It is a pleasure to welcome you to “Celebrating Impact: Faculty Excellence” to highlight the exceptional accomplishments of our FIU faculty. This special event provides an opportunity for us to come together as a university and recognize the groundbreaking contributions our faculty have made in research, innovation, and the creative arts.
FIU is focused on excellence, and your accomplishments are a testament to the unmatched talent and dedication of our faculty. From pioneering solutions-centered research that tackles some of society’s most pressing challenges, to meaningfully advancing the creative arts and humanities, the work of our FIU faculty is undoubtedly shaping the future in remarkable ways.
As we celebrate these extraordinary achievements, I also look forward to what’s to come with great anticipation because I know that this is only the beginning. Together, we will continue to expand our research, further enhance the FIU experience, and provide our students with an education that prepares them for the future.
Thank you for your commitment to FIU. I am excited to continue this journey of excellence and innovation with all of you.
Sincerely,
Jeanette Nuñez President
LETTER FROM THE PROVOST
Dear Faculty,
It is a tremendous honor to pay tribute to you during our second annual signature event, “Celebrating Impact: Faculty Excellence.” This is a moment dedicated to honoring your extraordinary accomplishments and unwavering dedication to excellence across research, innovation, and the creative arts. Tonight represents a meaningful opportunity for the FIU community to come together in recognition of our distinguished faculty—celebrating the conferral of prestigious honors, national and international awards, exceptional successes in sponsored research, and outstanding achievements in the humanities and the arts.
As I reflect on the remarkable achievements we acknowledge this evening, I am profoundly inspired by the depth, scope, and impact of your work. With groundbreaking inventions spanning terrestrial, marine, and extraterrestrial realms, FIU faculty are at the forefront of STEM innovation, earning hundreds of patents over the past five years. At the same time, through more than two hundred and forty monographs, literary works, and musical recordings produced in just five years, our faculty are shaping the cultural landscape and advancing the humanities and arts in powerful and lasting ways. I commend your commitment to pioneering research, driving meaningful change, improving health outcomes, advancing innovation, and strengthening environmental resilience. Each of you has played an essential role in sustaining FIU as a dynamic center of knowledge, discovery, and creativity.
The accomplishments we celebrate tonight reflect not only individual excellence, but also the collective strength of our faculty—and this offers an inspiring vision of what lies ahead. Together, we will continue to push boundaries, tackle global challenges, expand human understanding, and enrich lives across communities.
Thank you for your passion, your dedication, and for being the force behind the excellence that defines our university. The future is bright, and I eagerly look forward to celebrating many more milestones with you in the years ahead.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth M. Béjar Provost, Executive Vice President and COO
DISTINGUISHED AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS & HONORS
Noel Barengo
Medical Education
Conference USA Professor of the Year
LEARN MORE
Mahadev Bhat
Earth and Environment
U.S. Society for Ecological Economics Bernardo Aguilar Award
LEARN MORE
Konstantin Bukhryakov
Chemistry and Biochemistry
NSF Career Award
LEARN MORE
Adam Carrico
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Membership Induction, The Academy of Science Engineering and Medicine of Florida
LEARN MORE
Juan Cendan
Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Membership Induction, The Academy of Science Engineering and Medicine of Florida
LEARN MORE
Jonathan Comer Psychology
American Psychological Association’s Society of Clinical Psychology Florence Halpern Award
LEARN MORE
Todd Crowl Institute of Environment
Membership Induction, The Academy of Science Engineering and Medicine of Florida
LEARN MORE
Nicole Fava Social Work
Miami-Dade National Association of Social Workers Educator of the Year
LEARN MORE
Leo Ferreira
Journalism and Media
International Society for Human Rights Unsung Human Rights Hero Award
LEARN MORE
Glenn Hutchinson
English
International Writing Center
Association Outstanding Book Award
LEARN MORE
Krishnaswamy Jayachandran
Earth and Environment
Israel Science Fellow
LEARN MORE
Vladislav Lilic History
American Society for Legal History
ASLH-Max Planck Dissertation Prize for European Legal History in a Global Perspective //Visiting Research Fellowship in History, Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies
LEARN MORE
DISTINGUISHED AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS & HONORS
Continued
Kenneth Lipartito
History
Charles Babbage Institute Research Fellow
LEARN MORE
Daniella Long
Public Policy and Administration
Returned Peace Corps
Volunteers of South Florida’s Changemaking Education Award
LEARN MORE
John Noble Masi
Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
Presidential Medallion from the American Culinary Federation
LEARN MORE
Sam Moshaver
Interior Architecture
ASID Foundational Grant, American Society of Interior Design
LEARN MORE
Terrence Peterson History
National Endowment for the Humanities
LEARN MORE
Robert Rovira
Landscape Architecture and Environmental Urban Design
Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture Outstanding Educator Award
LEARN MORE
Angela Salmon
Teaching and Learning
Fulbright US Scholar
LEARN MORE
John Volakis
Electrical and Computer Engineering
IEEE Electromagnetics Award
LEARN MORE
Jeremy Pettit
Psychology
Membership Induction, The Academy of Science Engineering and Medicine of Florida
LEARN MORE
TRANSFORMATIVE RESEARCH IMPACT
Mohammad Ashiqur Rahman
Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences
LEARN MORE
Justin Campbell Biology
LEARN MORE
Julio Capó History
LEARN MORE
Diego Cardeñosa Biology
LEARN MORE
Alexandra Cornelius
Center for Women’s and Gender Studies
LEARN MORE
Matthew DeGennaro Biology
LEARN MORE
Amal Elawady
Civil and Environmental Engineering
LEARN MORE
Tomás Guilarte
Environmental Health Sciences
LEARN MORE
Makoto Hashimoto
Cardiothoracic Surgery
LEARN MORE
Wei Huang
Earth and Environment
LEARN MORE
Joshua Hutcheson
Biomedical Engineering
LEARN MORE
Sundararaja Sitharama Iyengar
Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences
LEARN MORE
TRANSFORMATIVE RESEARCH IMPACT
Continued
John Kominoski
Biology
LEARN MORE
Hong Liu
Earth and Environment
LEARN MORE
Paulo Olivas
Earth and Environment
LEARN MORE
Okezi Otovo History
LEARN MORE
Cristina Palacios
Dietetics and Nutrition
LEARN MORE
Terrence Peterson History
LEARN MORE
Shannon Pruden
Psychology
LEARN MORE
Matt Shirley
Global Forensic and Justice
LEARN MORE
Natalia Soares Quinete Chemistry and Biochemistry
LEARN MORE
Navid Tahvildari
Civil and Environmental Engineering
LEARN MORE
Jaclyn Tanenbaum
Marketing
LEARN MORE
Berrin Tansel
Civil and Environmental Engineering
LEARN MORE
PRESTIGIOUS CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENTS
Alfredo Andia
Architecture
SIGraDi Ibero-American Society of Digital Graphics Arturo Montagu Award
LEARN MORE
Ariel Baron-Robbins
Art and Art History
Knight Art + Tech Expansion Fund Recipient
LEARN MORE
Anthony Galaska Theatre
Carbonell Award for Outstanding
Lighting Design
LEARN MORE
Ivan Lopez Theatre
Carbonell Award for Outstanding Lighting Design
LEARN MORE
Mitchell Meredith Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
LEARN MORE
Tom Scicluna
Art and Art History
Sculpture Space International
Artist Residency
LEARN MORE
INNOVATION AND INVENTION
Malek Adjouadi
Electrical and Computer Engineering
LEARN MORE
Elias Alwan
Electrical and Computer Engineering
LEARN MORE
Mohammadhadi Amini
Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences
LEARN MORE
Stephen Black
Center for Translational Science
LEARN MORE
Benjamin Boesl
Mechanical and Materials Engineering
LEARN MORE
Satheesh Bojja Venkatakrishnan
Electrical and Computer Engineering
LEARN MORE
Alicia Boymelgreen
Mechanical and Materials Engineering
LEARN MORE
Indranil Chakraborty Chemistry
LEARN MORE
Hitendra Chand
Cellular and Molecular Medicine
LEARN MORE
Prem Chapagain Physics
LEARN MORE
Srinivasan Chinnapaiyan
Cellular and Molecular Medicine
LEARN MORE
Bilal El-Zahab
Mechanical and Materials Engineering
LEARN MORE
INNOVATION AND INVENTION
Continued
Zhangqiuzi Fan
Environmental Health Sciences
LEARN MORE
Mark Finlayson
Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences
LEARN MORE
Stavros Georgakopoulos
Electrical and Computer Engineering
LEARN MORE
Shuliang Jiao
Biomedical Engineering
LEARN MORE
Denny John
Mechanical and Materials Engineering
LEARN MORE
Amin Kharraz
Computing and Information Sciences
LEARN MORE
Cheng-Yu Lai
Environmental Health Sciences
LEARN MORE
Yanhao Lai
Mechanical and Materials Engineering
LEARN MORE
Grover Larkins
Electrical and Computer Engineering
LEARN MORE
Fenfei Leng
Chemistry and Biochemistry
LEARN MORE
Wei-Chiang Lin
Biomedical Engineering
LEARN MORE
Habarakada Madanayake
Electrical and Computer Engineering
LEARN MORE
INNOVATION AND INVENTION
Continued
Armin Mehrabi
Civil and Environmental Engineering
LEARN MORE
Adel Nefzi
Cellular and Molecular Medicine
LEARN MORE
Ambreen Nisar
Mechanical and Materials Engineering
LEARN MORE
Mustafa Ocal
Computing and Information Sciences
LEARN MORE
Alexander Perez-Pons
Electrical and Computer Engineering
LEARN MORE
Anamika Prasad
Biomedical Engineering
LEARN MORE
Markondeyaraj Pulugurtha
Biomedical Engineering
LEARN MORE
Daniela Radu
Mechanical and Materials
Engineering
LEARN MORE
Mohammad Rahman Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences
LEARN MORE
Isabella Rakestraw
Civil and Environmental Engineering
LEARN MORE
Jessica Ramella Roman
Biomedical Engineering
LEARN MORE
Raphael Raptis
Chemistry and Biochemistry
LEARN MORE
INNOVATION AND INVENTION
Continued
Naphtali Rishe
Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences
LEARN MORE
Selcuk Uluagac
Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences
LEARN MORE
Venkadesh Sarkarai Nadar
Cellular and Molecular Medicine
LEARN MORE
Arif Sarwat
Electrical and Computer Engineering
LEARN MORE
Hemang Subramanian
Information Systems and Business Analytics
LEARN MORE
Kim Tieu
Environmental Health Sciences
LEARN MORE
Hoshang Unwalla
Cellular and Molecular Medicine
LEARN MORE
Arti Vashist
Cellular and Molecular Medicine
LEARN MORE
John Volakis
Electrical and Computer Engineering
LEARN MORE
Konstantinos Zekios
Electrical and Computer Engineering
LEARN MORE
Nikolaos Tsoukias
Biomedical Engineering
LEARN MORE
PUBLISHING AND THE ARTS
Thomas Baker
Law
LEARN MORE
Erik Camayd-Freixas
Modern Languages
LEARN MORE
Glenn Hutchinson
English
LEARN MORE
Jonathan Comer Psychology
LEARN MORE
Sundararaja Sitharama Iyengar
Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences
LEARN MORE
Robert Dundas
Herbert and Nicole Wertheim School of Music and Performing Arts
LEARN MORE
Guillermo Izquierdo-Pretel
Medicine
LEARN MORE
Eric Goldemberg
Architecture
LEARN MORE
Amir Khoddamzadeh
Earth and Environment
LEARN MORE
Jerry Haar
International Business
LEARN MORE
Anindya Kundu
Educational Policy Studies
LEARN MORE
Matthew Kutz
Athletic Training
LEARN MORE
PUBLISHING AND THE ARTS
Continued
Armin Mehrabi
Civil and Environmental Engineering
LEARN MORE
Javier Mendoza
Herbert and Nicole Wertheim
School of Music and Performing Arts
LEARN MORE
Daniel Pedreira
Politics and International Relations
LEARN MORE
Jorge Riera Diaz
Biomedical Engineering
LEARN MORE
Elizabeth Scarbrough
Philosophy
LEARN MORE
Lisa Stolzenberg
Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice
LEARN MORE
Julie Marie Wade
English
LEARN MORE
DISTINGUISHED AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS AND HONORS
TRANSFORMATIVE RESEARCH IMPACT
PRESTIGIOUS CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENTS
INNOVATION AND INVENTION
PUBLISHING AND THE ARTS
FACULTY SUCCESS INITIATIVE (FSI)
The Faculty Success Initiative advances FIU’s strategic priorities by strengthening the digital infrastructure that supports faculty success, visibility, and impact. The initiative aligns high quality faculty information across institutional and external digital touchpoints to ensure accurate representation, reduce administrative burden, and enhance the university’s ability to communicate the breadth of faculty contributions. By supporting the full faculty lifecycle, FSI helps connect dots for FIU and the broader community, strengthening FIU’s impact and engagement across all stakeholders.
Core Pillars of the Faculty Success Initiative:
• Optimizing Digital Presence Ensuring accurate, consistent, and visible faculty information across institutional and external platforms
• Expanding Faculty Recognition and Awards Building the infrastructure needed to increase, track, and amplify faculty distinctions and honors
• Enhancing Collaboration Infrastructure Aligning and developing institutional infrastructure to promote collaboration and partnerships within FIU and across industry, community, and global networks
• Broadening Representation of Faculty Impact Capturing and showcasing the full range of scholarly, creative, and professional contributions across all disciplines
To learn more about the next phase of the Faculty Success Initiative, visit: https://research.fiu.edu/initiatives/fsi/
Initiative Co-leads
Dr. Yesim Darici
Associate Provost for Faculty Success, Professor, Physics FIU Discovery Profile Website dariciy@fiu.edu
David Driesbach, PMI PMO-CP, PMP
Assistant Vice President, Research Office of Research and Economic Development University Graduate School FIU Discovery Profile driesbac@fiu.edu
CONGRATULATIONS
FIU FACULTY AND THANK YOU!!!
We write to extend our heartfelt congratulations and deepest appreciation to each and every one of you honored this evening for your outstanding achievements reflecting the highest recognitions from and within our scholarly community. Your contributions—whether realized in laboratories, studios, classrooms, archives, or through community engagement—reflect a steadfast dedication and daily commitment to the pursuit of knowledge, rigorous inquiry, outstanding creative achievement, and meaningful, lasting impact on society.
As leaders dedicated to fostering and advancing faculty excellence, we take great pride in celebrating your successes. We look ahead with enthusiasm as we build upon this momentum—continuing to invest in the future of research and creative endeavors while expanding avenues for collaboration, recognition and discovery. In support of this commitment, we encourage you to engage with the resources developed through the Faculty Success Initiative, which offers information, tools, and access specifically designed to support and amplify your ongoing achievements.
Thank you for your exceptional contributions and for the vital role you play in advancing the academic excellence and distinction of Florida International University!
With sincere congratulations,
Andrés G. Gil, PhD Senior Vice President Office of Research and Economic Development Dean, University Graduate School
Heather D. Russell, PhD Vice Provost Faculty Leadership and Success Office of the Provost
