The Â鶹AV honored faculty research excellence during its annual Research Recognition Ceremony. The event was held April 18 at the LITE Center.
“Research is at the heart of discovery and innovation and is the index by which strong communities and nations are measured. It is also how universities are measured by groups such as Carnegie,” said Dr. Ramesh Kolluru, vice president for Research, Innovation, and Economic Development.
The University was designated as a Research 1 University by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education in 2021. Just 3% of public and private universities in the United States have achieved this top-tier status.
“It is through the tireless efforts of researchers, like those we honor today, that we are able to make strides in advancing our understanding of the world around us,” said Kolluru during the ceremony.
Award recipients from 2021-2022 were honored. Honorees by category include:
Research Excellence Award
These awards recognize senior faculty members who have demonstrated exceptional research and scholarship in their respective colleges.
College of the Arts
Ms. Liane Hancock
B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration
Dr. Ignatius Cahyanto
College of Education & Human Development
Dr. Tori Flint
College of Engineering
Dr. Emad Habib
College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Fabrice Leroy
College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Dr. Jennifer Lemoine
Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Dr. James Albert
Rising Star Award
These awards recognize junior faculty members showing great promise in scholarship in their respective colleges.
College of the Arts

Mr. Scott Durbin
B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration

Dr. Kelly Green
College of Education & Human Development

Dr. Ismatara Reena
College of Engineering

Dr. Robert Miller
College of Liberal Arts 

Dr. Stephenson Waters
College of Nursing & Health Sciences 

Dr. Scott Sittig
Ray P. Authement College of Sciences 

Dr. Ritwij Kulkarni
Outstanding Doctoral Student Mentor
This award recognizes faculty who have shown exceptional productivity in the support of the education of doctoral students in their respective colleges.
College of Education & Human Development

Dr. Christopher Giroir
College of Engineering 

Dr. Magdy Bayoumi
College of Liberal Arts 

Dr. Judith Oxley
College of Nursing & Health Sciences 

Dr. Roger Rholdon
Ray P. Authement College of Sciences 

Dr. Michael Totaro
Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor
This award recognizes faculty who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to undergraduate students and their advancement as undergraduate researchers.
College of the Arts
Mr. Geoff Gjertson
B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration
Dr. Lucy Henke
College of Education & Human Development
Dr. Jeremy Foreman
College of Engineering
Dr. Farzad Ferdowsi
College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Hung Chu Lin
College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Dr. Christy Lenahan
Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Dr. Radhey Srivastava


Outstanding Achievement in Externally Funded Research
This award recognizes faculty who have been awarded externally sponsored projects in an amount of $1,000,000 or more during the fiscal years 2021 and 2022.


Dr. Terrence Chambers

Dr. Henry Chu
Dr. Emad Habib
Dr. Xiali Hei
Dr. Ramesh Kolluru
Dr. Ruth Ruprecht
Dr. Francois Villinger
Dr. Xiao-Dong Zhou
Certificate of Achievement in Innovation
This award recognizes faculty actively involved in advancing the University’s innovations through granted patents in the 2021-2022 academic years.
Dr. Paul Darby
Dr. Mohammad Reza Madani
Dr. Ruth Ruprecht
Photo caption: The College of Education & Human Development’s Dr. Tori Flint was among faculty honored during Â鶹AV’s annual Research Recognition Ceremony. From left are Dr. Paula Montgomery, the college’s interim dean; Dr. Jaimie Hebert, provost; Flint; Dr. Joseph Savoie, University president; and Dr. Ramesh Kolluru, vice president for Research, Innovation, and Economic Development. (Credit: Doug Dugas / Â鶹AV)