Faculty Achievement Highlights
Faculty list
Dr. Michael Brown
Dr. Michael Brown, an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, is the recipient of a National Science Foundation award for $220,000 in commutative algebra and algebraic geometry. He will attempt a broad generalization of Dr. Mark Green’s 1984 breakthrough theorem on the equations defining projective curves. Brown noted, “A fundamental question, which goes back to the origins of mathematics, is to what extent can one determine the equations defining an algebraic variety by studying its geometric properties?” The award will support continued progress on this classical line of inquiry. This line of research plays an important role in real-world applications of algebraic geometry, including for artificial intelligence capabilities.
Kelly Bryant
Kelly Bryant, professor of graphic design in the School of Industrial and Graphic Design, was recently awarded the 2023 South Arts Fellowship for Alabama. The fellowship is a state-specific prize awarded to artists whose work reflects the best of the visual arts in the South. Bryant teaches courses in typography, publication design, magazine design, illustration and drawing. Her work focuses on collage and painting as an extension to design.
Dr. Ujjwal Guin
Dr. Ujjwal Guin, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, earned a $1.8 million grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research for his co-authored proposal, “Securing semiconductor supply chains and networks using zero-knowledge proofs and blockchain.” The two-year project will run through May 2025 and includes collaborators from the University of Southern California, Cornell and Tel Aviv University. “The primary objective of this proposal is to develop novel solutions using zero-knowledge proofs and blockchain technologies to enable security in electronic hardware as well as to enable routing data securely over dynamic communication networks,” Guin said.
Dr. Christopher Lepczyk
Dr. Christopher Lepczyk, Alumni Professor in the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, spearheaded a collaborative study indicating that human perception may impact the timing of listing at-risk species under the Endangered Species Act. Featured in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, the research reveals evolving ecological indicators tied to human perception since 1967. The study incorporated species’ range, body mass and behaviors affecting human observation. Initial listings favored larger, more recognizable species, while subsequent listings shifted towards smaller, inconspicuous ones. This research holds value for managers and policymakers, offering insights into species listing dynamics and their relation to human observation.
Dr. Maria Soledad Peresin
Dr. Maria Soledad Peresin, associate professor in the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, is one of the researchers leading a team recently awarded $1 million from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines, or NSF Engines, program. The funded project, titled “Advancing carbon-neutral crop technologies to develop sustainable consumer goods (AL, GA, NC, TN),” or “Greening the Southeast” for short, aims to develop a green, circular bioeconomy for building materials and consumer goods in the Southeast that reduces climate change impacts from manufacturing by eliminating industry reliance on petroleum and environmentally costly fibers.
Dr. Michail Vafeiadis
Dr. Michail Vafeiadis, an associate professor of public relations at Auburn University, is co-leading a first-of-its-kind study into why people choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Vafeiadis will conduct a meta-analysis examining existing social science research on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Pfizer awarded Vafeiadis $104,966 in research funding so the pharmaceutical company — and COVID-19 vaccine producer — may use the results to improve public health outcomes. Since 2020, thousands of surveys, experiments and clinical trials have focused on COVID-19 vaccinations. Vafeiadis will be among the first to organize and rank underlying causes of why people reject the COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Jose Vasconcelos
Dr. Jose Vasconcelos, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was one of 32 researchers the Jewish National Fund-USA selected to travel to Israel for its 2023 Summer Faculty Fellowship Program. Funded by the Jewish National Fund-USA’s Boruchin Center and individual donors, the tour is a fully paid intensive program for full-time academics from leading American universities. Vasconcelos met Israeli professors with similar research interests with the goal of developing collaborations, co-authoring articles and establishing exchange programs between faculty and students. “My area of teaching and research is in water resources management, and Israel has been a world leader in this field due to the water scarcity in their region,” said Vasconcelos, whose primary focus is hydraulics and hydrology.
Dr. Katilya Ware
Dr. Katilya Ware, assistant professor in the College of Nursing, received a proclamation from the City of Opelika in recognition of her community engagement efforts during Black Maternal Health Week in April. Ware is working on a project funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR) Institute to build the capacity of African American women, family members, faith-based leaders and clinicians for PCOR/Comparative Effectiveness Research in maternal health, with a goal of improving maternal health outcomes and reducing Alabama’s high maternal mortality rate.
