15 UIC researchers earn National Science Foundation early career award 

Fifteen University of Illinois Chicago faculty members received National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development awards over the 2024-25 academic year. The five-year grant, given to early-career faculty who have exemplary potential to be role models in research and education, is the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious award.  

The federal agency announces the awards throughout the year. The scholars were awarded a total of more than $7.5 million to fund projects with a start date between June 2024 and October 2025. Read more about each of them below.

Lu Cheng, assistant professor of computer science in the College of Engineering, received the award for her project “Conformal Methods for Responsible Language Models.” Cheng’s project aims to make language models more trustworthy by improving how they estimate and manage uncertainty, especially in critical areas like health care and autonomous driving. Using a method called conformal prediction, the research aims to build confidence in model outputs. 

Philip Engel, assistant professor of mathematics, statistics and computer science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was awarded for the project “Hodge Theory of Calabi-Yau Varieties.” Engel will study an area of mathematics called Hodge theory, which helps understanding of the shape and structure of complex geometric spaces using simpler, linear tools. A focus of the research will be to understand how the structures of shapes called Calabi-Yau varieties behave and change.  

Mohammad Ghashami, assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering in the College of Engineering, was awarded for the project “Understanding Nanoscale Radiative Transport in Multi-Body Systems.” This project investigates how heat is transferred between multiple nanoscale objects through radiation. By studying these multi-body systems, Ghashami aims to uncover new physical principles that can improve thermal management in advanced technologies. 

Erica Jung, assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering in the College of Engineering, received the award for her project “Identical Brains in Two Zebrafish: Optical Programming and Replications of Brains.” Jung aims to develop new ways to treat brain disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Using animal models, she manipulates neural activity with light, “flipping switches” in damaged brains to study and potentially heal them.  

Osama Khalil, assistant professor of mathematics, statistics and computer science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was awarded for the project “Mixing and Equidistribution in Number Theory and Geometry.” Khalil studies dynamics, or how complex systems evolve over time, which can be applied to problems in number theory and geometry. This project aims to develop new mathematical tools to tackle key questions in this area.

Myunghee Kim, associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering in the College of Engineering, received the award for the project “Personalized, wearable robot mobility assistance considering human-robot co-adaptation that incorporates biofeedback, user coaching and real-time optimization.” Kim develops robotic prosthetics for people with below-knee amputations. This project aims to create smart prosthetic devices that adapt to each user’s movements and needs in real time. 

Nicole Looper, associate professor of mathematics, statistics and computer science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was awarded for the project “Arithmetic Dynamical Systems on Projective Varieties.” Her research explores arithmetic dynamics, a new field that blends number theory and dynamic systems to tackle mathematical problems. It focuses on understanding how certain mathematical objects behave over time.

Marcus Michelen, assistant professor of mathematics, statistics and computer science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was awarded for the project “Analytic and High-dimensional Methods in Probability.” Michelen’s project focuses on probability theory and the study of how random structures behave in high-dimensional settings with applications in fields like data science, physics and computer science. It aims to develop new techniques and approaches to study these random structures. 

Andy Nguyen, assistant professor of chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was awarded for the project “Design of Protein-like Materials from pi-Conjugated Peptides.” Nguyen is using the award to design new porous materials by attaching stackable molecules called aromatic pi-stackers to simplified protein fragments known as peptides. He will also develop 3D-printed models to visualize complex protein and peptide interactions.

Zhangli Peng, assistant professor of biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering, received the award for the project “Predictive Multiscale Modeling of Cell Migration through Pores between Endothelial Cells.” Peng’s research involves using advanced computer simulations to predict how different components of red blood cells, white blood cells and cancer cells squeeze through small endothelial pores in blood vessels. This project will model these cellular mechanics, and the results could be relevant to many diseases.

Arman Roohi, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering, was awarded for the project “Elastic Intermittent Computation Enabling Batteryless Edge Intelligence.” This project focuses on making the Internet of Things more sustainable by developing battery-free smart devices. By creating new computing methods and hardware designs, Roohi’s research aims to reduce electronic waste and carbon emissions in diverse areas. 

Wei Tang, assistant professor of computer science in the College of Engineering, was awarded for the project “Compositional Learning and Understanding of the Physical World.” Tang’s research aims to develop a computer vision framework that learns and understands the physical world in a compositional way, like how humans recognize and interact with their surroundings by breaking scenes into simpler parts. This approach aims to make technologies like robots, self-driving cars and virtual reality systems smarter and more efficient.

Benjamin Sanchez Terrones, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering, received the award for the project “A deep explainable artificial intelligent framework for electrical impedance myography.” Sanchez Terrones works on improving the diagnosis of neuromuscular disorders by advancing a technique called electrical impedance myography, which measures how muscles respond to small electrical signals. By combining this technique with artificial intelligence and computer simulations, the research could lead to more accurate and painless diagnostic and monitoring tools.

Caroline Terry, associate professor of mathematics, statistics and computer science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was awarded for the project “Model theoretic classification theory, Fourier analysis and hypergraph regularity.” Terry’s research explores how model theory, a branch of logic that studies properties shared across mathematical structures, connects with the fields of extremal and arithmetic combinatorics, which focus on problems involving finite sets and numbers. This project will establish a model theoretic understanding of tools from these fields and could lead to new applications.   

Saeid Tizpaz-Niari, assistant professor of computer science in the College of Engineering, was awarded for the project “Metamorphic Debugging for Responsible AI-Software Development.” This project will develop new debugging techniques for AI-software to detect and resolve issues related to transparency, accountability and impartiality before the software is deployed publicly.