DALLAS, TX: Dr S. Somasegar, senior vice-president, Developer Division, Microsoft Corporation, received the 2008 Asian American Engineer of the Year (AAEOY) Award from the Chinese Institute of Engineers, USA (CIE/USA) in Texas on March 1.

The CIE/USA award, announced in association with the National Engineers Week (E-Week), recognizes outstanding Asian American contributions in science and engineering for their impact on the community. Dr Somasegar is among 15 awardees who have been honored with this accolade. "Receiving this award is a great achievement in my life, and a proud moment for me.

I would like to thank Microsoft for providing me with numerous opportunities to dream big and make those dreams come true, my friends, peers and family for believing in my capabilities, and the award selection committee for recognizing my achievements," Dr Somasegar said at the award ceremony. Dr Somasegar began his career at Microsoft Corp in 1989 as a software design engineer in the US, and worked his way up the corporate ladder to become the senior vice-president of the Developer Division in early 2008.

This division is primarily responsible for all the developer-related languages, tools and platforms within Microsoft, including Visual Studio, Web Platform and Tools, .NET Framework, Common Language Runtime (CLR), Windows Presentation Foundation and other .NET Developer Platform technologies. These products and technologies are critical to Microsoft's strategic mission of winning the hearts and minds of developers for the Microsoft platform. Dr Somasegar also started the Designer Tools business at Microsoft; its mission is to build a suite of products called Microsoft Expression for creative professionals.

Dr Somasegar also oversees the operations of the Microsoft India Development Center (MSIDC) in Hyderabad, India, which is the software giant's largest development center outside the headquarters in Redmond. Dr Somasegar received his degree in Computer Engineering from the State University of New York in Buffalo. He holds a Master's degree in Computer Engineering from Louisiana State University (1988), USA and a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Guindy Engineering College, Anna University, Chennai.

In November 2006, Dr Somasegar was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (honoris cuasa) degree by Anna University . He has won numerous other awards in technology, management and business excellence and holds several patents in technology.