredibly small feature designs on leading-edge applications, but serves as an exemplary model for how Texas research institutions and the private sector can partner together," said Mark Melliar-Smith, CEO of Molecular Imprints. "Molecular Imprints, which is now a rapidly growing company, is a stellar example of commercial development based on university research."

Gregory L. Fenves, dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering, added, "We are delighted that Professor Sreenivasan has been recognized with this prestigious award. His pioneering work with Professor Grant Willson and their students at The University of Texas at Austin, coupled with venture capitalists and seasoned professionals from the private sector, have commercialized a new and innovative nanotechnology. The end result is that an idea, which began in a Texas university, has now become a growing company serving customers around the world."

Today, Molecular Imprints, located in Austin, employs over 145 people and is delivering pilot-production systems to leading manufacturers seeking to take advantage of its resolution and cost-of-ownership advantages for the future volume production of high-density memory devices. At Molecular Imprints, Dr. Sreenivasan has led interdisciplinary projects to create tools, masks, materials and processes to deploy imprint lithography for the semiconductor and hard disk drive industries, while also developing market opportunities in emerging biomedical and clean energy applications. In addition to his corporate leadership roles, Dr. Sreenivasan remains a professor of mechanical engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, where he is also a Thornton Centennial Faculty Fellow in Engineering. One of Texas' prominent technologists, he was named a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2005, holds over 60 U.S. patents and is the recipient of several awards, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Leonardo da Vinci Machine Design Award.

About The University of Texas at Austin Cockrell School of Engineering:

The Cockrell School ranks among the top ten engineering programs in the United States. With the nation's fourth highest number of faculty members elected to the National Academy of Engineering, the Cockrell School's more than 7,000 students work with many of the world's finest engineering educators and researchers. This environment prepares graduates to become engineering leaders and innovators working for the betterment of society.

About Molecular Imprints, Inc.:

Molecular Imprints, Inc. (MII) is the technology leader for high-resolution, low cost-of-ownership nanopatterning systems and solutions in the hard disk drive (HDD) and semiconductor industries. MII is leveraging its innovative Jet and Flash(TM) Imprint Lithography (J-FIL(TM)) technology with IntelliJet(TM) material application to become the worldwide market and technology leader in high-volume patterning solutions for storage and memory devices, while enabling emerging markets in clean energy, biotechnology, and other industries. MII enables nanoscale patterning by delivering a comprehensive nanopatterning solution that is affordable, compatible and extendible to sub-10-nanometer resolution levels. For more information, visit www.molecularimprints.com.

SOURCE Molecular Imprints, Inc.