2024 Trustees’ Celebration of Faculty Achievement

2024 Trustees' Celebration of Faculty Achievement

FACULTY PROMOTIONS

Tenure Track

Promoted to Full Professor

David Olinger, Aerospace Engineering
Michael Radzicki, Social Science and Policy Studies
Lyubov Titova, Physics
Andrew Trapp, The Business School
Sam Walcott, Mathematical Sciences
Yu Zhong, Mechanical and Materials Engineering

 

Promoted to Associate Professor

Andrea Arnold, Mathematical Sciences
Berk Calli, Robotics Engineering
Danielle Cote, Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Carissa Olsen, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Charles Roberts, Computer Science
Sara Saberi, The Business School
Eric Young, Chemical Engineering
Haichong Zhang, Biomedical Engineering and Robotics

Awarded Tenure for Professor of Teaching

Marcel Blais, Mathematical Sciences
Esther Boucher-Yip, Humanities and Arts
Destin Heilman, Chemistry and  Biochemistry

Awarded Tenure for Associate Professor of Teaching

Farley Chery, Interactive Media and Game Development (IMGD)
Ryan Madan, Humanities and Arts
Buddika Peiris, Mathematical Sciences
Geoffrey Pfeifer, Department of Integrative and Global Studies (DIGS)
Elisabeth Stoddard, DIGS
Sarah Wodin-Schwartz, Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Non-Tenure Track

Promoted to Teaching Professor

Yarkin Doroz, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Michael Johnson, Mathematical Sciences
Walter Towner, The Business School
Marja Bakermans, DIGS

Promoted to Associate Teaching Professor

Mohammad Mahdi Agheli Hajiabadi, Robotics Engineering
Mehul Bhatia, Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Greg Lewin, Robotics Engineering
Chun-Kit Ngan, Data Science

 

WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AWARDS

Joseph Aguilar, Humanities and Arts, Romeo L. Moruzzi Young Faculty Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Education
Leonard Albano, Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Academic Advising
Rose Bohrer, Computer Science, Romeo L. Moruzzi Young Faculty Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Education
Aswin Gnanaskandan, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Excellence in Research, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, WPI, April 2024
Greg Lewin, Robotics Engineering, Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Teaching
Kate McIntyre, Humanities and Arts, Romeo L. Moruzzi Young Faculty Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Education
Mark Richman, Aerospace Engineering, Denise Nicoletti Trustees’ Award for Service to Community
Karen Troy, Biomedical Engineering, Chair’s Exemplary Faculty Prize
Jamal Yagoobi, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Research & Creative Scholarship
Jamal Yagoobi, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Excellence in Research, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, WPI, April 2024

 

National Recognition

Nancy Burnham, Physics, Treasurer, Executive Board member, and Program Committee member, Nanoscale Science and Technology Division of the AVS  
Soussan Djamasbi, The Business School, Chaired the 6th annual UX Symposium (UXSYM) at WPI, Nov 20, Worcester, MA, USA. The conference program, centered on leveraging AI to drive UX-focused innovations, featured 12 industry speakers and 8 Industry sponsors and contributors. With over 100 attendees, participants represented 30 companies and four universities outside of WPI. For more details, please visit UXSYM | UX Lead Product Innovation  
Jeanine Dudle, Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, Director-At-Large on the Board of Directors of the New England Water Works Association  
Cosme Furlong, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Organizer: International SEM Symposium on Optical Metrology  
Cosme Furlong, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Co-organizer: International SEM Symposium on MEMS and Nanotechnology  
Cosme Furlong, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, President: Optical Methods Division of SEM  
Cosme Furlong, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Associate editor and reviewer: Experimental Mechanics, Optica Journals  
Rosanna Garcia, The Business School, Joined Board of Advisors of Massachusetts Biomedical Initiative, Worcester, MA  
Rosanna Garcia, The Business School, Appointed as Area Editor for International Journal of Gender & Entrepreneurship  
Germano Iannacchione, Physics, NSF Director of the Division of Materials Research (Academic Rotator Position) Academic Rotator Position
Debora Jackson, The Business School, Named Chair of the MMBB Board of Managers Finance Committee, a pension board with more than $3B dollars under management  
Rudra Kafle, Physics, The Inaugural Coordinator of the Physics Education Research Division (established in February, 2024) of the Association of Nepali Physicists in America and the Division’s invited speaker at its Annual Conference in July, 2024 https://anpaglobal.org/division-of-physics-education-research/  
Diana Lados, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, President of Alpha Sigma Mu (The International Honor Society for Materials Science and Engineering) & Member of the Board of Directors  
Nancy Ma, Civil, Environmental, and  Architectural Engineering, Program Subcommittee Chair for Technical Committee 7.10 at The ASHRAE  
David Medich, Physics, Chair of the Operational and Medical Health Physics Section of American National Standards Institute  
David Medich, Physics, Editorial Board of the Health Physics Journal  
Andre Nachbin, Mathematical Sciences, Vice Chair of SIAM Activity Group (SIAG) on Nonlinear Waves and Coherent Structures 2025–2026, 2 years mandate  
Doug Petkie, Physics, American Association of Physics Teachers National Conference Annual Planning Committee Member  
Sara Saberi, The Business School, Selected to serve as President for Women in OR/MS  
Mimi Sheller, DIGS, Participant in the Advisory Board of the newly awarded EPSRC (UK) research program “Inspiring Futures for Zero Carbon Mobility (INFUZE)” The grant will run for five years from the end of July 2024 and seeks: To transform the process of understanding, designing, and implementing transport system interventions to enable and ensure the rapid transition to zero carbon through accessing mobility on demand
Mimi Sheller, DIGS, Joined the Organizing Committee for the 14th IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (IEEE GHTC 2024) The 14th IEEE GHTC 2024 is a flagship international conference sharing practical, technology-enabled solutions that address the needs of underserved communities in resource-constrained environments around the world
Gillian Smith, Computer Science/IMGD, Co-chaired the Foundations of Digital Games 2024 international conference at WPI in May 2024 with 150–200 in-person attendees. FDG has been held in cooperation with the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Society for the Advancement of the Study of Digital Games (SASDG) since 2009  
Izabela Stroe, Physics, Elected President of the Association of Women in Science–Central MA Chapter  
Izabela Stroe, Physics, Chair of the “Experiences in STEM Education” Session at the “International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies” 2024  
Izabela Stroe, Physics, Organized 1st Annual event “A Night for Women in Science” – Association of Women in Science–Central MA Chapter (60 women scholars and faculty attendees in person)  
Izabela Stroe, Physics, Organized 2nd Annual event “A Night for Women in Science” – Association of Women in Science–Central MA Chapter (40 women scholars and faculty attendees in person)  
Lyubov Titova, Physics, Elected Board and International Organizing Committee Member, the International Society of Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz)  
Seth Tuler, DIGS, Appointed by President Biden to serve as a member of the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board  
Bengisu Tulu, The Business School, Chaired the Sixth Annual Conference of the New England chapter of the Association for Information Systems on October 24, 2024 at WPI with more than 100 attendees in person  
Yihao Zheng, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Chair of the Biomanufacturing Technical Committee of ASME Manufacturing Engineering Division  
Yu Zhong, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Served as the director of CALPHAD Inc. to provide the support to the CALPHAD science community Equivalent to President of a professional society

 

Endowed Professorships, Fellows, and Awards

Professorships

Christina Bailey-Hytholt, Chemical Engineering – Leonard P. Kinnicutt Professorship
Diana Lados, Mechanical and Materials Engineering – Milton Prince Higgins Distinguished Professorship
Kate Moncrief, Humanities and Arts – Paris Fletcher Distinguished Professorship of Humanities
Nima Rahbar, Civil, Environmental,  and Architectural Engineering – White Family Distinguished Professorship, Head of Civil, Environmental, & Architectural Engineering
Rong Wang, Chemistry – John C. Metzger Jr. Professorship in Chemistry
Yihao Zheng, Mechanical and Materials Engineering – Russell M. Searle Instructorship (Teacher)
Yihao Zheng, Mechanical and Materials Engineering – Morgan Distinguished Instructorship (Advisor)

Fellowships

Joseph Aguilar, Humanities and Arts, Selected as a 2024 MacDowell Fellow  
Cosme Furlong, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Fellow of the Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM) – one of only two selected nationwide  
Robert Hyers, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Fellow of TMS, the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society. Limited to 100 total living Fellows. Awarded to 7 of 13,000 members.
Aarti Madan, Humanities and Arts, Awarded a six-month fellowship from the American Institute of Indian Studies to conduct research in New Delhi & Bangalore for her project Familiarity: India in the Argentine Cultural Imaginary  
Bill Martin, Mathematical Sciences, 2024 Erskine Fellow  
Barry Posterro, Mathematical Sciences, Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society  
Patrick Schaumont, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Fellow, IEEE  
Erin Solovey, Computer Science, 2024–25 Harvard-Radcliffe Institute Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard  
Karen Troy, Biomedical Engineering, American Institute for Medicine, Biology and Engineering (AIMBE) Fellow  

Selected Distinctions

Marcel Blais, Mathematical Sciences, National Professional STEM Master’s Association (NPSMA) 2024 Board of Directors Award
Fatemeh Emdad, Data Science, Best Paper Award, META: Deep Learning Pipeline for Detecting Anomalies on Multimodal Vibration Sewage Treatment Plant Data, by Simeon Krastev, Aukkawat Ammartayakun, Kewal J. Mishra, Harika Koduri, Eric Schuman, Drew Morris, Yuan Feng, Sai R. Bandi, Chun-Kit Ngan, Andrew Yeung, Jason Li, Nigel Ko, Fatemeh Emdad, Elke Rundensteiner, Heiton H. Ho, T. K. Wong, and Jolly C. Chan; 16th International Conference on Neural Computation Theory and Applications, November 2024
Michelle Ephraim, Humanities and Arts, Green World: A Tragicomic Memoir of Love & Shakespeare, winner of the 2023 Juniper Prize in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Massachusetts Press
Caitlin Osorio Ferrarini, DIGS, Diversity Abroad’s 2024 Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion in International Education (EDIIE) Award, awarded in the category of Global Student Leadership: Graduate
Tian Guo, Computer Science, the paper ConDA: Contrastive Domain Adaptation for AI-Generated Text Detection co-authored by Prof. Noah Mofrad received the Outstanding Paper Award from the Proceedings of the 13th International Joint Conference on Natural Language Processing and the 32nd Conference of the Asia-Pacific Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics
Tian Guo, Computer Science, The Devil in the Noise: Detecting Advanced Persistent Threats with Backbone Extraction, coauthored by Prof. Fabricio Murai, received the Best Paper Award at the IEEE Symposium on Computers and Communications (ISCC 2024)
Melissa Kagen, IMGD, nominated for an IndieCade Award for Live Action Games (the equivalent of being nominated for Sundance for Memioscape)
Yanhua Li, Data Science/Computer Science, 2024 ACM SIGSPATIAL 10-Year Impact Award Runner-Up; recognizing research that made a lasting impact in the field of geographic information systems. Refers to Prof. Li’s 2014 SIGSPATIAL paper, LORE: Exploiting Sequential Influence for Location Recommendations
Zhu Mao, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, P. E. Doak Award from the Journal of Sound and Vibration for most cited/downloaded paper in the previous five years
Fabricio Murai, Data Science/Computer Science / AI, Best Paper Award at the IEEE Symposium on Computers and Communications (ISCC 2024) for The Devil in the Noise: Detecting Advanced Persistent Threats with Backbone Extraction, coauthored with C. Vianna, C. Henrique Gomes Ferreira, Murai, A. Santos, and L. Pereira
Fabricio Murai, Data Science/Computer Science / AI, Outstanding Reviewer Award (top 10%) in ACM Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining Conference (KDD 2025). Recognition awarded based on reviewer ratings by Area Chairs, completion rate, punctuality, review length, and discussion participation
Chun-Kit Ngan, Data Science, Best Paper Award: META: Deep Learning Pipeline for Detecting Anomalies on Multimodal Vibration Sewage Treatment Plant Data, coauthored with Simeon Krastev, Aukkawat Ammartayakun, Kewal J. Mishra, Harika Koduri, Eric Schuman, Drew Morris, Yuan Feng, Sai R. Bandi, Chun-Kit Ngan, Andrew Yeung, Jason Li, Nigel Ko, Fatemeh Emdad, Elke Rundensteiner, Heiton H. Ho, T. K. Wong, and Jolly C. Chan. 16th International Conference on Neural Computation Theory and Applications, November 2024
Geoff Pfeifer, DIGS, Robert J. Menges Award for Outstanding Research in Educational Development. Given the honor for their paper, “…But We’re Not Stochastic Parrots: CTLs Leading GenAI Pedagogy”
Adam Powell, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, TMS Extraction and Processing Division Distinguished Lecture Award. “This award recognizes an outstanding scientific leader in the field of nonferrous extraction and processing metallurgy. It is the highest recognition of Adam's home division in TMS."
Elke Rundensteiner, Computer Science/Data Science, Paper with Prof. Matthew Ward, Hierarchical Parallel Coordinates for Exploration of Large Datasets, from 1999 received the VIS Test-of-Time Award from the IEEE Visualization Conference
Elke Rundensteiner, Data Science/Computer Science / AI, IEEE VIS Test of Time Award 2024. Received for pioneering work on Hierarchical Parallel Coordinates from 1999, which continues to influence the IEEE Visualization community. Coauthored with graduate student Ying-Huey Hua and late Computer Science professor Matthew O. Ward. October 2024. WPI News
Elke Rundensteiner, Data Science/Computer Science / AI, Best Paper Award for META: Deep Learning Pipeline for Detecting Anomalies on Multimodal Vibration Sewage Treatment Plant Data, coauthored with Simeon Krastev, Aukkawat Ammartayakun, Kewal J. Mishra, Harika Koduri, Eric Schuman, Drew Morris, Yuan Feng, Sai R. Bandi, Chun-Kit Ngan, Andrew Yeung, Jason Li, Nigel Ko, Fatemeh Emdad, Heiton H. Ho, T. K. Wong, and Jolly C. Chan. 16th International Conference on Neural Computation Theory and Applications, November 2024
Roee Shraga, Computer Science, Best Paper Award for ExtractGPT: Exploring the Potential of Large Language Models for Product Attribute Value Extraction, coauthored with Alexander Brinkmann and Christian Bizer. Presented at the International Conference on Information Integration and Web Intelligence (iiWAS). Springer Link

 

Editorials and Publications

Källan Berglund, Physics, https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.111.044021
Joel Brattin, Humanities and Arts, Joel J. Brattin’s two-volume scholarly edition of Charles Dickens’s Nicholas Nickleby (1,122 pages) was published by Oxford University Press as the first novel in the New Oxford Edition of Charles Dickens, on 22 February 2024 in the U.K.
Soussan Djamasbi, Management, Chronic Pain and Eye Movements: A NeuroIS Approach to Designing Smart Clinical Decision Support Systems, published in AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction, 15(3), 268–291. https://doi.org/10.17705/1thci.00191
Soussan Djamasbi, Management, Development of web- and mobile-based shared decision-making tools in the neurological intensive care unit. Neurotherapeutics. 2025 Jan;22(1):e00503. doi: 10.1016/j.neurot.2024.e00503.
Soussan Djamasbi, Management, High CO₂ exposure due to facemask wear is unlikely to impair cognition even in a warm environment after a long-term adaptation, Energy and Built Environment, ISSN 2666-1233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.05.005
Soussan Djamasbi, Management, Local wearable cooling may improve thermal comfort, emotion, and cognition, Building and Environment, 254 (111367). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.111367
Kwamie Dunbar, Management, Unveiling the Nexus: Carbon finance and climate technology advancements, International Review of Financial Analysis, Volume 96, Part A, 2024, 103658, ISSN 1057-5219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2024.103658. ABDC Ranking “A”; Scimago Journal Ranking (SJR) “Q1”
Kwamie Dunbar, Management, Examining the impact of a central bank digital currency on the access to banking, International Review of Financial Analysis, Volume 93, 2024, 103220, ISSN 1057-5219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2024.103220. ABDC Ranking “A”; Scimago Journal Ranking (SJR) “Q1”
Joseph Fehribach, Mathematical Sciences, Multivariable and Vector Calculus, 2nd edition, De Gruyter, 2024.
Peter Hansen, Humanities and Arts, Peter Hansen is co-editor of Other Everests: One Mountain, Many Worlds (Manchester University Press, 2024), which recently celebrated its book launch at the Kendal Mountain Festival in the UK. The book features histories beyond those of heroic white men, including local people and high-altitude workers, women climbers and historians, and the influence of media in shaping many different Everests. https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526179116/
Renata Konrad, Management, Improving Access to Housing and Supportive Services for Runaway and Homeless Youth: Reducing Vulnerability to Human Trafficking in New York City, IEEE Transactions. 56(3), pp 346–370. DOI:10.1008/247258452-022.0122023. ABDC Rank: A; H-Index: 107; SJR Rank: Q1
Andre Nachbin, Mathematical Sciences, Member of the Editorial Board of the new “Journal of Nonlinear Waves”, Cambridge University Press.
Diane Strong, Management, Chronic Pain and Eye Movements: A NeuroIS Approach to Designing Smart Clinical Decision Support Systems, published in AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction, 15(3), 268–291. https://doi.org/10.17705/1thci.00191
Andrew Trapp, Management, Improving Access to Housing and Supportive Services for Runaway and Homeless Youth: Reducing Vulnerability to Human Trafficking in New York City, IISE Transactions, 56(3), 296–310. DOI:10.1080/24725854.2022.2120223. ABCD Rank: A; H-Index: 107; SJR Rank: Q1
Daniel Treku, Management, Unveiling the Nexus: Carbon finance and climate technology advancements, International Review of Financial Analysis, Volume 96, Part A, 2024, 103658, ISSN 1057-5219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2024.103658. ABDC Ranking “A”; Scimago Journal Ranking [SJR] “Q1”
Daniel Treku, Management, Examining the impact of a central bank digital currency on the access to banking, International Review of Financial Analysis, Volume 93, 2024, 103220, ISSN 1057-5219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2024.103220. ABDC Ranking “A”; Scimago Journal Ranking [SJR] “Q1”
Bengisu Tulu, Management, Development of web- and mobile-based shared decision-making tools in the neurological intensive care unit. Neurotherapeutics. 2025 Jan;22(1):e00503. doi: 10.1016/j.neurot.2024.e00503.
Qi Wen, Physics, https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/14/10/1260
Qi Wen, Physics, https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2211-5463.13798

 

Patent Inventors and Patents

Danielle Cote, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, 11,887,428. Cold Sprayed Radiation Shielding. Issue date: January 2024.
Tian Guo, Computer Science, 18/237,095. Visually Coherent Lighting for Mobile Augmented Reality. Issue date: 2024.
Robert Hyers, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, WO2024226839A1. Products, Systems, and Methods for Transporting Metal. Issue date: October 31, 2024. Assigned to Alcoa USA Corp. Co-inventors: Ben Mosser, Xinghua Liu.
Adam Powell, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, 11,955,618. Metal-Air Battery. Issue date: April 9, 2024. Co-inventors: Hongyi Sun, Mahya Shahabi, Yu Zhong.
Adam Powell, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, 11,862,822. Direct Carbon Fuel Cell (DCFC) with Molten Metal. Issue date: January 2, 2024. Co-inventors: B. Davis, U.B. Pal, Y. Zhong, C. Faria, N. Ono, T. Inozume, C. Endo, T. Miyauchi.
Elke Rundensteiner, Computer Science/Data Science, 16/057,025. Machine Learning Systems and Methods for Attributed Sequences. Co-inventor: Zhongfang et al.
Pamela Weathers, Biology and Biotechnology, PCT/US2017/022336; 16/085,220; 17/388,652. Functionalization of Plant Tissues for Human Cell Expansion. Issue date: 2025.
Qi Wen, Physics, 11,961,626. Fiber Optical Tweezers. Co-inventors: Yuxiang Liu, Chaoyang Ti.
Jamal Yagoobi, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, 12,209,806 B2. Atomizing Spray Dryer. Issue date: September 2024. Licensed to Bright Feeds, Berlin, Connecticut, U.S.A. Co-inventors: Christopher Massar, Bryer Sousa.

 

Outreach Achievements

Francesca Bernardi, Mathematical Sciences, New chapter of Girls Talk Math launched at Wake Forest University in summer 2024.

 

Grant Recipients

Rose Bohrer, Computer Science, The PI on a National Science Foundation Grant: “Game Logic Programming.” Award amount: $595,998.00. Project dates: May 1, 2024, to April 30, 2027.
Floyd Brownewell, Biology and  Biotechnology, MLSC (Massachusetts Life Sciences Center) High school apprenticeship Challenge to support two Worcester Technical High School students in gaining hands-on biomanufacturing experience
Berk Calli, Robotics Engineering, NSF CAREER Award
Danielle Cote, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, DARPA: Rubble to Rockets: Recycled Material for Sustainable Engineering ($6.3M).
Danielle Cote, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, America Makes: SWAAT Phase II – Development & Transition of HY80 Steel for Qualification to NAVSEA WIRE-DED Tech Pub ($1.05M).
Jun Dai, Computer Science, Serve as co-PIs on the “2024 DoD Cyber Scholarship Program: Worcester Polytechnic Institute” award from the Department of Defense. Award amount: $116,398. Project dates: August 2024 to December 2025.
Jun Dai, Computer Science, The PI at WPI on the NSA NCAE-C grant: “Strengthening Workforce Education: Excellence in Programming Securely (SWEEPS).” This is a coalition grant together with UC Davis, UMBC, Cal Poly, CRC, Dark Enterprises, and StrongKey. Total award amount: $2,500,000 + $750,000 (option year), WPI award amount: $690,000 + $206,999 (option year). Project dates: July 19, 2023, to July 19, 2025.
Jun Dai, Computer Science, The co-PI on the NSF grant: “SaTC: EDU: Developing Ready-to-Use Hands-on Labs with Portable Operating Environments for Digital Forensics Education.” Award amount transferred to WPI: $214,907.00. Project dates: October 15, 2023, to June 30, 2025.
Jun Dai, Computer Science, The PI on the NSA NCAE-C grant “Expanding the National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy (NCTA).” Award amount transferred to WPI: $210,490.02 + $119,896 (option year). Project dates: August 14, 2023, to September 16, 2025.
Jun Dai, Computer Science, The co-PI at WPI on the project “National Cyber Teaching Academy at WPI” supported by NSA NCAE-C. Award amount: $194,339. Project dates: September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2025.
Jun Dai, Computer Science, The PI at WPI on the NSF grant: “SaTC: EDU: Collaborative: An Assessment Driven Approach to Self-Directed Learning in Secure Programming (SecTutor).” Award amount transferred to WPI: $10,689.00. Project dates: June 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025.
Jun Dai, Computer Science, The PI on the NSA via Oakland University grant “DRIVING Automotive Industry Workforce Transformation (DRIFT): Excellence and Innovation in Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence.” Award amount: the larger project is initially for $2.5 million over two years with an optional $1m for a third year (with $300K for WPI). Project dates: September 2024 to December 2026/2027.
Jun Dai, Computer Science, The PI at WPI on the NSA NCAE-C grant: “The National Cyber Teaching Academy (NCTA).” Award amount transferred to WPI: $34,760.25. Project dates: September 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024.
Aswin Gnanaskandan, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, NSF awarded $580,000 to the project “Elucidating the role of cavitation in desulfurization using an integrated numerical and experimental approach”. ONR awarded $480,000 to the project “Experiments and CFD of fuel cavitation”. Co-PIs: Prof. Coutier-Delgosha at Virginia Tech, Prof. Kunz, Penn State University.
Ulkuhan Guler, Electrical and  Computer Engineering, Collaborative Research: SCH: A Novel Bios-mitigated Multimodal Oxygen Monitor. NIH/DHHS $1,127,984.00.
Tian Guo, Computer Science, The PI for a National Science Foundation Grant titled “Collaborative Research: CIRC: Planning-C: ExpAR: Scalable and Controllable AR Experimentation”. This is a collaboration with the co-PI Feng Qian from the University of Southern California. Total award amount: $100,000, WPI award amount: $50,000. Project dates: August 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025.
Tian Guo, Computer Science, The PI for a National Science Foundation Grant titled “ExpandQISE: Track 1: Education and Research of System and Network Supports for Quantum Cloud”. This grant includes a subaward to the Co-PI Chen Qian from the University of Santa Cruz. Total award amount: $799,995, WPI award amount: $563,996. Project dates: October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2027.
Tian Guo, Computer Science, The PI at WPI for a National Science Foundation Grant titled “Collaborative Research: CSR: Medium: Offloading Heterogeneous Distributed Workloads with Diverse Computation Models.” This is a collaborative award with the PI Sandip Kundu and Co-PI Russell Tessier from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Total award amount: $1,199,998, WPI award amount: $399,999. Project dates: October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2028.
Tian Guo, Computer Science, The PI at WPI for a National Science Foundation Grant titled “Collaborative Research: SaTC: CORE: Small: Towards the Security of Immersive Multimedia Systems.” This is a collaborative award with the PI Sheng Wei and Co-PI Bo Yuan from Rutgers University. Total award amount: $799,995, WPI award amount: $200,000. Project dates: October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2027.
Neil Heffernan, Computer Science, The PI on the IES grant “Talking Math: Improving Math Performance and Engagement Through AI-Enabled Conversational Tutoring (CAIT).” WPI Award Amount: $3,749,600. Project dates: March 1, 2024, to February 28, 2027.
Neil Heffernan, Computer Science, The PI at WPI on the NSF grant “Using Artificial Intelligence to Personalize Mathematics Instruction to Students’ Interests.” WPI Award Amount: $299,199. Project dates: August 1, 2024, to July 31, 2028.
Neil Heffernan, Computer Science, The PI at WPI on the NSF grant: “Mid-scale RI-2: Safelnsights: A National Research Infrastructure for Large-Scale Learning Science and Engineering.” WPI Award Amount: $4,499,992. Project dates: May 1, 2024, to April 30, 2029.
Robert Hyers, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, 4 different grants from NASA for modeling and experiments in materials science and fluid mechanics, totaling $1.7M. 2024 – 2027, NASA 80NSSC24K1274, “Unified Support for Thermolab-ISS, ICOPROSOL, and PARSEC”, R.W. Hyers, PI., $638,941; 2024 – 2027, NASA 80NSSC24K1893, “Thermophysical Properties and Transport Phenomena Models and Experiments on Photorefractive Materials in Reduced Gravity”,R.W. Hyers, PI., $399,998; 2024 – 2028, NASA 80NSSC24K1349, “23-NSTGRO24-0093 - Development of a Novel Process for Refractory Metal Powder Production” (Doctoral Fellowship for Amanda Smith), R.W. Hyers, PI., $335,694; 2024 – 2028, NASA 80NSSC24K1350, “23-NSTGRO24-0094 - Project Tethys: Extracting Water from the Martian Environment” (Doctoral Fellowship for Lydia Ellen Tonani-Penha), R.W. Hyers, PI., $335,694
Renata Konrad, Management, Kyumin Lee (Data Science) and Renata Konrad received a $2M award, Strengthening conservation partnerships by advancing molecular and analytic tools for disrupting illegal wildlife trade, from NSF and the Paul Allen Family Foundation. NSF Award
Diana Lados, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Next Generation of Materials and Testing in Aggressive Environments ($1.35M).
Kyumin Lee, Computer Science, Serves as a PI, and Prof. Konrad Renata, Prof. Meredith Gore, and Dr. Diego Cardenosa serve as co-PIs on the “PACSP TOOLS: Strengthening conservation partnerships by advancing molecular and analytic tools for disrupting illegal wildlife trade” award from the National Science Foundation. Award amount: $1,983,255. Project dates: January 2025 to December 2028.
Xiaozhong Liu, Computer Science, The co-PI on the NSA via Oakland University grant “DRIVING Automotive Industry Workforce Transformation (DRIFT): Excellence and Innovation in Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence.” Award amount: the larger project is initially for $2.5 million over two years with an optional $1m for a third year (with $300K for WPI). Project dates: September 2024 to December 2026/2027.
Sergey Makaroff, Electrical and  Computer Engineering, Charge-Based Brain Modeling Engine with Boundary Element Fast Multipole Method. NIH $3,710,557.00.
Amity Manning, Biology and  Biotechnology, GAANN (Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need) – Dept. of Education Fellowship grant to train the next generation of researchers and educators in molecular biology, cell biology and microbiology. Awarded $900,000.
Randy Paffenroth, Mathematical Sciences, Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the US Army DEVCOM-SC: 3-Year Grant to Develop Data Science Driven Approaches for Chemical Identification ($1,000,000).
Reeta Rao, Biology and Biotechnology, GAANN (Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need) – Dept. of Education Fellowship grant to train the next generation of researchers and educators in molecular biology, cell biology and microbiology. Awarded $900,000.
Reeta Rao, Biology and  Biotechnology, SBIR, Phase II – Pofts Foundation awarded to advance vital research on tuberculosis (TB) treatment.
Ahmet Can Sabuncu, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, NSF BCSER AWARD: Developing a Troubleshooting Learning Environment. Award: $350,000
Roee Shraga, Computer Science, The PI on NSF Grant: “CRII: III: Improving the Utilization of Humans in Data Integration and Discovery.” Award amount: $174,995. Project dates: September 2024 to August 2026.
Craig Shue, Computer Science, Serves as a PI and Profs. Jun Dai, Sherry Sun, and Robert Walls serve as Co-PIs on the “2024 DoD Cyber Scholarship Program: Worcester Polytechnic Institute” award from the Department of Defense. Award amount: $116,398. Project dates: August 2024 to December 2025.
Albert Simeoni, Fire Protection Engineering, Grant from US Forest Service: “Developing Understanding of Firebrand Dynamics using Laboratory Field and Modeling Studies,” Co-Principal Investigator (Co-I) ($550k).
Albert Simeoni, Fire Protection Engineering, Grant from NIST: “Enhancing Wildland-Urban Interface Resilience: A Tiered System for Fire Shelter Development and Standardization,” Principal Investigator (PI) ($453k).
Albert Simeoni, Fire Protection Engineering, Grant from SERDP/DoD: “Developing Detailed Emission Source Terms for Next-Generation Wildland Fire and Smoke Modeling Tools using Improved Near-field Fire Measurements,” Co-PI ($1.16M).
Albert Simeoni, Fire Protection Engineering, Grant from Kidde/Fenwall: “Effects of Inert Gas Discharge Time on Class A Fires,” PI ($140k).
Erin Solovey, Computer Science, The PI, and Katherine Chen is the co-PI for a National Science Foundation grant: “RET Site: Engineering for People and the Planet: Research Experiences for Teaching Integrated STEM.” This grant renews NSF support for the RET Site program that has been running for the past three years and enables an additional three years. Award amount: $599,919. Project dates: June 1, 2024, to May 31, 2027.
Xiaoyan Sun, Computer Science, Serve as co-PIs on the “2024 DoD Cyber Scholarship Program: Worcester Polytechnic Institute” award from the Department of Defense. Award amount: $116,398. Project dates: August 2024 to December 2025.
Xiaoyan Sun, Computer Science, The co-PI on the NSA via Oakland University grant “DRIVING Automotive Industry Workforce Transformation (DRIFT): Excellence and Innovation in Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence.” Award amount: The larger project is initially for $2.5 million over two years with an optional $1m for a third year (with $300K for WPI). Project dates: September 2024 to December 2026/2027.
Xiaoyan Sun, Computer Science, The co-PI at WPI on the NSA NCACE grant: “Strengthening Workforce Education: Excellence in Programming Securely (SWEEPS).” This is a coalition grant together with UC Davis, UMBC, Cal Poly, CRC, Dark Enterprises, and StrongKey. Total award amount: $2,500,000 + $750,000 (option year), WPI award amount: $690,000 + $206,999 (option year). Project dates: July 19, 2023, to July 19, 2025.
Xiaoyan Sun, Computer Science, The PI on the NSF grant: “SaTC: EDU: Developing Ready-to-Use Hands-on Labs with Portable Operating Environments for Digital Forensics Education.” Award amount transferred to WPI: $214,907.00. Project dates: October 15, 2023, to June 30, 2025.
Xiaoyan Sun, Computer Science, The PI at WPI on the project “National Cyber Teaching Academy at WPI” supported by NSA NCACE. Award amount: $194,339. Project dates: September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2025.
Xiaoyan Sun, Computer Science, The co-PI on the NSA NCACE grant “Expanding the National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy (NCTA).” Award amount transferred to WPI: $210,490.02 + $119,896 (option year). Project dates: August 14, 2023, to September 16, 2025.
Xiaoyan Sun, Computer Science, The co-PI at WPI on the NSA NCACE grant: “The National Cyber Teaching Academy (NCTA).” Award amount transferred to WPI: $34,760.25. Project dates: September 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024.
Shahin Tajik, Electrical and Computer Engineering, NSF CAREER Award
Mingjiang Tao, Civil, Environmental, and  Architectural Engineering, NSF, PF1-RP: A Novel Technique for Sustainable and Resilient Enhancement of Coastal Soils, $1,000,000
Burt Tilley, Mathematical Sciences, Air Force Office of Scientific Research: Macroscale modeling of electromagnetic absorption in zeolite-dielectric materials.
Robert Walls, Computer Science, Serve as co-PIs on the “2024 DoD Cyber Scholarship Program: Worcester Polytechnic Institute” award from the Department of Defense. Award amount: $116,398. Project dates: August 2024 to December 2025.
Yan Wang, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Low-Carbon Iron Production and High Silicon Steel Manufacturing (LCIPHSSM). DOE, $1,241,919.
Qi Wen, Physics, National Institutes of Health (NIH): Multiscale Modeling of Fluidity in Partial EMT (pEMT) ($1,198,837). (Co-PI (40%) PI: Min Wu (Math))
Min Wu, Mathematical Sciences, The PI on National Institutes of Health (NIH): Multiscale Modeling of Fluidity in Partial EMT (pEMT) Planar Tissues ($1,198,837)
Jamal Yagoobi, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Sponsor: DOE Advanced Manufacturing Office (Co-PI: Prof. Shawn Liu), $3.05M. October 2024: Topic: Heating, Baking, Drying with Laser Technology for Food and Pulp and Paper Industry Sectors; Funding: $2.750M from DOE and $300k from Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
Eric Young, Chemical Engineering, Department of the Interior IRISS: Interkingdom soil safety sensors $2,746,974.00
Hanmeng Zhan, Computer Science, The PI on NSF Grant: “CRII: Quantum Advantages through Discrete Quantum Walks.” Award amount: $174,420. Project dates: April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2026.
Yihao Zheng, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, NSF awarded $1,199,991 to our project, “SCH: In-Vivo Real-Time Assessment of Thrombus in Stroke Treatment via Fiber Raman Spectroscopy and Multi-Physics Neural-Operator Learning.” Co-PIs: Liu, Savastano at UCSF, Li at UGA.
Yu Zhong, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Highly-reliable Ruggedized Solid-Oxide Steam Electrolyzer ($600K)

 

WPI Grant Recipients

Marja Bakermans, DIGS, Developing Civic Engagement Modules for Courses and Programs. Morgan Teaching & Innovation Grant
Marja Bakermans, DIGS, Hey, AI! Is That a Scarlet Tanager in My Yard? Morgan Teaching & Innovation Grant
John-Michael Davis, DIGS, Post-IQP Academic Publishing. Morgan Teaching & Innovation Grant
Corey Dehner, DIGS, Developing Civic Engagement Modules for Courses and Programs. Morgan Teaching & Innovation Grant
Katherine Foo, DIGS, Developing Civic Engagement Modules for Courses and Programs. Morgan Teaching & Innovation Grant
Renata Konrad, Management, WPI Morgan Teaching and Learning Center Teaching Innovation Grant (Project PI), Creating a more authentic collaborative environment to teach Discrete Event Simulation Fundamentals.  
Courtney Kurlanska, DIGS, Growing Together: Alternative Grading for Team Projects. Morgan Teaching & Innovation Grant
Geoff Pfeifer, DIGS, Social and Political Philosophy. Morgan Teaching & Innovation Grant
Laura Roberts, DIGS, Building a Toolbox for Using AI in Academic Research. Morgan Teaching & Innovation Grant
Derren Rosbach, DIGS, Developing Civic Engagement Modules for Courses and Programs. Morgan Teaching & Innovation Grant
Izabela Stroe, Physics, WPI-Summer Sandbox-Individual Course Grant ($3000) “Topics in Modern Physics: A Roadmap of Women Contributions.”  
Izabela Stroe, Physics, WPI-Morgan Teaching Center ($3000) “Using AI to provide an Equitable Approach for Teaching Large Introductory Physics courses.”  

 

Travel Grant Recipients

Darko Volkov, Mathematical Sciences, Simons Foundation: MPS-TSM: Mathematics and Physical Sciences - Travel Support for Mathematicians, Inverse problems for PDEs, regularization, and neural network solutions ($42,000).