Haren S. Gandhi (May 2, 1941 – January 23, 2010) was an American inventor and engineer, a recipient of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation, noted for his research and inventions in the field of automotive exhaust catalysts. Ford:Ford Mourns Loss of Research Pioneer, Exemplary Role Model;By John Fossen;Jan-27-2010 National Academy of Engineering;Memorial Tributes: Volume 15 (2011);Haren S. Gandhi;by Derrick M. Kuzak Platinum Metals Review Journal;Volume 55;Issue 1;Jan 2011;Pages 43-53;Haren Gandhi 1941–2010: Contributions to the Development and Implementation of Catalytic Emissions Control Systems Gandhi was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1999 "for contributions to the research and development of automotive catalysts". Gandhi held 61 U.S. patents. He was also the director of chemical engineering and a Henry Ford Technical Fellow at the Ford Motor Company. New York Times:An Inventor in a Business Suit, With None of the Usual Angst;By KIRK JOHNSON; May 28, 1995 President George W. Bush presented Gandhi with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation at the White House in 2003. The National Academy of Engineering called Gandhi "one of the world's foremost authorities in the area of automotive emissions control".
Chronology
1941: born on May 2 in Calcutta, India as Harendra Sakarlal Gandhi 1963: first class honours degree from the Department of Chemical Technology at the University of Bombay (now ICT Mumbai) 1967: joins Ford Motor Company as a research scientist 1967: M.S., the University of Detroit 1971: Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, the University of Detroit 1999: elected to the National Academy of Engineering 2003: George W. Bush's the National Medal of Technology and Innovation 2010: died on January 23
Legacy In 2010 the Ford Motor Company introduced the Haren Gandhi Research and Innovation Award in his honor for his contributions in the field of automotive exhaust catalysts and as one of its employees. It is awarded annually by Ford to members of its staff as the company's highest technical award, given to outstanding technical individuals for their significant contributions in their field of study. Award winners: Yan Fu (2025), Christine Lambert (2024), Mark Nichols (2023), Vasiliy Krivtsov (2021), Gopichandra Surnilla (2020), Saeed Barbat (2019), Suzhou Huang (2019), Mrdjan Jankovic (2018), Pete Friedman (2017), Jeff Greenberg (2016), Debbie Mielewski (2015), Elizabeth Baron (2014), Louis Tijerina (2013), Tim Wallington (2011), and Dimitar Filev (2010).
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