Behzad Nakhjavan practiced architecture for six years before joining Auburn in 1988. In 1989, his creative practice sought out the extraordinary in ordinary and everyday artifacts. This critical search from 1990 to 2004 examined architectural qualities of indigenous southern dwelling units and its component kit of parts. The search ultimately produced seven design prototypes and 40 build projects. The build projects were used as a design/build laboratory wrestling with questions about authenticity in design, how a form can have durability in both memory and experience, form that expresses both shape and structure, resistance to simple type, and other social, environmental, and ecological concerns. The research and the act of constructing the buildings took 15 years, and the project was recognized by various Honor Awards of Excellence in Design by the American Institute of Architects in chapters in Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, Missouri, and Alabama. As professor and chair of the architecture program at Auburn, Nakhjavan says he tries every day to find new ways to bring his findings from scholarship and experience to his students, who he calls the next generation of citizen architects.

Prior to joining Auburn in 2003, Hanqin Tian worked with the Marine Biological Laboratory, MIT, and the University of Kansas as postdoctoral fellow, research scientist, and faculty member.   He investigates complex interactions among climate, ecosystem, and human activity by integrating ground and satellite observations with ecosystem/Earth system models. His extensive experience in developing and conducting research projects has led to more than $18 million in research grants. Tian has authored and co-authored numerous publications, been published in prestigious journals including Nature and Science, and been featured in various media and in IPCC Assessment Reports. He has provided scientific leadership and expertise to many national and international organizations. Tian is currently president of the Asian Ecology Session of Ecological Society of America, has served on editorial boards of several journals and has been a panelist for a number of national and international committees and funding agencies. Tian was a recipient of the 2008 Global Change Science Prize for recognizing his breakthrough achievement in quantifying the global carbon budget and its underlying mechanisms.