Three Indian American professionals — Siva Pilli, Nikitha Sambamurthy, and Sutyajeet Soneja — are among the 2026-2028 cohort of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s New Voices program.
New Voices aims to expand the expertise engaged in the work of the National Academies while developing a network of U.S. leaders to address national and global challenges, according to a media release.
“Now more than ever, we need to nurture the next generation of talented American researchers, who are the future leaders of the U.S. science and innovation enterprise,” said Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences announcing the new cohort.
Pilli, based in Richland, Washington, is director of strategic planning at Dassault Systèmes, where he supports long-range planning across advanced manufacturing, life sciences and healthcare, and infrastructure and cities. His career spans global industry, national laboratories, and professional engineering organizations.
Before joining Dassault Systèmes, he worked at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where he led U.S. Department of Energy-funded programs linking government, industry, academia, and small businesses to advance emerging technologies from research to deployment.
He has also held leadership roles in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers and has represented the United States at international engineering forums.
Sambamurthy, founder of Building Better Learning in Avon, Ohio, works at the intersection of engineering education, learning science, and digital learning. Her work focuses on evidence-based design and evaluation of educational technologies, including AI-powered tools.
Over the past decade, she has helped develop digital learning products used by more than one million STEM students, with an emphasis on assessment design and measuring student reasoning and critical thinking at scale. She holds a doctorate in engineering education from Purdue University and has been recognized with the university’s “38 by 38” award for outstanding alumni.
Soneja is an associate scientist at the Center for Outbreak Response and Innovation at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and is based in Ellicott City, Maryland. He has more than 15 years of experience in global environmental health, exposure science, and science policy.
His previous roles include work at MITRE on nationwide COVID-19 testing efforts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and contributions to health security initiatives, including the launch of ARPA-H.
He has also served as a senior epidemiologist with Resolve to Save Lives, advised local Covid-19 response efforts in North Carolina, and worked as a science diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Italy. His research has focused on air pollution, climate change, and maternal and child health, particularly in South Asia.
During their two-year term of service, the new group of 20 outstanding mid-career scientists, engineers, and medical professionals may participate in the National Academies’ consensus and convening activities, develop their own interdisciplinary projects, and continue building a robust network of emerging STEM leaders across the U.S. and around the world.
Members of previous cohorts have served on over 40 National Academies committees and represented U.S. mid-career STEM voices in more than 100 engagements at major international and domestic events as speakers, planning committee members, and attendees.