Five ±«Óãtv faculty members were recognized for their professional accomplishments at the annual meeting of the on Friday, November 1, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. Susan S. Bell, PhD, professor emeritus in the Department of Integrative Biology in the College of Arts & Sciences, Prasant Mohapatra, PhD, ±«Óãtv provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, and Syliva Wilson Thomas, PhD, vice president for ±«Óãtv Research & Innovation and CEO/president of the ±«Óãtv Research Foundation, were inducted as ASEMFL members. Anna Pyayt, PhD, associate professor of chemical, biological and materials engineeering in the College of Engineering, and Hariom Yadav, PhD, associate professor of neurosurgery and brain repair in the ±«Óãtv Health Morsani College of Medicine, were recognized as Rising Stars by ASEMFL.
Professor Susan Bell was honored for distinguished contributions to understanding and restoration of seagrass, mangrove and coastal habitats of the East Coast with world-wide applications. She has published over 125 scientific articles in refereed journals, co-edited one book, conducted international research activities in New Zealand, Sweden and Ghana, and served on numerous Technical Advisory Committees at the local and national levels, including serving as a member of the National Research Council Committee on Coastal Risk. As part of the Section on Biological Sciences, she was elected as an AAAS Fellow for distinguished contributions to the understanding of estuarine, salt marsh and near-coastal habitats.
Provost Prasant Mohapatra was recognized for exemplary leadership in academic affairs and research while making an impact on the quality, performance and security of wireless networks. Before joining ±«Óãtv in 2023, he was the Vice Chancellor for Research and a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of California, Davis. He has published more than 400 papers on wireless networks, mobile communicatoins, cybersecurity and internet protocols in reputed conferences and journals His research has been funded through grants totaling about $15 million from the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Army Research Labs, Intel Corporation, Siemens, Panasonic Technologies, Hewlett Packard, Raytheon, ARM Research and EMC Corporation.
Vice President Thomas, who is also a professor of electrical engineering, was honored for pioneering advancements of biosensor technologies and electronic applications and for mentorship of underrepresented groups in engineering. She leads the ±«Óãtv Advanced Membrane and Materials Bio and Integration Research (AMBIR) laboratory for biomedical, biological and nano electronic device integration using advanced material systems for membrane technology. Her leadership roles include president of the IEEE’s Engineering in Medicine and Biology Florida West Coast Section; Secretary/Treasurer of the Florida Education Fund; former advisor for the Society of Women Engineers, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and National Society of Black Engineers; and an inaugural member of the Board of Directors for Black Girls Code.
Associate Professor Pyayt was named a Rising Star for her significant contributions to sensing applications, artificial intelligence, assistive technology for individuals with blindness, and mobile health technologies. She heads the Innovative Biomedical Instruments and Systems Lab, which performs interdisciplinary research on nano-instruments and bio-sensors applied to advanced diagnostics, imaging and treatment. Her Mobile ELISA technology for early detection of pregnancy complications earned international recognition and was a finalist in the XPrize competition. Her current research focuses on AI-driven cancer treatment optimization and scientific information extraction, supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and by the Casey DeSantis Cancer Innovation Fund. She holds multiple biomedical technology patents and is the founder of Hemolix LLC.
was named a Rising Star for revolutionizing aging research by linking microbiome modulation to improved brain, heart and muscle health. He heads the ±«Óãtv Center for Microbiome Research and directs the ±«Óãtv Microbiomes Institute. HIs research focuses on probiotics and dietary interventions in improving health outcomes in aging populations and the microbiome's role in aging among cancer survivors. He is a cofounder of four startup companies translating scientific discoveries into practical applications, author of more than 166 peer-reviewed publications, and a leader of the state-wide Microbiome in Aging Gut and Brain (MiaGB) consortium.