Four Faculty Members Tapped for 'Pathbreaking Research' Talks
ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 15, 2025) — Four faculty members nominated by their colleagues for outstanding contributions to their fields have been selected to present this year’s Pathbreaking Research Talks on the final day of UAlbany's Research & Entrepreneurship Week.
The talks will cover topics including health communication and the aviation industry's impact on Earth's climate and will take place on Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to noon at ETEC as part of Day 5 of R&E Week, which is themed Celebrating Research from Innovation to Impact. Registration is strongly encouraged.
This year's featured faculty are:
- Professor Rukhsana Ahmed, Department of Communication
Topic: From Margins to Mainstream: Communication Research for Inclusive Global Health
- Professor Bryan Early, Department of Political Science
Topic: Banks and the Bomb: Using Financial Institutions to Prevent Mass Destruction
- Professor Susan Sharfstein, Department of Nanoscale Science & Engineering
Topic: Advancing Biomanufacturing by Understanding Biology
- Senior Research Faculty Member Fangqun Yu, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center
Topic: Bridging Academia and Industry: Collaborative Research to Mitigate Aviation’s Dominant Non-CO₂ Climate Footprint
Celebrating 'fascinating, essential' research
“These faculty members exemplify the best of the fascinating, essential and pathbreaking research happening across UAlbany,” said Thenkurussi “Kesh” Kesavadas, UAlbany’s vice president for research and economic development. “I cannot wait to hear Rukhsana, Bryan, Susan and Fangqun share their insights and experiences, and I hope our colleagues will make a point to join me so we all can take inspiration from them in our own work to build a healthier, cleaner and safer world.”
The Pathbreaking Research Talks will be preceded at 9 a.m. by a keynote address from Samir Mitragotri, Hiller Professor of Bioengineering and Hansjorg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University’s A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
The day will conclude with a recognition of outstanding researchers, scholars and inventors and awards for research service excellence.
Day 5 of R&E Week is chaired by Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences Marlene Belfort and Distinguished Professor of Economics Kajal Lahiri.
"It’s very exciting to have such accomplished colleagues from so many different schools, colleges and institutes present their research across such diverse disciplines," said Belfort, who is also a senior advisor to UAlbany's RNA Institute. "These Pathbreaking Speakers truly represent the rich work happening throughout UAlbany’s campus, and Dr. Mitragoti’s own pathbreaking work in the field of biologically inspired engineering is the perfect way to set the stage for these talks.”
The full schedule for all five days of R&E Week, including the Albany Nanotechnology Symposium and Capital Region BioInnovation Forum 2025, is available on the R&E Week event page.