PHILADELPHIA -- Krishna Singh has made the largest single gift in the history of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania.  

The $20 million gift will create the Krishna P. Singh Center for Nanotechnology, a planned 100,000 square-foot facility that will serve not only the Penn campus but the entire Philadelphia region.  It will function as a crossroads of multi-disciplinary fundamental and translational research, education and innovation.

"Kris Singh has supported his alma mater in many important ways throughout the years," Penn President Amy Gutmann said.  "This far-reaching gift reflects his lifetime commitment to learning and leading as well as Penn's commitment to be at the forefront in advancing nanotechnology research.  We are very grateful for Kris's extraordinarily generous support."

Singh is the founder, president and chief executive officer of Holtec International in Marlton, N.J., an energy-technology company he established in 1986.  Holtec customers include more than 150 U.S. power-generation stations and more than 80 commercial nuclear-power plants.  More than 80 percent of all spent nuclear fuel produced in the United States, South Korea, Mexico, Brazil, Taiwan and the United Kingdom is stored with Holtec equipment.

"Nanotechnology will influence education and scientific research throughout the world," Engineering Dean Eduardo Glandt said.  "We are pleased that Kris has so generously contributed to making Penn a leader in this field.  Those who know him understand that this is a gift from the heart.  His wise counsel and investment in the future of Penn Engineering will leave an indelible mark."

Singh is a member of the SEAS Board of Overseers and has served as an adjunct professor of mechanical engineering at Penn.  He is a member of the American Nuclear Society, a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a director of the Nuclear Energy Institute.  He received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering in 1972 from Penn and a master's in engineering mechanics in 1969, also from Penn.

Singh divides his time between his primary residence in Jupiter, Fla., and a New Jersey home near Holtec headquarters.  

Together with his wife, Martha, and their children, Amy and Kris, Singh provides charitable donations for health and education research projects through the KPS Foundation.