3 Indian Americans named Gold Nugget honorees by Texas university 

Three former Indian American students — Jaswinder “Jassi” Chadha, Vikram Jayaram and Punya Prakash — are among ten Gold Nugget Award recipients selected by The University of Texas at El Paso for excellence, commitment and incredible service.

“Their stories exemplify the values of UTEP and reinforce the influence UTEP graduates have on the professional world,” the university announced. The recipients will be recognized during the University’s Homecoming celebration from Nov 3 to Nov 9.

“These alumni are a testament to the excellent education UTEP offers,” said UTEP President Heather Wilson. “We are grateful to them for sharing their time, talents and resources with current UTEP students and I look forward to celebrating them at Homecoming.”

Each of UTEP’s colleges and schools select exceptional alumni to be recognized within their areas of study to receive the Gold Nugget Award. These recipients demonstrate excellence in their careers, contribute outstanding service to their community and alma mater, and are role models for current and future students, according to university release.

Three Indian American 2024 Gold Nugget Award recipients are:

Jaswinder “Jassi” Chadha,  MS in Industrial Engineering, 1992, College of Engineering.

Jaswinder Chadha is an entrepreneur and engineer that guides the path for students as it was once done for him. In 2000, Chadha founded marketRx, a sales optimization software company, which was acquired by Cognizant Technology Solutions for $135M. Chadha is now the President and CEO of Axtria, Inc., a big data analytics company helping companies make better data-driven decisions.

Chadha has contributed through the years to scholarship funds, and he was a member of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers at UTEP and has served as a member of the Mike Loya Advisory Council and the Blackstone Launchpad Stewardship Council, where he helped design entrepreneurship programs that empower UTEP students with the skills and resources to succeed.

Chadha’s contributions and involvement is in gratitude for UTEP playing a pivotal role in his professional career and to support the next generation of students.

Punya Prakash, MS in Electrical Engineering, 2009 and Vikram Jayaram, PhD in Electrical & Computer Engineering, 2009, College of Engineering.

Punya Prakash and Vikram Jayaram are engineers and innovators who are committed to higher education.

Prakash’s career began with internships at Texas Instruments and she has since climbed the ladder in the semiconductor industry. Today, she is the Vice President and General Manager of Infineon Technologies, a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing. Prakash’s contributions include extensive patents and publications, solidifying her reputation as an engineering trailblazer.

Jayaram’s career began at UTEP, where he was sponsored by NASA to pursue his doctorate and his passion for technology, data science and research formed. Following his postdoctoral fellowship at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, he became a research faculty member at the University of Oklahoma, a senior scientist at Global Geophysical Services and Sabre, and ultimately, Head of Data Science and Digital Transformation at Pioneer Natural Resources.

In founding Neuralix Inc., an award-winning AI company providing solutions to the energy and manufacturing sectors, Jayaram said he is guided by the principles he cultivated at UTEP and hopes to continue pushing the frontiers of artificial intelligence.

Prakash and Jayaram recently established the Punya and Vikram Jayaram Engineering Endowment. With the endowment, they seek to empower young minds, who, like them, can carry the spirit of UTEP into the world.