Researchers of the Year Awards
Each year, the Division of Research invites applications and nominations for the Researchers and Scholars of the Year Awards. One $2,500 award is made for each faculty rank (assistant/associate/full) to honor excellence in sponsored and project-oriented research (with particular emphasis on externally funded research), and scholarly activities. A dean can nominate only one person at each rank for Researcher and Scholar of the Year.
The Researchers and Scholars of the Year awardees are honored at the annual Honors Convocation Ceremony, held at the beginning of every fall semester.
Listed below are past award recipients.
2023
Researchers of the Year
Aditya Nayak, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Waseem Asghar, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Frederick Bloetscher, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Scholars of the Year
Danielle Groton, College of Social Work and Criminal Justice
Sofia Johan, College of Business
John Renne, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
2022
Researchers of the Year
Dimitris Pados, Ph.D., Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Sarah Du, Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Zhen Ni, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Lawrence Toll, Ph.D., Professor, College of Medicine
Scholars of the Year
Robert Rabil, Ph.D., Professor, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Morgan Cooley, Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Social Work and Criminal Justice
Christine Spadola, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, College of Social Work and Criminal Justice
2021
Researchers of the Year
Janet Robishaw, Ph.D., Professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Jianning Wei, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Johanna Kowalko, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Scholars of the Year
Ramesh Teegavarapu, Ph.D., Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Anil Bilgihan, Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Business
Nicholas Baima, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
2020
Researchers of the Year
Mike Twardowski, Ph.D., Professor, Harbor Branch Research Institute
Erik Engeberg, Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Waseem Asghar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Scholars of the Year
Allan Barsky, Ph.D., Professor, College for Design and Social Inquiry
Ilaria Serra, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Behnaz Ghoraani, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
2019
Researchers of the Year
Borko Furht, Ph.D., Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Alex Keene, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Joshua Voss, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Scholars of the Year
Len Sperry, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, College of Education
Nancy Jones, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Cristobal Salinas, Jr., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, College of Education
2018
Researchers of the Year
Marc Kantorow, Ph.D., Professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Andrew Oleinikov, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Sarah Du, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Scholars of the Year
Michael Brady, Ph.D., Professor, College of Education
Melih Madanoglu, Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Business
Mingxiang Li, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, College of Business
2017
Researchers of the Year
Erika Hoff, Ph.D., Professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Evangelos Kaisar, Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Bing Ouyang, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Scholars of the Year
Dr. Brett Laursen, Professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Dr. Ramesh Teegavarapu, Associate Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Dr. Heather Thompson, Assistant Professor, College for Design and Social Inquiry
2016
Researchers of the Year
Karl von Ellenrieder, Ph.D., Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Francisco Presuel-Moreno, Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Ryne Sherman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Scholars of the Year
Dr. Isaac Elishakoff, Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Alejandro Sánchez-Samper, Associate Professor, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Dr. Melissa Mariani, Assistant Professor, College of Education
2015
Researchers of the Year
Shirley Pomponi, Professor, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Fraser Dalgleish, Associate Professor, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Kailiang Jia, Assistant Professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Scholars of the Year
Sameer Hinduja, Ph.D., Professor, College for Design and Social Inquiry
Raphael Dalleo, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters
Juyoung Park, Ph.D., MSW, Assistant Professor, College for Design and Social Inquiry
2014
Researchers of the Year
Hassan Mahfuz, Ph.D., Professor, College of Engineering & Computer Science
Wolfgang Tichy, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Brian Benscoter, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Scholars of the Year
Dilys Schoorman, Professor, College of Education
Warren McGovern, Associate Professor, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Debra Hain, Assistant Professor, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
2013
Researchers of the Year
Borko Furht, Ph.D., Professor, College of Engineering & Computer Science
Vijaya Iragavarapu-Charyulu, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Xavier Comas, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Scholars of the Year
Len Sperry, Professor, College of Education
Rose Sherman, Associate Professor, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
Vladimir Kulic, Assistant Professor, College for Design and Social Inquiry
2012
Researchers of the Year
John Lowe, RN, Ph.D, Professor, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
Pierre-Phillipe Beaujean, Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Engineering & Computer Science
Esther Guzman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Scholars of the Year
Jane Caputi Professor, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters
Paul Peluso Associate Professor, College of Education
Ilaria Serra Assistant Professor, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters
2011
Researchers of the Year
Stewart Clegg, Ph.D., Researcher of the Year, Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Wen Shen, Ph.D., Researcher of the Year, Associate Professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Tanja Godenschwege, Ph.D., Researcher of the Year, Assistant Professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Scholars of the Year
Carol Prusa, MFA, Scholar of the Year, Professor, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Christopher Strain, PhD., Scholar of the Year, Associate Professor, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Taylor Hagood, Ph.D., Scholar of the Year, Assistant Professor, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
2010
Researchers of the Year
Robert Stackman Jr., Ph.D., Associate Professor (SP)
Stephen M. Kajiura, Ph.D., Assistant Professor (SP)
Francisco J. Presuel-Moreno, Ph.D., Assistant Professor (SP)
Scholars of the Year
Mark H. Rose, Ph.D., Professor (CS)
Diane L. Green, Associate Professor (CS)
Raphael Dalleo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor (CS)
2009
Researchers of the Year: Sponsored/Project Oriented
Amy Wright, Ph.D., Professor of the Year, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Dale Gawlik, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Year, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Ceylan Isgor, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of the Year, Charles E. Schmidt College of Biomedical Science
Scholars of the Year: Creative/Scholarly Category
Oliver Buckton, Ph.D., Professor of the Year, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Noemi Marin, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Year, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Jacqueline Fewkes, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of the Year, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
2008
Researchers of the Year: Sponsored/Project Oriented
Hassan Mahfuz, Ph.D., Professor of the Year, Ocean Engineering
Edward Large, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Year, Complex Systems & Brain Sciences
Hari Kalva, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of the Year, Engineering and Computer Science
Scholars of the Year: Creative/Scholarly
Jan Walsh Hokenson, Ph.D., Professor of the Year, Languages, Linguistics & Comparative Studies
Timothy Steigenga, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Year, Political Science
Sameer Hinduja, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of the Year, Criminology & Criminal Justice
2007
Researchers of the Year: Sponsored/Project Oriented
Jie Wu, Ph.D., Professor of the Year, Engineering and Computer Science
Mihaela Cardei, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of the Year, Oriented, Engineering and Computer Science
Yoshimi Shibata, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Year, Biomedical Sciences
Scholar of the Year: Creative/Scholarly
Allan Barsky, Ph.D., MSW, Professor of the Year, Social Work