Dennis Kekas inducted into Thomas Green Clemson Academy of Engineers and Scientists and three Outstanding Young Alumni honored

Dennis H. Kekas was inducted into the Thomas Green Clemson Academy of Engineers and Scientists, and three Outstanding Young Alumni were celebrated at a May 1 gala on the rooftop terrace of the Watt Family Innovation Center.

Membership in the academy is the highest honor bestowed by Clemson University’s College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences. This year’s Outstanding Young Alumni were Caitlyn Miller, Sai Aditya Pradeep, and Ali Tohidi.

“On behalf of the Clemson Family, congratulations to our honorees,” said the college’s dean, Anand Gramopadhye. “You are exemplary ambassadors for Clemson, and we are eternally grateful.”

Friends, family and supporters gathered to help celebrate the honorees. The awards presentation included videos that can be viewed here.

The academy was established to give special recognition to college alumni and friends who have made major contributions to their professions and have brought significant distinction to the college and University.

The Outstanding Young Alumni Award is reserved for graduates of the college who are 40 years old or younger and have made significant achievements to their profession or the welfare of society.

Here is a look at each of this year’s honorees:

Thomas Green Clemson Academy of Engineers and Scientists

Dennis H. Kekas

Kekas, a 1959 electrical engineering graduate, has achieved significant accomplishments in innovation, entrepreneurship, and public service throughout his career. Following three decades at IBM, he helped lead the development of groundbreaking technologies, including a trading system for the New York Stock Exchange, point-of-sale products, optical scanners, and networking infrastructure technologies.

In 1996, Kekas joined North Carolina State University, serving as associate vice chancellor for Centennial Campus Partnerships which included the launch of a major Department of Energy Advanced Manufacturing Institute for wide bandgap power electronics. He is currently a professor of practice, advising on R&D strategies, and earlier chaired a successful startup commercializing optical technologies.

A dedicated supporter of Clemson for decades, Kekas previously served as president of the Clemson Alumni Association and currently chairs the Clemson University Research Foundation Board. His numerous honors include Clemson’s Distinguished Service Award and North Carolina’s “The Order of the Long Leaf Pine.”

Outstanding Young Alumni

Caitlyn Miller

Miller earned her bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering from Clemson in 2016 and completed her Ph.D. in bioengineering at Stanford University under Nobel Laureate Carolyn Bertozzi. She is co-founder and CEO of TwoStep Therapeutics, a startup advancing targeted cancer therapies. Miller previously served as the first Postdoctoral Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Stanford’s Innovative Medicines Accelerator and has helped raise more than $8 million in venture capital. Miller’s work has resulted in multiple publications and patents.

Sai Aditya Pradeep

Pradeep received his master’s in materials science in 2016 and Ph.D. in automotive engineering in 2021 from Clemson. He played a key role in several multimillion-dollar projects at the Clemson Composites Center, including the development of the world’s first ultra-lightweight thermoplastic composite door, recognized with multiple national awards. Pradeep is now the scientific program manager for the Artificially Intelligent Manufacturing Paradigm for Composites at the University of Delaware, continuing his impactful research in advanced manufacturing and sustainability.

Ali Tohidi

Tohidi completed his Ph.D. in civil engineering at Clemson in 2016 and currently serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland. Recognized as a leading expert in wildfire modeling and mitigation, his research is widely published and cited, and he holds multiple patents in fire science. Tohidi has served as a principal investigator on numerous projects funded by the National Science Foundation, industry and other institutions, and he has testified before Congress as an expert witness on fire weather prediction.