Biology major Sonali Kaluri is a STEM expert. Spanish major Sonali Kaluri is a language and culture expert.
Put the two together and you have a sharply educated researcher with a passion for healthcare. Kaluri is headed to Barcelona after graduation this Spring as a Fulbright Scholar to study the health of migrant workers under the digital platform economy. She plans to later embark on a career in medicine.
It’s something she says she couldn’t have done without her experiences at the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.
“You need to have a deep understanding of people and the systems that surround us to be able to effectively and ethically help people as a physician,” Kaluri said.
Kaluri’s Applied Languages and Intercultural Studies degree from the School of Modern Languages helped shape that understanding, including through classes studying Spanish literature.
“Literature is such an important window into the lives of people different from you,” Kaluri said. “Studying another language’s great works is an excellent way to understand the experiences of different people and build that empathy, which translates to real life for me in being able to better connect with the people I meet.”
Kaluri, who was fluent in her parents’ languages of Telugu and Kannada before arriving at Georgia Tech, had always wanted to combine language training with her work in healthcare.
“Early in high school and college, I would shadow doctors, and if they had a patient that couldn’t speak English, I’d be able to follow along with the conversation even without an interpreter using my knowledge from high school Spanish classes,” Kaluri said. “I figured that one day as a doctor, it would be cool to be able to talk directly to a larger number of patients without needing an interpreter and to be able to build greater rapport with patients. That was the spark for why I wanted to pursue more rigorous study of Spanish.”
Her interest in medicine derives from seeing how cultural norms around gender and caregiving can shape and even sideline women’s own healthcare needs.
“I realized that was a big part of why I wanted to pursue medicine — to advocate for people on a deeper level, to try to bridge these gaps that I've noticed in research, in the clinic, et cetera,” Kaluri said.
Kelly Comfort, one of Kaluri’s Spanish professors, said Kaluri’s success shows what’s possible with a combined STEM and liberal arts education.
“Sonali is the kind of student who proves that the humanities are not separate from science and medicine — they strengthen them. Her ability to think critically about culture, identity, and social systems through her ALIS major has shaped her into a more thoughtful future healthcare professional,” Comfort said.
“She is not only highly skilled in pre-health and pre-medicine fields, but she is also multilingual, interculturally competent, empathetic, reflective, and prepared to improve the human condition across cultures, languages, and borders,” Comfort said.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded $2 million to a team of Georgia Tech and Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) researchers to develop a first-of-its-kind vaccine pill for bird flu.
For decades, bird flu was uncommon in the U.S., but that has changed. In the past several years, epidemics have threatened poultry and dairy cattle operations across the country. Higher egg prices, driven largely by bird flu-related supply disruptions, have cost American consumers billions of dollars in losses.
“The H5N1 strain of the bird flu, which has driven recent and current outbreaks, is a highly lethal virus that kills domestic chickens and other bird species in droves,” said David Pattie, GTRI research scientist and branch chief. “It can easily jump from birds to other animal species — and sometimes to humans.”
The research team will leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to design and test a probiotic avian flu vaccine that, if successful, could be served to chickens in their feed. Currently, vaccinating a flock means individually injecting every bird.
“We’re focusing on live bacterial vaccines, which means the vaccine comes from living bacteria you swallow, instead of an injection,” said Mike Farrell, GTRI principal research scientist and the project’s lead investigator.
“These probiotic vaccines would help protect birds and livestock from flu-like infections and lower the risk of those viruses spreading to humans,” he added.
In addition to Farrell and Pattie, the team includes researchers from an array of disciplines across the Institute: Faramarz Fekri, professor and John Pippin Chair in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; JC Gumbart, Dunn Family Professor in the School of Physics; Brian Hammer, associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences; and Anton Bryksin, director of the Molecular Evolution Core at the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience.
Building on Human Influenza Research
The project builds on Farrell’s ongoing research into developing probiotic vaccine adjuvants for human influenza. The goal is to use probiotic bacteria — the “good bacteria” found in foods like yogurt — to help create immunity for the flu vaccine.
If the researchers can get probiotic bacteria to display pieces of the flu virus (called antigens) on their surface, then they could be swallowed like a normal probiotic pill.
“The gut is a great place for building immunity. When these bacteria reach the gut, your body would recognize the virus pieces on the bacteria and start building flu antibodies,” Farrell explained. “That way, when the chickens get exposed to flu, their immune system would already be prepared to fight it.”
Putting AI to the Test
“The idea behind this oral bird flu vaccine is to leverage artificial intelligence and the vast historical database for H5N1 available to us, because it's a very well-studied virus,” Farrell said. “There is a ton of structural data out there.”
Gumbart is an expert in protein modeling and simulation. Part of his role is figuring out the best design for a viral protein piece (antigen) — one that looks and behaves like the real virus protein, so it triggers the right immune response. To do this, he will combine Fekri’s AI-generated predictions with computer modeling.
“That’s where my team adds real value,” Gumbart said. “We use simulations to test how stable and realistic these protein designs are, which allows us to choose the best ones for lab experiments.”
AI has already identified new medicines and antibiotics by studying chemical databases. If the team can use AI to help design virus proteins for vaccines, it could transform how vaccines are made.
Pattie says that any viral infectious disease with a high mortality rate has the potential to become a national security threat. “At that point, developing countermeasures becomes exceedingly important from a national security perspective,” he said.
This is the first time several of the team members are working on poultry research. For Gumbart, the project is a full-circle moment.
“I grew up in rural Illinois, and as a kid, one of my daily chores was to take care of chickens, and I kind of hated it,” he said. “It is some sort of universal irony that I am back to taking care of chickens again.”
Evolutionary ecologist James Stroud has been awarded the Bicentenary Medal by the Linnean Society of London in recognition of his pioneering work in evolutionary ecology and community contributions. Stroud serves as an Elizabeth Smithgall-Watts Early Career Assistant Professor in the School of Biological Sciences.
One the oldest existing biological societies in the world, the Linnean Society of London is renowned as the venue where, in July 1858, Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace first publicly announced the theory of evolution by natural selection — more than a year before Darwin published On the Origin of Species. The annual Bicentenary Medal is considered one of the most prestigious awards for researchers studying natural history.
“This honor is profoundly meaningful to me — both as an evolutionary biologist and a Londoner,” says Stroud. “To be recognized here, at the very heart of evolutionary biology’s history, is deeply personal, incredibly exciting, and very special.”
Stroud is one of 10 exemplary researchers to be recognized by the Linnean Society this year with a medal or award.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the 2026 Linnean Society medal and award recipients, whose work advances our vision of a world where nature is understood, valued and protected,” says Mark Watson, who serves as president of the Linnean Society. “At a time when the importance of biodiversity and conservation has never been clearer, their achievements show the power of curiosity, dedication and scientific endeavor.”
Understanding Lizards — and Life on Earth
At Georgia Tech, Stroud investigates the ecological and evolutionary processes of lizards in order to understand patterns of biological diversity at a larger scale. “Studying lizards in their natural habitats allows us to directly investigate how species adapt and evolve in real time,” he explains, “and this helps us understand how ecological and evolutionary processes shape life on Earth."
For over 10 years, he has run one of the longest-running evolutionary studies of its kind: catching, documenting, and releasing each of the 1,000 lizards who reside on “Lizard Island,” Stroud’s living lab in Florida.
In 2025, he was awarded a Packard Fellowship to further develop the project by equipping each lizard with a tiny sensor backpack to document their behaviors and movements in real time — with the goal of creating evolution’s first high-definition map.
In 2014, Stroud also founded a community science project called “Lizards on the Loose” to introduce middle school students to ecological science. A collaboration with Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, the program now reaches students from over 100 schools across South Florida.
The following members of the College of Sciences community were honored at the 2026 Georgia Tech Faculty and Staff Honors Luncheon on Friday, April 24. We join the Institute in celebrating these awardees, who together represent five of the College’s six schools along with the Office of the Dean.
View luncheon photos on Flickr, and see recipients from all colleges here.
Georgia Tech Chapter Sigma Xi Awards
Best Faculty Paper Award
Jiang Zhigang
Professor
School of Physics
Institute Research Awards
Outstanding Achievement in Research Enterprise Enhancement
Anna Österholm
Research Faculty
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Outstanding Achievement in Research Program Development Award
Human Space Exploration Team
Thomas Orlando — Team Leader
Regents’ Professor
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
School of Physics
Phillip First
Professor
School of Physics
Brant Jones
Senior Research Scientist
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Frances Rivera-Hernandez
Assistant Professor
School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Jiang Zhigang
Professor
School of Physics
Human Space Exploration Team co-recipients from the College of Engineering:
Masatoshi Hirabayashi
Associate Professor
Julie Linsey
Professor
Peter Loutzenhiser
Associate Professor
Alvaro Romero-Calvo
Assistant Professor
Meisha Shofner
Professor
Staff Awards
Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Gender Equity Award
Susan Lozier
College of Sciences Dean
Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair
Professor, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Undergraduate Education Awards
Outstanding Undergraduate Academic Advisor – Faculty Advisor
Haley Steele
Academic Professional
School of Biological Sciences
Center for Teaching and Learning Awards
Curriculum Innovation Award
Mary Peek
Principal Academic Professional
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Undergraduate Educator Award
Tiffiny Hughes-Troutman
Professor of the Practice
School of Psychology
Faculty Honors Committee Awards
Junior Faculty Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award
Farzaneh Najafi
Assistant Professor
School of Biological Sciences
Class of 1940 W. Howard Ector Outstanding Teacher Award
Pamela Pollet
Principal Academic Professional
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
As the academic year nears its end, a season of celebration begins. Several College of Sciences students were recognized for excellence this year at the annual Georgia Tech Student Honors Celebration on Thursday, April 23. We join the Institute in celebrating these awardees, who together represent the College’s six schools.
View luncheon photos on Flickr, and see recipients from all colleges here.
College of Sciences
The School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Quarter Century Award
Sophia Buettner (ENVS), Daniel Lamprea (AOS), Rowan Ray (ENVS), Claire Riggs (ENVS)
The School of Chemistry and Biochemistry Arduengo Award
Arya Akbarshahi (BCHM), Ryan Wiebold (CHEM)
The School of Psychology Moll Davenport Award
Kate Cole (PSYCH)
Metha Phingbodhipakkiya Memorial Scholarship
Nick Elidor (NEUR)
A. Joyce Nickelson and John C. Sutherland Prize
Carlos Marcio De Oliveira E Silva Filho (MATH & PHYS)
Roger M. Wartell and Stephen E. Brossette Award
Sara Dixon (BCHM), Nikhita Subramaniarao (PHYS)
Robert A. Pierotti Memorial Scholarship
Zachary Beddingfield (BIO & BCHM), Kate Cole (PSYCH), Kathleen “Katie” Griffin (BIO & ENVS)
Institute Awards
Georgia Tech Women’s Club Scholarships
From College of Sciences:
Isabel O’Connell (ENVS), Clear Holley (PHYS)
The University System of Georgia (USG) Academic Recognition Award
From College of Sciences:
Elliot Huang (PSYCH & CS)
Provost’s Academic Excellence Award
From College of Sciences:
Elliot Huang (PSYCH & CS)
Love Family Foundation Award
From College of Sciences:
Marielle Frooman (BCHM)
Clanton Awards
Virginia C. and Herschel V. Clanton Jr. Scholarship
Chloe Zhang (BCHM), Maryam Aamir (NEUR)
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
Recipients
From College of Sciences:
Matthew Rohan (CHEM), Austin C. Wang (NEUR)
Download photos from this year’s Spring Sciences Celebration on the College of Sciences’ Flickr.
The College of Sciences recognized faculty and staff excellence during the 2026 Spring Sciences Celebration. Held each spring on Tech Tower Lawn, this signature event also honors recent retirees.
“Spring Sciences is a time to celebrate exceptional members of our community,” says Susan Lozier, dean of the College of Sciences, Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair, and professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. “We thank this year’s honorees for their outstanding contributions and dedication to our mission.”
The 2026 honorees are:
Faculty Development Awards
The Cullen-Peck Scholar Awards were established by Frank Cullen (Math 1973, M.S. ISyE 1976, Ph.D. ISyE 1984) and Elizabeth Peck (Math 1975, M.S. ISyE 1976) to encourage the development of especially promising mid-career faculty.
- William Gutekunst, Chemistry and Biochemistry
- D. Zeb Rocklin, Physics
- Minoru “Shino” Shinohara, Biological Sciences
The Gretzinger Moving the School Forward Award, endowed by Ralph Gretzinger (Math 1970) and named in honor of his late wife, Jewel, recognizes the leadership of a school chair or senior faculty member who has played a pivotal role in advancing equal opportunity in the composition of tenure-track faculty, fostering a family-friendly work environment, and providing a supportive environment for early-career faculty.
- Tiffiny Hughes-Troutman, Psychology
The Eric R. Immel Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching, endowed by Charles Crawford (Math 1971), recognizes exemplary teaching in foundational undergraduate courses. It honors the late School of Mathematics professor Eric R. Immel, who greatly influenced Crawford’s undergraduate experience at the Institute.
- Zachary Handlos, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
The CoS Faculty Mentor Awards, established jointly by the College of Sciences and its ADVANCE Professor, recognize the efforts and achievements of faculty members who mentor fellow faculty.
- Alexander Robel, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
- Chongchun Zeng, Mathematics
Research Faculty Awards
The CoS Outstanding Junior Research Faculty Award and CoS Outstanding Senior Research Faculty Award recognize postdoctoral and non-tenure-track research faculty whose exceptional research contributions have had a significant impact on their fields of study.
CoS Outstanding Junior Research Faculty Award
- Chaebin Kim, Physics
CoS Outstanding Senior Research Faculty Award
- Brant Jones, Chemistry and Biochemistry
The CoS Research Faculty Community Trailblazer Award recognizes postdoctoral and non-tenure-track research faculty who have demonstrated and sustained leadership that strengthens the sense of community among research faculty within the College.
- Dustin Huard, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Staff Awards
The College of Sciences Staff Awards are made possible by funding from the Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Dean’s Chair endowment. These awards include:
The Leadership in Action Award recognizes a staff member who has made exceptional contributions to the College through innovative and strategic leadership, change management, business process improvement, special project leadership, and similar accomplishments.
- Leslie Roberts, College of Sciences Dean’s Office
The Exceptional Staff Award and the Friend of the Sciences Award recognize performance above and beyond the call of duty. The awardees demonstrate high levels of execution in their primary job duties, auxiliary roles, and citizenship, positively impacting the strategic goals of the College.
Exceptional Staff Award
- Joshua Crowe, Biological Sciences
Friend of the Sciences Award
- Eme Anderson, Office of Sponsored Programs
The Rising Star Award honors a newer staff member who has made a significant impact during their short tenure by contributing to the strategic goals and initiatives of the College, showing passion for their work, and embracing the Institute’s culture and values.
- Drake Lee-Patterson, Biological Sciences
2026 Retirees
Faculty
- Rafael Bras, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
- Predrag Cvitanović, Physics
- Martin Jarrio, Physics
- Michael Loss, Mathematics
Staff
- Judith Taylor, Mathematics
North Carolina's Bald Head Island Conservancy (BHIC) and Georgia Tech for Georgia’s Tomorrow (GT²) are pleased to announce a formal research fund and partnership between BHIC’s Johnston Center for Coastal Sustainability and GT².
GT² is a newly established research initiative at Georgia Tech that focuses on discovery science, engineering innovation, and AI-enabled decision tools to address urgent challenges at the intersection of environmental and community resilience in the Southeast. The initiative fosters research in direct service to regional communities through public-private partnerships, and it provides opportunities for graduate student engagement.
The BHIC-GT² research fund and partnership will pursue shared initiatives in the fields of coastal sustainability, ecosystem health, and environmental resilience. By combining BHIC’s applied, field-based conservation work with Georgia Tech’s expertise in technological innovation and data analysis, new opportunities for impactful research will be created through graduate student projects and community engagement.
About the Partnership
Like the GT² initiative, BHIC’s Johnston Center for Coastal Sustainability was created to translate research into real-world impact. BHIC established the Johnston Center as a research partnership and education hub for sustainability initiatives on Bald Head Island, with the broader goal of advancing coastal sustainability across the Southeast. Seed funding for the Center was provided in 2021 by Dick and Pat Johnston, longtime supporters of BHIC.
Dick, a Georgia Tech IM 1962 alumnus, and Pat Johnston shared their enthusiasm for the BHIC and Georgia Tech collaboration, noting:
“We are delighted to see our two favorite institutions come together through this partnership. It brings additional resources, expertise, and leadership to our shared focus on keeping the historic tagline ‘Living in Harmony with Nature’ in the hearts of future generations.”
Joel Kostka, Faculty Director of GT² who also serves as Tom and Marie Patton Distinguished Professor and associate chair for Research in the School of Biological Sciences with a joint appointment in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Tech added:
“The Bald Head Island Conservancy and its Johnston Center for Coastal Sustainability exemplify how place‑based conservation and rigorous science can work together to create real impact. The Bald Head Island Conservancy’s long‑term stewardship, research infrastructure, and commitment to translating science into action make it an ideal partner for Georgia Tech for Georgia’s Tomorrow as we advance collaborative research that strengthens coastal resilience across the Southeast.”
This partnership will focus on Georgia Tech graduate student research projects that use innovative technology and data analyses to directly support the conservation work of BHIC.
Graduate student research already plays an important role in BHIC’s conservation efforts. Gabie Krueger, a Georgia Tech Ph.D. student in Ocean Sciences and Engineering and BHIC’s 2025-26 Johnston Graduate Fellow in Coastal Sustainability, has been working with BHIC scientists on a salt marsh ecology project that examined how ribbed mussels and fiddler crabs influence the health of Bald Head Island’s dominant salt marsh grass Spartina alterniflora. These flora-fauna interactions serve as primary indicators of marsh health, so her research is important for understanding the resilience of Bald Head Island’s salt marsh to environmental concerns such as sea-level rise and development.
Through the BHIC-GT² partnership, Georgia Tech student researchers who work with the Conservancy will also gain invaluable experience with local conservation efforts and community engagement.
G. Christopher Shank, Ph.D., Executive Director of BHIC, commented:
“The Bald Head Island Conservancy is thrilled about this opportunity to create a formal research partnership with Georgia Tech, one of the nation’s most esteemed research universities. It is recognition of the quality of conservation studies we are currently pursuing at the Conservancy and it also augments the impact of our work for BHI and beyond because of the technological and data analysis talent that Georgia Tech for Georgia’s Tomorrow will bring to this partnership.”
Why This Matters
This research fund and partnership represents an important step forward in strengthening connections between academic research and applied conservation institutions. Together, BHIC and GT² aim to inform coastal management decisions, support resilience planning, engage students, and advance research that benefits coastal ecosystems and communities across the southeastern U.S.
Looking Ahead
Additional details about joint initiatives, research priorities, and collaborative opportunities will be shared in the coming months.
The Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty recognizes faculty and research professionals promoted this spring across academic, research, and Library roles. These promotions reflect sustained excellence in scholarship, teaching, service, and research leadership across the Institute.
Academic Faculty
Faculty members newly awarded tenure are indicated with an asterisk (*).
Promoted to Professor
- André Brock - School of Literature, Media, and Communication, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
- Hailong Chen – George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
- Sonia Chernova – School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing
- Elizabeth Cherry – School of Computational Science and Engineering, College of Computing
- Seung-Kyum Choi – George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
- John A. Christian – Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering
- Jonathan E. Clarke - Scheller College of Business
- Alex Endert – School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing
- Joshua P. Kacher – School of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering
- Neha Kumar – School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing
- Suzanne S. Lee - Scheller College of Business
- Patrick T. McGrath - School of Biological Sciences, College of Sciences
- Cecilia Montes-Alcala - School of Modern Languages, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
- Susana M. Morris - School of Literature, Media, and Communication, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
- Marius Florin Niculescu - Scheller College of Business
- Ameet J. Pinto - School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
- Christopher Thomas Reinhard – School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, College of Sciences
- Lawrence Peter Rubin - Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
- Minoru 'Shino' Shinohara - School of Biological Sciences, College of Sciences
- Mark Zachary Taylor - Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
- Iris Tien - School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
- Jingfeng Wang - School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
- Aaron J. Young – George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
Professors Awarded Tenure
- Antonio Facchetti – School of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering
- Larry P. Heck – School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
- Karthikeyan Sundaresan – School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
Promoted to Associate Professor
- Leila Aflatoony - School of Industrial Design, College of Design*
- Brian AN - Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts*
- Dylan Brewer - School of Economics, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts*
- Christopher E. Carr – Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering*
- Hannah Choi - School of Mathematics, College of Sciences*
- Winnie Chu – School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, College of Sciences*
- Paige Clayton - School of City and Regional Planning, College of Design*
- Lelia Glass - School of Modern Languages, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts*
- Sehoon Ha - School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing*
- Itamar Kimchi - School of Physics, College of Sciences*
- Srijan Kumar - School of Computational Science and Engineering, College of Computing*
- Pan Li - School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering*
- Shaolan Li - School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering*
- Frank Li - School of Cybersecurity and Privacy, College of Computing*
- Pengfei Liu – School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, College of Sciences*
- Nikki Mackenzie - Scheller College of Business*
- Christopher J. MacLellan - School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing*
- Cheng Mao - School of Mathematics, College of Sciences*
- Anirban Mazumdar - George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering*
- David Alan Muchlinski - Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts*
- Samer Naif – School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, College of Sciences*
- Hyun Joo Oh - School of Industrial Design, College of Design*
- Juergen Rauleder - Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering*
- Sourabh K. Saha - George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering*
- Hongchen Wu - School of Modern Languages, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts*
- Xueqing Yan - School of Economics, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts*
Associate Professors Awarded Tenure
- Alberto Dainotti – School of Computer Science, College of Computing
- Leandro Miletto Tonetto – School of Industrial Design, College of Design
Promoted to Principal Academic Professional
- Shannon P. Dobranski - AS&A, ProvEVP-AA
- Michael J. Evans – School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Sciences
- Melissa Foulger - School of Literature, Media, and Communication, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
- Diley Hernandez - Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty, Office of the Provost
- Jillann Hertel - School of Literature, Media, and Communication, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
- Jennifer Lynn Hirsch - SCRE, ProvEVP-AA
- Kenyetta Alicia Johnson Taylor – School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Sciences
- Amanda Nolen - CTL, ProvEVP-AA
- Matthew Nusnbaum - School of Biological Sciences, College of Sciences
- Christopher Wayne Reaves - EEL, ProvEVP-AA
- Carol Subino Sullivan - CTL, ProvEVP-AA
- Catherine E. Thomas - EEL, ProvEVP-AA
- Kate Williams - CTL, ProvEVP-AA
- C. Andrew Helm - EI2-RI, ProvEVP-AA
Promoted to Principal Lecturer
- Kathrin Koppe - School of Modern Languages, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
- Robert William Myers - Scheller College of Business
- Michele L. Rosbruck - School of Biological Sciences, College of Sciences
- Tatiana Rudchenko - Scheller College of Business
- Yonathan S. Thio - School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Engineering
Promoted to Senior Academic Professional
- Sybrina Y. Atwaters - OOSA, ProvEVP-AA
- Meghan J. Babcock - School of Psychology, College of Sciences
- Brian Michael Beck - School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
- Onur Birol - School of Biological Sciences, College of Sciences
- Benjamin T. Galfond - School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Engineering
- Mioy T. Huynh – School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Sciences
- Gregory Stuart Mayer - School of Mathematics, College of Sciences
- Rachael S. Pitts Hall - Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering
- Gaeun (Gwenn) Seo - VPGE&FD, ProvEVP-AA
- Kevin D. Shankwiler - School of Industrial Design, College of Design
- William Stern - School of Psychology, College of Sciences
Promoted to Senior Lecturer
- Nivedita Bhattacharya - College of Engineering
- Aibek Musaev - College of Computing
- Melanie S. Ruefli - GTPE-Lang, College of Lifetime Learning
Promoted to Librarian/Archivist IV
- Charlie Bennett – Georgia Tech Library
- Heather Leigh Jeffcoat – Georgia Tech Library
- Aisha M. Johnson – Georgia Tech Library
Promoted to Librarian/Archivist III
- John Mack Freeman – Georgia Tech Library
Promoted to Librarian/Archivist II
- Justin Ellis – Georgia Tech Library
- Stephanie Galipeau – Georgia Tech Library
Research Faculty
Promoted to Principal Research Scientist
- Ira C. Benoy - GTRI-CIPHR
- David A. Gaul – School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Sciences
- Jessica Inman - GTRI-CIPHR
- Laura O'Farrell - DepAnimRsc-EVPR
- Peter W. Presti - IMTC-EVPR
- Wesley Daniel Robertson - GTRI-CIPHR
- Paige O'Neil Rohrig - EI2-EVPR
- Daniel Elliot Sabo - GTRI-ATAS
- Robert W. Wright - GTRI-CIPHR
- Hongwei Wu – School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Sciences
Promoted to Principal Research Engineer
- Daniel Joseph Clancy - GTRI-SEAL
- Christopher Robert Clark - GTRI-CIPHR
- Christopher Timothy Coen - GTRI-ACL
- Austin William Foote - GTRI-SEAL
- Don David Fullmer - GTRI-ELSYS
- Kyle W. Harrigan - GTRI-EOSL
- Mark Johnson - GTRI-ELSYS
- Olga G. Kemenova - GTRI-ATAS
- Kyle Christopher Keppler - GTRI-ASL
- Jeong Woo Lee - School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Engineering
- Michael J. Macdonald - GTRI-CIPHR
- Milad Navaei - GTRI-CIPHR
- Thomas William Norris - GTRI-ELSYS
- David Joyner Pate - GTRI-SEAL
- Michael Edward Shearin - GTRI-ELSYS
- Michael Houston Spratley - GTRI-ASL
- Joel Glen Vinson - GTRI-EOSL
- Jason Paul Zutty - GTRI-EOSL
Promoted to Principal Research Technologist
- Hezekiah Barge, Jr. – CIPHR, ICSD (GTRI)
Promoted to Principal Research Associate
- Matthew Sandberg – CIPHR, ICSD (GTRI)
Promoted to Principal Extension Professional
- Donna M. Ennis – Enterprise Innovation Institute
- Juli Golemi – Enterprise Innovation Institute
- Damon C. Nix – Enterprise Innovation Institute
- Wendy White – Enterprise Innovation Institute
Promoted to Senior Research Scientist
- Ahmaad A. Adesola - GTRI-ACL
- Sankaraleengam Alagapan - School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
- Gulcin Arslan Azizoglu - School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Engineering
- Erkan Azizoglu - School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Engineering
- Mark McLain Bolding - GTRI-ICL
- Lori A. Burns - School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Sciences
- Wei-Wen Chen - School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Sciences
- Jonathan Scott Ciak - GTRI-CIPHR
- Karim Farhat - School of Public Policy, Ivan Allen
- Sarah Katherine Farmer - CACP, Ivan Allen
- Charity Anne Hilton - GTRI-ICL
- Adam Jacobs - GTRI-SEAL
- Jeffrey David Krug - GTRI-ICL
- David La Mantia - GTRI-CIPHR
- Soojung Lee - Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering
- Anthony Lien - Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering
- Miroslav Malesevic - GeoInfoSys, College of Design
- Ryan Lee Mueller - GTRI-CIPHR
- Julie Niklas - School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Sciences
- Zerrin Ondin-Fraser - CATEA-RC, College of Design
- James B. Parson - GTRI-CIPHR
- Carlo Andrea Riccardo Perini - School of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering
- Oliver Clements Pierson - GTRI-EOSL
- Noah Posner - IMTC-EVPR
- Ronald O. Rahaman - OIT-PACE
- Abeera P. Rehmat - CEISMC, College of Lifetime Learning
- Rachel A. Schneider - Enterprise Innovation Institute
- Richard Thomas Starr - IPT-EVPR
- Ploy Thajchayapong - IDSE-EVPR
- Gretchen Wyland - GTRI-ASL
Promoted to Senior Research Associate
- Sara Blevins - GTRI-CSO
- Benjamin Clough - GTRI-ACL
- Kelly Creasy - GTRI-PMO
- Theodore Avery Evans - VPRIARSIA-EVPR
- Katherine Boice King - CEISMC, College of Lifetime Learning
- Haley May - GTRI-PMO
- Shivon A. Scott - GTRI-ICL
Promoted to Senior Research Engineer
- Jai Sanjay Ahuja - ASDL, College of Engineering
- Daniel S. Bennett - GTRI-SEAL
- Eric A. Brown - GTRI-EOSL
- Jack Casey - GTRI-SEAL
- Richard Seth Cohen - GTRI-ELSYS
- Ken Curtis - GTRI-CIPHR
- Shaun J. Hoyt - GTRI-SEAL
- Yongwon Lee - George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
- Dan Lev - Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering
- Daniel Ellis Levy - GTRI-ASL
- Christian Perron - ASDL, College of Engineering
- Thomas O. Pettet - GTRI-ASL
- Joel D. Rasmussen - GTRI-ATAS
- Gershom M. Richards - GTRI-ELSYS
- Shamaria Rivers - GTRI-CIPHR
- Kyle S. Saleeby - GTMI-EVPR
- Humaira Shah - GTRI-CIPHR
- Michael Jaewoo Son - GTRI-ELSYS
- Woong Je Sung - ASDL, College of Engineering
- Laura Katherine Morgan Vinson - GTRI-EOSL
- Thomas Williamson - GTRI-SEAL
Promoted to Senior Research Technologist
- Trever C. Nightingale - OIT-PACE
Promoted to Senior Extension Professional
- Clarence Edward Anthony - Enterprise Innovation Institute
- Allison L. Bridges - Scheller College of Business
- Sean P. Castillo - Enterprise Innovation Institute
- Melissa B. Heffner - VP-Commercialization-EVPR
- Viviana Montenegro - Enterprise Innovation Institute
- Brandon Jamal Philpot - Enterprise Innovation Institute
Promoted to Research Scientist II
- Spencer Clifton Brown - GTRI-CIPHR
- Steven J. Crow - GTRI-ICL
- Raven M. Davis - Georgia Tech Library
- Kenneth Eaton - GTRI-CIPHR
- Lauren Michelle Fowler - GTRI-SEAL
- Charles Hoff - GTRI-ELSYS
- Kala V. Jordan - IMTC- EVPR
- Hannah D. Mahon - GTRI-CIPHR
- Ryan McGill - GTRI-CIPHR
- Ritheshkumar S. Neelamagam - GTRI-CPHR
- Brenna M. Phelps - CACP, Ivan Allen
- Eric Conrad Schneider - GTRI-ELSYS
- Giuseppe P. Scoppino - GTRI-ELSYS
- Rebecca Graham Sheiner - CACP, Ivan Allen
- Marco Sun - GTRI-SEAL
- Samuel Adam Sutter - GTRI-ELSYS
- Joshua S. Valdez - GTRI-CIPHR
- Yu Wu - IMS-EVPR
- Andrew H. Zhao - IPT-EVPR
Promoted to Research Associate II
- Travis Merritt Meeks - GTRI-ACL
- Carolyn Sims - VPRIARSIA-EVPR
Promoted to Research Engineer II
- Stefan Abi-Karam - GTRI-CIPHR
- Thomas Boyle - GTRI-SEAL
- Zachary D. Brunson - George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
- Alexander William Bustos - GTRI-ELSYS
- Roger Anthony Campbell - GTRI-EOSL
- Alex Carney - GTRI-ELSYS
- Larry Davis - GTRI-SEAL
- Jacob C. Faile - GTRI-EOSL
- Paul Andrew Farmer - GTRI-ELSYS
- Brianna A. Faulkenberry - GTRI-ELSYS
- Jeffrey Filkins - GTRI-CIPHR
- Austin Forgey - GTRI-ATAS
- James N. Foshee - GTRI-ELSYS
- Hunter Lewis Gallahair - GTRI-ELSYS
- Keegan L. George - GTRI-ATAS
- Niko Giannakakos - GTRI-ELSYS
- Eric M. Glunn - GTRI-ATAS
- Taryn Harvey - George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
- Sadi D. Johnson - GTRI-ASL
- Kevin Lee Kamperman - GTRI-ATAS
- Grace Kaylor - GTRI-ELSYS
- James D. Kenny Jr - ASDL, College of Engineering
- Mary Elizabeth Lichtenwalner - GTRI-SEAL
- Viviana G. Lopez - GTRI-ELSYS
- Parth Mandrekar - GTRI-ATAS
- David S. Maye - GTRI-ELSYS
- Jeffrey T. McNabb - ASDL, College of Engineering
- Pawel Michalski - GTRI-EOSL
- Michael Rousseau Molder - GTRI-ELSYS
- David T. Murphy - GTRI-SEAL
- Thangam Natarajan - BME
- Brooke A. Oden - GTRI-ELSYS
- Edward Abraham Paz - GTRI-ICL
- Nam Phan - GTRI-SEAL
- Tyler Christian Rhodes - GTRI-SEAL
- John Roberson - GTRI-SEAL
- William Robertson - GTRI-ELSYS
- Stephen D. Ruigh - GTRI-SEAL
- Tyler K. Russell - GTRI-ATAS
- Edward Steven Stevens - GTRI-ATAS
- Brennan Tyler Stewart - ASDL, College of Engineering
- Jonah W. Urquhart - GTRI-ASL
- Rebecca Jane Volk - GTRI-ATAS
- Abigail Williams - GTRI-ELSYS
- Daniel R. Wygant - GTRI-ELSYS
- Maxwell Yarter - GTRI-CIPHR
Promoted to Research Technologist II
- Larissa O. Doudy - Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering
- Drew Lunceford - GTRI-ACL
- Andrew Mcneil - GTRI-HAC
- Moi Reilly - GTRI-ELSYS
Promoted to Extension Professional II
- Grace Barrett - Enterprise Innovation Institute
- Doreen Kincaid - Enterprise Innovation Institute
College of Sciences students, faculty, and staff: Please join Dean Susan Lozier and colleagues for an end-of-school year town hall with brief updates followed by open Q&A.
This event is in-person. No RSVP is required.
Event Details
It’s not glamorous. It’s not trendy. In fact, it’s downright grubby. But the work that a Georgia Tech researcher and his students are doing is improving campus sustainability, one pound of food waste at a time.
David Hu, a professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Biological Sciences, gave his senior-level biology class this semester a unique assignment: Feed food waste to black soldier fly larvae, collect the organic byproduct (called “frass”), and analyze the results. What they’ve found so far is a composting method with the potential to dramatically reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions while producing a nutrient-dense fertilizer.
“There’s something special about these grubs,” said Hu, who is also a faculty member within the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. “They smell, and they’re kind of ugly, but they process food extremely efficiently. When we feed them, they eat twice their body weight, finish that in five hours, and you can do it again the next day. Traditional composting could never be that fast.”
Using a unique closed-loop system pioneered by private-industry partner and early-stage startup Biotechnica, the larvae eat their way through more than 300 pounds of food in one semester, creating valuable frass that students harvest. When the larvae mature into adults, they fly into a shared chamber to reproduce, make more grubs, and start the process over again.
“You can get a turnaround from food waste to frass in a day or two, and then from the raw frass to our ground-up frass that we use for our plants,” said Mikkelle Peters, a fourth-year biology major in Hu’s class. “It’s just a much quicker process to get rid of the food waste.”
Feeding and studying an army of larvae that can eat more than 10 gallons of food a day keeps Hu’s students busy. The solution? Divide and conquer.
The first group in the process gathers and grinds food scraps to feed the grubs, then collects the frass they produce. The next group mixes the frass with soil and analyzes its chemical makeup, comparing its nutrient density to commercial fertilizers. A third group uses the fertilized soil to grow vegetables like arugula and radishes that are measured against plants grown using synthetic fertilizer. The final two groups observe the environmental conditions that affect productivity and analyze the grubs’ digestion to uncover the secrets to their success.
More testing will need to be done on outdoor farms to provide rigorous results. Data over the past few semesters were, at times, inconsistent. But the students’ projects reveal a lot of promise for future experiments. Despite limitations to the study, including a small sample size and minor instrument malfunction, the students have been able to find helpful nutrients in their product and grow certain crops more successfully with frass than with commercial fertilizer. Unlike chemically based products or some traditional composts that need to be specially treated, black soldier fly frass is organic and easily processed.
“A lot of fertilizers can cause harmful runoff, and they can change soil balances over time,” Peters said. “Frass is a natural product, has more fibrous material, and has a lot more organic compounds.”
In addition to the science that the students are exposed to, Hu said it is also eye-opening for them to see the work of sustainability. The project is an excellent case study for how a small group can make a big impact.
“The students have learned a lot,” Hu said. “For one of the activities, we had them bring in their own food waste from home to feed the composter. They realized that a person makes pounds of waste per day.”
According to the Office of Sustainability, the campus produces about 400 tons of food waste per year. Although Georgia Tech boasts one of the largest commercial composters on an urban campus in the Southeast, the machine can only process 175 tons per year. That leaves a gap that Hu said his research might one day be able to fill.
“Right now, it’s working,” he said. “We want to expand and see if it can work some more. The big issue is visibility, getting people to know that what we’re doing is good. Because in some ways, saving the planet takes energy.”
One of the main energy sources for the experimental composter is something Hu hopes to reduce: manpower. With a campus the size of Georgia Tech’s, it’s a very labor-intensive process for students to collect food waste from campus partners. Hu hopes that more community members will volunteer, not only to collect food, but also to improve the system.
“We need people power — people willing to volunteer to move, because right now, campus produces a lot of waste in different places,” he said. “And we also need biologists and engineers and computer scientists. We need people to make this system more well-engineered.”
Although the current black soldier fly composter still has some flaws, Hu said his goal is to create an affordable, climate-friendly food waste recycling system that can scale up to support U.S. agriculture. By solving problems at the local level, his research is potentially removing economic and operational barriers to sustainability. But, according to Hu, the final step to long-term success is community involvement.
“In the end, we need people who care,” Hu said. “It doesn’t take that much effort to do a little bit, and a little bit can go a long way.”
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