Subra Suresh, an eminent Indian- origin scientist in the US has been named as the President of Singapore's prestigious Nanyang Technological University.

Suresh, 61, will begin his term as the fourth president of the NTU on January 1, 2018, taking over from current president Bertil Andersson.

Prof Suresh joins NTU from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) where he was President for the last four years.

Suresh is considered one of the most distinguished scientists in the US, if not the world. He was chosen by former US President Barack Obama to serve as Director of the National Science Foundation, the agency charged with advancing science and engineering research and education in the US between 2010 and 2013.

His undergraduate degree was from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras in Chennai. In 2013, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in the US. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, making him one of the only 19 American scientists to be elected to all three branches.

He also holds the distinction of being the first Asian- born professor to have served as engineering dean of the famed Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he attained his doctorate in science.

In 2011, Suresh was honoured with the Padma Shri by the President of India.