UIC Research and Scholarship 2023 Annual Awards announced

Dear colleagues:

The University of Illinois Chicago Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and the Office of Technology Management announce the recipients of the UIC Research and Scholarship Annual Awards for 2023. The awards recognize the efforts of faculty and scholars to advance knowledge and promote continued excellence in research and scholarship at UIC.

We would like to thank the campus community for submitting a wealth of compelling nominations for these awards. We also thank review panel members for their time spent evaluating applications and meeting to select the awardees.

Researcher and Scholar of the Year

Five UIC faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in their fields will receive the Distinguished Researcher and Distinguished Scholar awards. Additionally, five UIC early-career faculty who have shown outstanding promise to become future leaders in their fields will receive the Rising Star awards.

The awardees for 2023 are:

Basic life sciences

Rising Star: Andrew P. Riley, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy

Distinguished: John Nitiss, PhD, Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy

Clinical sciences

Rising Star: Natasha Crooks, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development Nursing Science, College of Nursing

Distinguished: Ardith Doorenbos, PhD, RN, FAAN, Nursing Collegiate Professor, Department of Biobehavioral Nursing Science, College of Nursing

Natural Sciences and Engineering

Rising Star: Pai-Yen Chen, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering

Distinguished: Robert Klie, PhD, Professor, Department of Physics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Social Sciences

Rising Star: Nicole Nguyen, PhD, Associate Professor, Criminology, Law and Justice, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Distinguished: Claire Laurier Decoteau, PhD, Professor, Department of Sociology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Humanities, Arts, Design and Architecture

Rising Star: Adam Goodman, PhD, Associate Professor, departments of Latin American and Latino Studies and History, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Distinguished: Christina Pugh, PhD, MFA, Professor, Department of English, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Inventor of the Year

The Inventor of the Year Award honors an outstanding inventor or outstanding team of inventors at UIC who have contributed to the development of intellectual property that significantly impacts their field and society. The award is given based on creativity, novelty and benefit to society.

2023 Winner: Deepak Shukla, PhD, Marion H. Schenk Esq. Professor in Ophthalmology for Research of the Aging Eye and Vice Chair of Research, College of Medicine

The Postdoctoral Scholar Award and Faculty Mentor Award

We also have introduced two new awards. The Postdoctoral Scholar Award recognizes a postdoctoral fellow who has demonstrated outstanding achievement and shows exceptional promise as a future leader. The Faculty Mentor Award recognizes a person who is an outstanding knowledgeable, empathetic guide and leverages their experience to inspire and support mentees in achieving their goals, fostering a trusting, long-term relationship built on effective communication and adaptability.

Postdoctoral Scholar of the Year

2023 Winner: Zeenat Farooq, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine

Faculty Mentor of the Year

2023 Winner: Todd A. Lee, PhD, PharmD, Professor, Department of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes and Policy, College of Pharmacy

Sincerely,

Joanna Groden, PhD
Vice Chancellor for Research

Suseelan Pookote, PhD
Director, Office of Technology Management

For more information, please contact:
Sarah O’Brien
rds@uic.edu