ORLANDO, FL, 06-SEP-06 --

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] employee Abhijit Mahalanobis was recently named ‘2006 Scientist of the Year’ by the Minorities in Research Science (MIRS) organization. The award, which he will accept at the 2006 MIRS Award Conference later this month, is the highest honor given at the conference.

Mahalanobis is a technical lead and manager for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control’s Signal Imaging and Processing group in the Research & Technology organization, and is recognized corporate-wide and nationally for the high levels of accomplishment he has achieved in his technical field.

“Abhijit is the most brilliant innovator and research team leader I have observed in my 25-year career in Research and Development,” said Mike Dudzik, director of Research and Technology at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Not only has he made extensive original technical contributions to new theories in Correlation Pattern Recognition, he has reduced his theories into practical algorithms which are at the foundation of several key products. Furthermore, university research groups worldwide are using his theories to address image processing challenges in other fields.”

As a recognized and respected leader in pattern recognition, signal and imaging processing with specific emphasis on automatic target recognition (ATR), Mahalanobis’ role as technical lead in various research and technology ATR development efforts has been critical to sustaining Lockheed Martin as the industry leader in advanced technologies. He has a sustained record of technical achievement and leadership by pioneering new approaches in the field of correlation pattern recognition.

Mahalanobis demonstrates outstanding leadership skills as a research team leader, and directs a diverse team of highly focused professionals that has consistently exceeded performance metrics.

Recently, his team’s breakthrough research led to Lockheed Martin winning a key role in the Army's Future Combat System.

Mahalanobis earned his doctorate and master’s degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg, PA. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from University of California at Santa Barbara.

Mahalanobis has also received several other awards, including the prestigious NOVA award that recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Corporation’s mission and business objectives. Less than one-half of one percent of Lockheed Martin’s 135,000 employees receive the NOVA award each year. Mahalanobis has also been named a Lockheed Martin “Fellow,” an honor reserved for the top one percent of technical talent across the corporation, used to recognize and encourage the highest levels of accomplishment by individual contributors in technical fields.

The 2006 MIRS Awards Conference will take place September 15-16 in Baltimore, MD. The winner of the Scientist of the Year award is someone who advances critical knowledge, driving development of new lines of products and services that reshape industry's tools and offerings. The Scientist of the Year works on the cutting edge of basic research or process control and is a research team leader whose blend of scientific knowledge and managerial expertise lifts an entire organization to new levels of achievement.