Awards & Honors

 

President’s Excellence in Research and Creative Activities Awards

The President’s Excellence in Research and Creative Activities (ERCA) Awards recognize consistently outstanding accomplishments in research and creative activities conducted by UAlbany faculty.  

Faculty members are nominated by their colleagues for this award. Review ERCA nomination instructions.

Additionally, each year, the Provost’s Office submits the top three eligible ERCA recipients for the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship & Creative Activities (ESCA). 
 

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2023 ERCA Awardees

Victor Asal, Professor of Political Science

Andrew Berglund, Professor of Biological Sciences and director of the RNA Institute

Bradley Armour-Garb, Professor of Philosophy

Youqin Huang, Professor of Geography and Planning

Satyendra Kumar, Associate Vice President for Research & Economic Development and Director of the Ion Beam Lab

Liming Zhou, Professor of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences

2023 ESCA Awardees

Rabi Ann Musah, Department of Chemistry, College of Arts & Sciences

Mathias Vuille, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences

Yiming Ying, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, College of Arts & Sciences

Faculty Research Award Programs (FRAP)

The Faculty Research Awards Programs (FRAP) provides seed funding for faculty members’ research and creative activities. Awards are separated into two categories: FRAP-A and FRAP-B. 

Faculty members apply for the awards. Review FRAP application guidelines.
 

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2022-2023 FRAP-A Awardees

College of Arts and Sciences 

  • Daniel Goodwin – Professor, Art & Art History
    “Job Security: A Multimodal Traveling Exhibition that Examines the Homeland Security Growth Industry in the U.S.”

  • Alyssa Morey – Associate Professor, Communication
    “Advancing Communication Scholarship Using EEG: The FRN & Political Discussion”

  • Ing-Nang Wang – Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
    “Aptamer-mediated capture-and-release for phage purification”

  • Cara Pager – Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
    “Examination of pseudouridine on the Zika virus RNA genome”        

  • Philip Goyal – Associate Professor,     Physics
    “Entanglement of Identical Quantum Particles: A First-Principles Approach        

  • Jonathan Petruccelli – Assistant Professor, Physics
    “Polycapillary optics for x-ray coherence improvement for low dose phase mammography”        

  • Arun Richard Chandrasekaran – Senior Research Scientist, The RNA Institute
    “Building 3D DNA Scaffolds for Analysis by Serial Femtosecond X-ray Crystallography”        

  • Zai Liang – Professor, Sociology
    “Economic and Social Impact of COVID-19 and Anti-Asian Hate on Chinatown and Low-skilled Chinese Immigrants”        
     

College of Engineering and Applied Sciences

  • Ming-Ching Chang – Associate Professor, Computer Science
    “Secure Artificial Intelligence with Fully Homomorphic Encryption for Deep Neural Networks”
     

Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy    

  • Ashley Fox – Associate Professor, Public Administration and Policy
    “‘Universal’ Health Coverage: Do exclusion of immigrants and other ‘undesirable’ groups increase support for universalistic welfare policy?”        

  • Lucy Sorensen – Associate Professor, Public Administration and Policy
    “School Building Conditions and Racial Disparities in Student Health”
     

School of Public Health

  • Jon Paczkowski – Assistant Professor, Biomedical Sciences
    “Investigating the role of quorum sensing signaling plasticity in Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates”       

  • Akiko Hosler – Associate Professor, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
    “Evaluation of a Food Donation Collection and Redistribution Pilot“        

2022-2023 FRAP-B Awardees

College of Arts and Sciences

  • Christopher Wolff – Associate Professor, Anthropology
    “Adirondack Waters Survey: Underwater Archaeological Survey for Indigenous Watercraft”        

  • Jennifer Burrell – Associate Professor, Anthropology
    “‘A Commitment to Primary Evidence’: Open Source Intelligence & Human Rights Investigations”

  • Robert Rosenswig – Professor, Anthropology
    “Belize Paleoclimate-Human Adaptation Project'

  • Archana Krishnan – Associate Professor, Communication
    “Open-Access Publication Support for mHealth Projects Examining Underserved HIV Population”

  • Elliot Tetreault – Assistant Professor, English
    “Truth Be Told: Political Disinformation and Antiracist Queer Resistance”                    

  • Christopher Pastore – Associate Professor, History
    “A Thousand Thousand Slimy Things: A Natural History of the Sea from the Bottom Up”           

  • Kendra Smith-Howard – Associate Professor, History
    “Pioneers in Poison Control”      

  • Pedro Cabán – Professor, Latin American, Caribbean and U.S. Latino Studies
    “Recalibrating the Colonial Formula” 
     

Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy

  • Meredith Weiss – Professor, Political Science
    “Intersectional Activism in Asia: New Platforms, Modes, Messages, and Meanings”        

  • Luis Luna-Reyes – Professor, Public Administration and Policy
    “Collaborative governance of regional systems: the Tug Hill region of New York State”
     

School of Education

  • Aaron Leo – Staff Associate and Assistant Director of Research, NYKids
    “A gateway to the diploma: First-generation immigrants and refugees at community college”
     

School of Public Health    

  • Janice Pata – Associate Professor, Biomedical Sciences
    “Structural snapshots of DNA replication by the Staphylococcus aureus DNA polymerase PolC”
     

School of Social Welfare    

  • Nelia Quezada – Lecturer, Social Welfare
    “Exploring suicide risk and protective factors among Black urban youth”
         

University Libraries

  • Yu-Hui Chen – Full Librarian, Collections
    “College-Bound Students’ Experiences and Perceptions of an Academic Library Web Portal”        

Seed Funding Program

Aligning UAlbany Strengths with National Funding Priorities 

The Division for Research and Economic Development’s nonrecurring seed funding programs help UAlbany faculty members and researchers respond to specific thematic opportunities.  

The current seed funding program was launched in Fall 2021 to prepare the University for new funding available under the federal CHIPS and Science Act. Seed funding supports cross-disciplinary teams as they apply for major federal grants ($3 million minimum). 

The selected research projects rely on UAlbany faculty and researchers’ areas, advance novel research in UAlbany’s strategic areas, and address the nation’s most pressing scientific and societal challenges. 

Seed funding may only be used for expenses incurred during the proposal planning and preparation process. Proposals for new projects, to collect preliminary data and to establish feasibility are not eligible for seed funding.
 

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Spring 2022 Seed Funding Awardees

"New York City Urban Integrated Field Laboratories (IFL)" 

Team Leader: Jorge Gonzalez-Cruz – Atmospheric Sciences Research Center 

Team: 

  • Chris Thorncroft – Atmospheric Sciences Research Center 

  • Jeff Freedman – Atmospheric Sciences Research Center 

  • Shao Lin – Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health 

 

"Super-enhancer regulation of cancer metabolism" 

Team Leader: Jason Herschkowitz – Biomedical Sciences, Cancer Research Center, School of Public Health 

Team: 

  •  Douglas Conklin– Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health 

  • JoEllen Welsh – Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health 

  • Ramune Reliene – Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health 

  • BK Lee – Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health 

 

"Proposal to establish the Institute for Microbial Stress Response" 

Team Leader: Cheryl Andam – Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences 

Team: 

  • Thomas Begley – Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences 

  • Alex Valm – Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences 

  • Marlene Belfort – Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences 

  • Alexander Ciota – Biomedical Sciences and Wadsworth Center 

  • Nicholas Mantis – Biomedical Sciences and Wadsworth Center 

  • Yanna Liang– Environmental & Sustainable Engineering, College of Engineering & Applied Sciences 

  • Mathias Vuille – Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences 

 

"Center for Integrated Sensors, Screening, and Security (CIS3)" 

Team Leader: John Petrucelli – Physics, College of Arts and Sciences 

Team: 

  • Alexander Khmaladze – Physics, College of Arts and Sciences 

  • Benjamin Yankson – College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security & Cybersecurity 

  • Brandon Behlendorf – College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security & Cybersecurity 

  • Carolyn MacDonald – Physics, College of Arts and Sciences 

  • DeeDee Bennett Gayle – College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security & Cybersecurity 

  • Gary Ackerman – College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security & Cybersecurity 

  • Igor Lednev – Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences 

  • Jason D’Cruz – Philosophy, College of Arts and Sciences 

  • Lee Spitzley – Information Security & Digital Forensics, School of Business 

  • Ming-Ching Chang – Computer Science, College of Engineering & Applied Sciences 

  • Petko Bognaov – Computer Science, College of Engineering & Applied Sciences 

  • Sanjay Goel – Information Security & Digital Forensics, School of Business 

Fall 2021 Seed Funding Awardees

"Targeting Senescent Cells for Fibrotic Diseases"  

Team Leader: Melinda Larsen – Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences 

Team: 

  • Gabrielle Fredman — Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Albany College of Medicine 

  • Juan Andre Melendez — College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, SUNY Polytechnic Institute 

  • Scott Tenenbaum — College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, SUNY Polytechnic Institute 

 

"Convergence Science for Extreme Weather Resiliency and Emergency Preparedness" 

Team Leader: Eric Stern – College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security & Cybersecurity 

Team: 

  • Chris Thorncroft – Atmospheric Sciences Research Center 

  • Ryan Torn – Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences 

  • Amber Silver – College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security & Cybersecurity 

  • Sheila Curran Bernard – History, College of Arts and Sciences 

  • Jorge Gonzalez-Cruz – Atmospheric Sciences Research Center 

  • Ryan Irwin – History, College of Arts and Sciences 

 

"NSF Institute for Resilient-AI in Crisis Decision-Making (INFORM)" 

Team Leader: Eric Stern – College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security & Cybersecurity 

Team: DeeDee Bennett Gayle – College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security & Cybersecurity 

 

"Climate adaptation through process understanding, risk assessment, education, and public dialogue" 

Team Leader: Mathias Vuille – Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences 

Team: 

  • Alandeon Oliveira – Educational Theory & Practice, School of Education 

  • Shao Lin – Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health 

  • Fangqun Yu – Atmospheric Sciences Research Center 

  • Catherine Lawson – Geography and Planning, College of Arts and Sciences 

 

"NYCAD: New York Center for Analytics in Disasters" 

Team Leader: DeeDee Bennett Gayle – College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security & Cybersecurity 

Team: 

  • Dola Saha – Electrical & Computer Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences 

  • Shao Lin – Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health  

  • Jerald Brotzge – Atmospheric Sciences Research Center 

     

“Artificial Intelligence Institute for Secure and Trustworthy Cyber-Systems" 

Team Leader: George Berg – College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security & Cybersecurity 

Team: 

  • Unal Tatar – College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security & Cybersecurity  

  • Kajal Lahiri – Economics, School of Business  

  • Pradeep Atrey – Computer Science, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences 

Conference Support Awards

UAlbany provides conference support for new research conferences that are organized and/or endorsed by UAlbany faculty.  

Faculty members apply for the awards. Review Conference Support Award application guidelines.
 

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2022-2023 Conference Support Awardee

Milas, Antun – Professor, Mathematics and Statistics
College of Arts and Sciences
“Women in Algebra and Combinatorics. Northeast Conference Celebrating the Association for Women in Mathematics: 50 Years and Counting”

Journal Support Awards

The Journal Support Awards support the publication of scholarly journals in one of the University’s strategic areas of research and scholarship. 

Faculty members apply for the awards. Review Journal Support Award application guidelines.
 

journal
2022-2023 Journal Support Awardee

Ilka Kressner – Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies and Chair of Languages, Literatures and Cultures
College of Arts and Sciences    
“Living in Languages Journal”

Grenander Award for Non-animal Methodologies in Research, Testing & Education

The University at Albany Grenander Award for Non-animal Methodologies in Research, Testing & Education promotes animal rights and the practical implementation of non-animal models by supporting research projects that replace scientific inquiry methods traditionally dependent on animal research with computer simulation, tissue research and other non-invasive field observations.  

Faculty members and active junior researchers  apply for the awards. Review Grenander Award application guidelines.
 

grenander
2022-2023 Grenander Award for Non-Animal Methodologies in Research, Testing and Education Awardee

Aishwari Talhan – Research Scientist, Division for Research and Affiliate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering    
“A way towards animal-free surgical training and precision care: a haptic-based laser surgical simulator“

Benevolent Association Research and Creative Activity Grant 

The University at Albany Benevolent Association provides funding for competitive grants up to $500 that support graduate research.   

Graduate students apply for the awards. Review Benevolent Association application guidelines.
 

benevolent
2022-2023 Benevolent Association Research Grant Awardees

Miller, McKenzie
Psychology 
“Establishing Biomarkers of Cognitive Inflexibility and an Adjunct Cognitive-Remediation Therapy Intervention for Adults with Comorbid Eating and Exercise Pathology”
 

Matthew Hanson
Psychology 
“Barking up the Wrong Resource: Should our Recovery Activities Depend on our Needs?”
 

Esra Gules-Guctas
Political Science
“Naming and Blaming Automated Decision-Making Systems:  Analysis of Contesting Algorithmic Injustice”
 

Olivia Roig
History 
“Women in Punk: A Complex History”
 

Tyson Luneau 
History
“Reimagining the Colonial Urban Fabric: A Comparative Study of Algiers and Tunis Under French Rule”
 

Kaycie Haller
History 
“‘To Grow Men as well as Trees’: The Making of the Civilian Conservation Corps, American Citizenship, and Environment, 1933-1942”
    
Jordan Dyett 
School of Social Welfare
“A photovoice study among system(s) impacted individuals who have used substances”
 

Yi Lu 
Sociology 
“Parenting Model Minority: Class, Gender and family life of Chinese Immigrants”

Albert Mossin Physical and Life Sciences Endowment Scholarship 

The Albert Mossin Scholarship covers tuition, textbooks and supplies for a full-time UAlbany student who is starting their first year of graduate studies in physics or biology and is pursuing projects that make significant use of mathematical and computational methods.  

Students are nominated annually by their department chairs. 
 

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2023 Albert Mossin Physical and Life Sciences Endowment Scholarship Awardee

Alexis Semon
Biology
“Molecular mechanisms controlling connectivity of vomeronasal sensory neurons”