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Indian American prof at UH named president of Texas Science Academy
Ganesh Thakur's term as president runs through 2027 and during this time, he plans to highlight Texas and Houston in particular as a hub for some of the country’s most accomplished scientists and researchers.
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Pranavi Sharma - Fri, 23, May 2025
- 22:56 EDT
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Ganesh Thakur. / University of Houston
Ganesh Thakur, a professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Houston’s (UH) Cullen College of Engineering, has been appointed president of the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology (TAMEST) — marking the first time in the organization’s history that a UH faculty member has held its top leadership role. He assumed the position in February 2025.
Thakur, who is of Indian origin, said his focus in the role is to elevate the work being done at the University of Houston and to create new opportunities for collaboration across Texas’s top research institutions.
“I want to give the University of Houston – my colleagues, our professors – more exposure. I want to create an opportunity for them to be more visible,” he told UH. “This is where the best professors from UH, the best from the University of Texas at Austin, the best from Texas A&M University and the best from around the state get to collaborate.”
TAMEST, which includes more than 350 members of the National Academies and eight Nobel laureates, is considered the state’s highest-level scientific body. Its mission is to bring leading experts together to solve practical problems that impact communities, from disease vaccination to renewable energy storage.
“Our professors get to see what our colleagues are doing in other universities,” Thakur said. “It really creates a positive motivation and inspiration for our professors.”
As president, Thakur is responsible for overseeing TAMEST’s operations and organizing its annual conference, which brings together scientists, engineers, and medical researchers from across the country. The next conference is scheduled to take place in San Antonio in February 2026 and will focus on climate change and climate-related research.
“I was a champion of this topic,” Thakur told UH. “It’s important for people working in these fields to know what kind of impact climate issues have on our society and our people.”
His term as president runs through 2027. During this time, he plans to highlight Texas and Houston in particular as a hub for some of the country’s most accomplished scientists and researchers.
“Ganesh’s role at TAMEST will give UH’s scientists and professors the exposure they deserve,” said Pradeep Sharma, dean of the Cullen College of Engineering. “Our faculty rank among the best in the world, and together the members of TAMEST will achieve great things.”
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