School of Medicine

Arash Javanbakht, MD, associate professor (clinical) and founding director of the Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic (STARC) was awarded the 2025 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) MidCareer Innovation Award. This award is given to an individual who has used innovative methods to advance the field of traumatic stress in the areas of prevention, research, treatment, teaching, policy and advocacy.

College of Engineering

Zheng Dong, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer science, was awarded a National Science Foundation grant that will open new doors for researchers and scholars to explore the future of autonomus vehicles, machines and drones. 

“We are in an age of artificial intelligence. Deep neural networks and autonomous vehicles are opening new frontiers in real-time systems research, which demands new solutions to ensure these systems are safe and effective.”

College of Nursing

Assistant Clinical Professor Cynthera McNeill, DNP, APRN, AGPCNP-C, FAANP will serve as the program director and grant evaluator for a five-year, $5 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to improve health outcomes for older adults. The interdisciplinary, collaborative work aims to educate and train health care and supportive care workforces to care for older adults by collaborating with community partners, and to maximize patient and family engagement to address care gaps and integrate geriatric care with primary care.

"Disparities in social determinants of health, which include access to health care, are major contributing factors to poor health outcomes. This multidisciplinary project brings together leading experts across our university, who will engage directly with our community to address those disparities and make a sustainable, generational difference to improve the health of this population.”

Mike Ilitch School of Business

Toyin Clottey, professor of global supply chain management, is helping companies do more with the resources they already have on hand through the innovative use of statistics. His work has helped companies optimize resources, improve supply chains, reduce waste and increase efficiency. 

Lana Ruvolo Grasser, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and in the Ben L. Silberstein Institute for Brain Health, was selected as an Early Career Policy Ambassador by the Society for Neuroscience. She is one of 10 members chosen from a highly competitive applicant pool, chosen for her dedication to advocating for the scientific community, desire to learn more about effective means of advocacy and leadership in the lab and community.

College of Nursing

Professor emeritus Margaret Campbell, Ph.D., RN, FPCN, has been named a recipient of the 2024 RFS Award in Science, a national honor presented by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., a Sage Company. She was selected for the honor based on her publication in the Journal of Palliative Medicine. The publication detailed her research examining a structured, evidence-based process for withdrawing mechanical ventilation in critically ill patients at the end of life—an area of care that requires both clinical precision and compassion. The study demonstrated the effectiveness of a protocol-driven approach in ensuring more consistent, patient-centered care during this critical phase.

School of Medicine

School of Medicine and Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute research scientist Husain Yar Khan, Ph.D., was awarded the American Association for Cancer Research Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Scholar-in-Training Award. The award recognizes “outstanding young investigators presenting meritorious proffered papers” during the association’s annual meeting.

School of Medicine

Assistant Professor of Physiology Dragana Komnenov, Ph.D., has won the American Physiological Society’s Dean Franklin Young Investigator Award. She said she is ecstatic to receive the award while establishing her own independent laboratory, where she investigates neuro-cardiovascular mechanisms of diet- and stress-induced hypertension. 

College of Education

Associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies and the Leonard Kaplan Endowed Professor Sarah Winchell Lenhoff, Ph.D., was awarded the 2025 Skillman Visionary Award. She was recognized for her work as the founding faculty director of the Detroit Partnership for Education Equity & Research (Detroit PEER), a research-practice partnership with Detroit schools and community-based organization working to equitably improve student attendance and engagement.

“To truly address educational inequality, it is crucial to examine the combination of underlying systemic issues that contribute to the problem.”

College of Education

Rema Vassar, Ph.D., professor of educational leadership and policy studies, has been named a Top U.S. Education Scholar by Education Week. This prestigious recognition highlights the significant impact of Vassar’s research and scholarship on the field of education.    

College of Engineering

Tye Ukpong, Ph.D., has been awarded a part-time faculty development grant for his work on ChatGPT-PMEA, a generative AI prompt management education assistant. The project will create a robust and scalable architecture to enhance educational learning and assessment through the integration of generative AI tools. The research addresses a critical need in academia for leveraging AI to improve educational outcomes while maintaining academic integrity and quality. The approach envisions a systematic framework where AI-driven tools enhance prompt management, adaptive learning, and personalized educational experiences across diverse disciplines.

College of Education

Denise Taliaferro Baszile, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Education, as been named to the Michigan Chronicle's Women of Excellence list. Taliaferro Baszile was recognized for her work challenging systemic barriers within academia, ensuring that Black students not only have access but also thrive.

School of Medicine

Lawrence Lash, Ph.D., professor of Pharmacology, has been selected by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics to receive the Division for Toxicology Career Award. The award, presented annually, recognizes outstanding original research contributions in the field of toxicology by an established investigator.

College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts

Assistant Professor in Teaching, Choral Conducting and Music Education Brandon Waddles, Ph.D., has been named the associate music director for the National Broadway Tour of The Wiz. 

College of Engineering

Caisheng Wang, Ph.D., professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the organization’s highest membership distinction — less than 0.1% of IEEE's voting members are elevated to Fellow status annually. Wang was recognized for his contributions to modeling and control of distributed alternative energy systems and battery storage management.

Mike Ilitch School of Business

Amanuel Tekleab, professor of management in the Mike Ilitch School of Business, has received the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship in recognition of his exceptional business scholarship and dedication to advancing academia in Africa, his home continent. 

School of Medicine

Christopher Kassotis, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacology in the School of Medicine and the Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, received the 2024 Lou Guillette Jr. Outstanding Young Investigator Award from the Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies (HEEDS) organization. His work provides the framework needed to facilitate change in the manufacturing, marketing and management of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and ultimately educate policy makers, regulatory agencies, physicians and the public about their potential damaging effects.

“It is our goal to help shift regulations toward more inclusion of mixture exposure considerations to better protect public health. My lab aims to improve chemical risk assessment models to account for everyday exposures to hundreds of different chemicals and, ultimately, will lead to better protection of human health.”

College of Engineering

Yinlun Huang, Ph.D., professor of chemical engineering and materials science, has received the 2024 AIChE Excellence in Process Development Research Award. The accolade recognizes individuals who have made significant technical contributions to the advancement of process development through research, teaching or regulatory activities. Huang was honored for his outstanding record in the research and education of sustainable process design and manufacturing, and for his extensive collaboration with industry. His research has led to groundbreaking advances in areas such as sustainable manufacturing, nanopaint design and multiscale modeling for process optimization. His work has been adopted in industrial settings, reducing environmental impact while increasing profitability.

School of Medicine

Nerissa Viola, Ph.D., associate professor of Oncology at the University School of Medicine and leader of the Molecular Imaging Research Program at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, has won the 2024 Drs. Anthony and Joyce Danielski Kales Endowment Faculty Award for Innovative Cancer Research. Dr. Viola received the award for her role as the principal investigator in a collaborative preclinical study that succeeded in finding a way to potentially suppress tumor growth for prostate cancer patients.

Graduate School

Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Amanda Bryant-Friedrich, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School and professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, was recently awarded the prestigious Founders Award by the American Chemical Society’s Division of Chemical Toxicology. The award recognizes scientists whose work exemplifies excellence and innovative research in the field of chemical toxicology. 

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Andrew Port, professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, authored the book, Never Again: Germans and Genocide After the Holocaust (Harvard/Belknap, 2023), which has been named one of five books shortlisted for the 2025 Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies. The award is one of the preeminent book prizes in the field of European Studies.  

School of Social Work

School of Social Work Assistant Professor Megan Hicks has been selected to join the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ Social Determinants of Health team as part of the statewide Michigan Racial Health Equity Think Tank initiative. This cohort-based program, facilitated by the Michigan Public Health Institute, unites public health experts and community leaders to create strategies that address the social care needs of marginalized and racially diverse communities across Michigan. Hicks will contribute to shaping inclusive, innovative solutions, building on the efforts of key organizations such as the Black Leadership Advisory Council and the Michigan Poverty Task Force.

Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies

Jorge Chinea, director of the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies, was honored by Ilitch Holdings and Comerica Bank as a 2024 Game Changer, a group of influential individuals who are making a positive impact in the Detroit community by working to create an inclusive environment for all. Jorge was honored as part of the organizations’ Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, in recognition of his tremendous impact in the Hispanic community at Wayne State and beyond.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Tom Kuntzleman, assistant professor of teaching in Chemistry was awarded with the 2024 Helen M. Free Award for Public Outreach by the American Chemical Society. He has been recognized for his outstanding volunteer achievements that have improved public recognition and appreciation for the contributions of chemistry. 

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Distinguished professor of psychology Mark Lumley was awarded the 2024 Nathan W. Perry, Jr. Award for Career Service to Health Psychology from the Society for Health Psychology.

Division of Research & Innovation

At the biennial conference of the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health, two Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute faculty members received prestigious awards for their work. Carla Barron, Ph.D., was awarded the Selma Fraiberg Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to Michigan infants, young children and their families in the areas of direct service delivery, program administration and training. Ann Stacks, Ph.D., was presented the Betty Tableman Award in recognition of public actions that promote the welfare of infants, young children and their families.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Charles Winter, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, was awarded a National Science Foundation grant for his work on the growth of metal and metal-silicon thin films for advanced transistors, which are used in tech devices like computers, phones and cars. Winter's research group will use a technique known as “atomic layer deposition,” which is revolutionizing the engineering of computer chips.

"We want to make smaller faster, and cheaper microelectronic devices with more transistors packed onto a chip and lower power consumption."

School of Social Work

Associate professor Bryan Victor received the 2023 Wayne State University Warrior Trailblazers Award, one of the university’s six Value Awards, celebrating individuals who significantly impact others and contribute to the university’s mission. Victor was selected in recognition of his groundbreaking research innovations with artificial intelligence, particularly his use of large language models like ChatGPT in social work scholarship.

Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies 

Jose Cuello, associate professor emeritus of history, was honored by MANA de Metro Detroit with its 2024 Amigo of the Year Award for his continued advocacy work on behalf of the Latino community. The MANA National Organization's mission is to empower Latinas through leadership development, community service, education and advocacy. Mana is short for Hermana, Spanish for “Sister.”

Institute of Gerontology

Peter Lichtenberg, distinguished service professor of psychology and the director of the Institute of Gerontology, received the Gerontological Society of America's 2024 Donald P. Kent Award for exemplifying exceptional standards of professional leadership in gerontology through teaching, service and interpretation of gerontology to the larger society. Lichtenberg has been a member of GSA since 1987 and served as GSA president in 2022.

School of Medicine

Cristinia Espinosa-Diez received a 2024 Early Career Investigator Award from the Histochemical Society. She will apply the honorarium and seed grant funding to her study addressing chronic kidney disease. 

School of Medicine

Charles Schiffer, M.D., professor emeritus of the Department of Oncology, was named one of two ASH Mentor Award recipients by The American Society of Hematology. The Mentor Award recognizes members who have made a difference in the hematology community through mentoring. 

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Professor Kashian, professor of biological sciences and director of environmental sciences, was named president of the International Association for Great Lakes Research. The organization brings together researchers across disciplines, knowledge systems and domains of expertise to collaborate is made up of researchers studying the Laurentian Great Lakes, other large lakes of the world and their watersheds. 

School of Medicine

Gil Mor, scientific director of the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development,  received the Best Mentor Award from the International Society for Immunology and Reproduction, in recogition of his leading efforts to mentor young researchers in the field of reproductive immunology and ovarian cancer.

School of Medicine

Dr. Rossi, professor in the Department of Physiology, received the inaugural Jerry Yee Mentorship Award from the Michigan Chapter of the American College of Physicians in recognition of her commitment to mentoring in clinical research, post-graduate scholarship and professional development.

School of Medicine

Sokol Todi, professor and chair in the Department of Pharmacology, was selected to lead a study section of the National Institutes of Health for a one-year term beginning in July 2024.

School of Medicine

Dr. Ayers, associate professor of internal medicine and pediatrics, has been selected to receive the Jerry Yee Mentorship Award from the Michigan Chapter of the American College of Physicians. The award recognizes physicians with a demonstrated commitment to supporting the scholarly and professional advancement of their students, trainees and junior colleagues. Recipients also serve as role models of communication and relationship management, demonstrate a commitment to the professional growth and psychological well-being of mentees, and the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion.

School of Medicine

Dr. Goyal, professor of ophthalmology, visual and anatomical sciences, was awarded the 2023 Excellence in Medical Student Education Award from the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology. The award is given annually to one person in recognition for commitment to medical student education and dedication to training and innovation in ophthalmology.