Benjamin Freeman, assistant professor and Elizabeth Smithgall-Watts Endowed Faculty in the School of Biological Sciences, has been named a 2025 Early Career Fellow by the  Ecological Society of America (ESA). 

Freeman is one of only 10 Early Career Fellows and eight Fellows honored by ESA this year for advancing the knowledge and application of ecological science in a way that strengthens the field and benefits communities and ecosystems.

“Ecological science tells us how nature works, and my research uses birds as ‘canaries in the coal mine’ to learn how animals are responding to the rapid changes taking place on our planet,” he says. “I am delighted by this honor.”

Freeman studies why species live where they do and how their ranges are changing in response to climate change. He is recognized for integrating evolutionary and ecological approaches to address fundamental questions in bird biology and for communicating science to the public. Freeman leads the Mountain Bird Lab at Georgia Tech and launched the Mountain Bird Network, which aims to compile systematic survey data on mountain birds across the globe. He is currently developing “Tech Mountain,” a first-of-its-kind field site to study how birds and other organisms are responding to climate change.

Freeman, who joined the Institute in 2023, received a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University.

Early on, Georgia Tech graduate students William Trenton Gantt and Hugh (Ka Yui) Chen imagined working in the space industry.

“When I was 14, I dreamed about being in space one day,” recalls Chen, 22, a native of Hong Kong and a Ph.D. student in aerospace engineering. “I think the industry has been making space more accessible to everyone. Commercialization is a big part of enabling this.”

Gantt, an engineer and former U.S. Army veteran graduating with an MBA from the Scheller College of Business this spring, remembered seeing the space shuttle retire and companies begin privatizing space as he entered young adulthood. 

“I’ve always been interested in space, and a lot of it comes from the challenge of going to space,” he observes. “Seeing how hard it is to get to space and seeing it become achievable — that to me was the most attractive thing about it.”

For Gantt, the feeling always brings to mind John F. Kennedy’s famous line that spelled out America’s space ambitions: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

Recognizing Georgia Tech’s aerospace strengths, Gantt didn’t waste time building bridges within Scheller and in other parts of Georgia Tech. He founded the Scheller MBA Space Club, a first at the College, to track the industry as it grows and develops. 

“I came from a military background, so I had my eye on the defense industry going into the MBA program. Georgia Tech, being the No. 2 aerospace engineering undergraduate school in the nation, I knew they already had strong industry connections. Making connections was a big goal coming into this program.”

Assessing Early-Stage Space Tech 

He took part in the Entrepreneurship Assistants Program (EAP), which pairs a Scheller MBA student with a faculty or student inventor to evaluate early-stage technology for potential commercialization. He evaluated two space-related technologies, one with Chen’s support. 

“The EAs conduct technology commercialization assessments and develop a business model canvas. By applying an entrepreneurial strategy compass, they predict potential go-to-market strategies for new technology,” says Paul Joseph, principal in the Office of Commercialization’s Quadrant-i unit, who created the EAP.

 (See sidebar to read more about the EAP and the specific technologies assessed.)

Tapping Into a Nearly $2T Industry

According to McKinsey & Co., the space technology market, fueled by advancements in satellite technology, commercial space travel, and 5G networks, is projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035.

“We're seeing an industry shifting from a multibillion-dollar market cap to a multitrillion-dollar market cap in less than a decade. If you look at this from a business perspective, this is a massive addressable market for entrepreneurs," says Gantt.

From its Center for Space Technology and Research to the new Center for Space Policy and International Relations and labs like the Space Systems Design Lab, which focuses on areas such as CubeSat propulsion, lunar research, and hypersonic flight, Georgia Tech excels in space research across disciplines. In July, Georgia Tech will launch the Space Research Institute (SRI), one of its newest Interdisciplinary Research Institutes (IRI), to foster additional collaboration in this growing field.

“At Georgia Tech, there are competencies across every single College that will help to augment our understanding of space,” says Alex Oettl, professor of strategy and innovation in Scheller College, whose interest in the new space economy spans the last 20 years. “When you look at the technologies coming from Georgia Tech, they can impact this future trillion-dollar industry.”

 An economist by training, Oettl led Georgia Tech’s involvement in the Creative Destruction Lab-Atlanta, a multi-university program that helped commercialize early-stage scientific technologies.

Leveraging Affordable Launch

The emergence of affordable launch, spurred by SpaceX’s introduction of the Falcon 9 rocket using reusable rocket technology, has made space much more accessible, from biomedical companies to academic institutions.

“Because there has been a drop in the cost of accessing space, it allows experimentation to flourish,” says Oettl. 

He recalls Mark Costello, former chair of the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, explaining how he could launch a CubeSat into Low Earth Orbit out of his research budget, whereas before it would have been cost-prohibitive.

Today, Georgia Tech students and researchers are poised to capitalize on the new space economy stack — from new launch capabilities to new development in propellants and in-space operations and maintenance to more powerful sensors on Earth-observation satellites.

“I’ve seen firsthand the traction occurring on the commercial side. There are a lot of social scientists waking up to the opportunity that exists and thinking about business dynamics that will emerge as a result of this great opportunity,” he says.

Georgia Tech, an interdisciplinary, tech-focused university, brings significant capabilities across its Colleges to drive new and emerging technologies that have implications for space. 

“Space hits on all the strengths that exist at the various Colleges,” Oettl explains. “Faculty at Georgia Tech are pushing the boundary and showing our students innovations that will emerge in the space economy that are not immediately obvious — such as in adjacent industries.”

Oettl calls these first-order and spillover impacts of new technology. By first-order impacts, he means businesses can take advantage of these opportunities and create new products on top of the original innovation. By spillovers, he cites as an example an Earth-observation satellite enabling other industries to take advantage of data from the ground. For instance, insurance companies are one of the largest users of space technology by way of satellite imagery.

Bringing Capabilities Together Through New Space IRI

The SRI will bring together the best in engineering, computer science, policy, and business research across Georgia Tech. Along the way, it could help engineers and computer scientists think with a more business-minded approach to pitch their innovations to the commercial space sector. 

“You don’t see a lot of engineers having that inherent ability,” notes Gantt. “The Space IRI can shine by fostering collaboration between business students and engineers, enabling them to develop innovative go-to-market strategies and clearly define the unique value propositions these technologies offer to end users. You can bring these people together and create some forward momentum in the space industry.”

Professor Emeritus Richard Nichols of the School of Biological Sciences has been awarded the 2025 Bernstein Prize by the International Society of Motor Control (ISMC). This prize, the highest honor bestowed by the ISMC, recognizes significant contributions to the field of motor control and learning in the spirit of the Russian neurophysiology pioneer Nikolai Aleksandrovich Bernstein. 

“This is a meaningful prize that honors the longstanding impact of two Russian scientists, Anatol Feldman and Mark Latash. They founded the ISMC and were influential in building a community of scientists in the United States and Canada focused on motor systems research following in the tradition of Bernstein,” says Nichols, who retired from the School of Biological Sciences in 2023. “Receiving this prize is thrilling. It’s a cap on my career.”

Nichols will receive the award during ISMC’s biennial meeting this summer.  

From basic research to potential treatments

Nichols began his decades-long career researching the spinal cord, a key component of the central nervous system that relays information between the brain and periphery (muscles, joints, skin, etc.). He notes that the spinal cord is more than a simple communications highway; it contains neural networks that can exert some control. 

“When we walk across the room, the spinal cord — not the brain — generates and sends detailed messages to our muscles. The brain simply says, ‘It’s time to walk across a room and avoid this or that obstacle.’ The spinal cord contains the machinery to do so,” explains Nichols.

Nichols' research initially centered on understanding how sensory information from the periphery is used by the spinal cord and brain to control movement. More recently, his focus shifted to possible real-world applications of his findings. 

For example, Nichols collaborated with Dena Howland of the University of Louisville on research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that are centered on understanding spinal cord injury.

“Had it not been for my collaboration with Dena over the past 11 years, my work would have remained limited to the fundamental science of how the spinal cord and brain function. Our translational project has broadened the scope and impact of my research,” he adds.

According to Nichols, the NIH and VA grants were synergistic: the NIH grant focused on spinal cord function, while the VA grant centered on rehabilitation strategies following spinal cord injury. Through this complementary research, the team uncovered insights about the spinal cord — potentially revealing new treatment pathways to aid motor control recovery after spinal cord injury.

Nichols retired from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2023 after 16 years of service. Before joining the Institute in 2007 as chair of the School of Applied Physiology (now the School of Biological Sciences), he chaired the Department of Physiology at Emory University. Nichols received a B.S. in Biology from Brown University and a Ph.D. in Physiology from Harvard University.

Download photos from this year’s Spring Sciences Celebration on the College of Sciences’ Flickr. 

The College of Sciences hosted its Spring Sciences Celebration at Tech Harrison Square this week to recognize outstanding faculty and staff for the 2024-25 academic year. Four recent retirees were also among those honored during the annual event.

“Spring Sciences is one of my favorite traditions at the College, a special moment to celebrate and thank exemplary 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. “While all our faculty and staff do incredible work every day, these honorees have gone above and beyond in their service and dedication to our mission.” 

The 2025 awards and 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. 

• Vinayak Agarwal, Chemistry and Biochemistry
• Alex Blumenthal, Mathematics
• Wing ‘Winnie’ Chu, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences 

The Gretzinger Moving the School Forward Award, endowed by Ralph Gretzinger (Math 1970) and named to honor 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. 

• Tansu Celikel, Psychology

The Eric R. Immel Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching, endowed by Charles Crawford (Math 1971), recognizes exemplary teaching in foundational undergraduate courses.

• Emily Alicea-Munoz, Physics

The Leddy Family Dean’s Faculty Excellence Award was established by Jeff Leddy (Physics 1978) and Pam Leddy to support a faculty member at the associate professor level with proven accomplishments in research and teaching. 

• James Wray, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

The CoS Faculty Mentor Awards, established jointly by the College of Sciences and its ADVANCE Professor, honors the efforts and achievements of faculty members engaged in mentoring fellow faculty. 

• Randall ‘Randy’ Engle, Psychology
• Teresa Snow, Biological Sciences
• Hui Zhu, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Faculty Research Awards

The CoS Outstanding Junior Research Faculty Award and CoS Outstanding Senior Research Faculty Award recognize postdoctoral and non-tenure track research faculty who have made exceptional research contributions with significant impact on their field of study.

CoS Outstanding Junior Research Faculty Award

• Sarah Orr, Biological Sciences

CoS Outstanding Senior Research Faculty Award

• Matthew Liska, Physics

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.

• Avery Davis Bell, Biological Sciences

Staff Awards

The College of Sciences Staff Awards are made possible by funding from the Betsy Middleton and John Sutherland Dean’s Chair endowment. 

The Leadership in Action Award is presented to 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. 

• Arian Padron, Academic and Research Computing Services

The Exceptional Staff Award and Friend of the Sciences Award recognize and celebrate 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 their department and the College.

Exceptional Staff Award

• Dexter Dean, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Friend of the Sciences Award

• Kay May, Office of Faculty Affairs

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.

• Nadia Moore, Academic and Research Computing Services

2025 Retirees

• Ellery Ingall, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
• James “Jim” Sowell, Physics
• Kurt Wiesenfeld, Physics
• Z. John Zhang, Chemistry and Biochemistry

The College of Sciences is pleased to announce Will Ratcliff as the first recipient of the John C. and Leslie C. Sutherland Professorship. This endowed faculty position recognizes outstanding contributions in research and teaching, particularly those that advance the understanding of biological systems through quantitative applications of chemistry, mathematics and physics.

Ratcliff, a professor in the School of Biological Sciences, was selected for his innovative research and dedication to education, which have made a significant impact on the scientific community and the Institute. His appointment is effective July 1, 2025.

“Will has established himself as a leading scientist studying the evolution of biological complexity, developing an innovative research program that demonstrates the tremendous power of integrating physics and biology to understand fundamental questions in life science,” says Todd Streelman, professor and chair of the School of Biological Sciences. 

“His experimental vision, commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, and exceptional record mentoring the next generation of scientists embody the values this chair was established to promote,” Streelman adds. “Will is precisely the kind of transformative scientist who can carry forward the Sutherlands' legacy of bridging physics and biology to understand the fundamental principles governing life itself.”

The Sutherland Professorship comes with an award of $40,000 per year in research funds and is renewable every five years, providing valuable support for ongoing and future projects. 

The faculty endowment is made possible through generous support from John C. and Leslie C. Sutherland. A triple Jacket, John C. Sutherland (B.S. PHYS 1962, M.S. PHYS 1964, Ph.D. PHYS 1967) serves as dean of the College of Science and Mathematics at Augusta University and is a member of the Georgia Tech College of Sciences External Advisory Board.

Meet Will Ratcliff

Will Ratcliff is an evolutionary biologist who joined the School of Biological Sciences in 2014. He has served as director of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences since 2021. After earning his B.S. in Plant Biology from the University of California, Davis and his Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Minnesota, Ratcliff completed his postdoctoral studies at the University of Minnesota, where he developed the groundbreaking 'snowflake yeast' model system.

Ratcliff's research focuses on understanding one of biology's most fundamental questions: how complex multicellular life evolves from single-celled ancestors. His innovative approach combines experimental evolution with mathematical modeling, biophysics, and synthetic biology, overcoming a fundamental limitation in the field. Rather than attempting to infer evolutionary dynamics that occurred hundreds of millions of years ago, his work allows direct observation of this transition in real time. In 2018, he launched the Multicellularity Long Term Evolution Experiment (MuLTEE), which has since become one of the longest-running evolution experiments.

The MuLTEE has revealed how physics serves as a crucial scaffold for the evolution of multicellular life, establishing the fundamental conditions that allow natural selection to act on groups of cells rather than individual cells alone. His team has shown how the physics of cellular packing naturally drives group reproduction, and how principles of maximum entropy underpin the origin of novel, heritable multicellular traits. As snowflake yeast in the MuLTEE continue to evolve to become more complex, they’ve observed how these organisms solve key multicellular challenges, evolving mechanically robust bodies, solving diffusion limitation, and optimizing their life cycle through novel collective behaviors and cellular specialization. 

Ratcliff's research extends beyond multicellularity to include diverse aspects of evolutionary biology, such as studying the dynamics of bacterial warfare and investigating Earth's largest and oldest organism, the approximately 80,000-year-old Quaking Aspen 'Pando'. His work has garnered significant attention in major media outlets, including The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, National Geographic, Science, Nature, Quanta, and The Smithsonian, and has been featured in books such as Pulitzer Prize winner Siddhartha Mukherjee's Song of the Cell.

The endowed faculty position mentioned above was made possible by contributions to Transforming Tomorrow: The Campaign for Georgia Tech. Thanks to the support of alumni and friends, this comprehensive campaign is bringing unparalleled advancements to the Institute and building a foundation to support our students, advance our research and innovation, enhance our campus and our community, and expand our impact at home and around the world. To learn more and support the campaign, visit transformingtomorrow.gatech.edu. 

Biology Professor Lewis Wheaton has been named president of the American Society of Neurorehabilitation (ASNR). Established in 1990, the organization is dedicated to advancing the science of neurorehabilitation and helping patients with chronic neurological disabilities by advancing clinical care and research.

“ASNR is a great society because of the range and breadth of its work, spanning cellular neuroscientists all the way to people that do massive multicenter phase three clinical drug trials,” says Wheaton, who has been involved in the organization for nearly two decades. “I am excited to serve as its president.”

Wheaton’s research interests initially drew him to ASNR — his research examines changes in the brain following a stroke or upper limb loss in order to inform the design of therapies that promote better limb function and prosthetics; his belief in the organization’s mission led him to join its leadership team. 

“I got involved in the executive board because I appreciated the vision of the society and the opportunities it provides for engaging more people in neurorehabilitation-based research and training the next generation of neurorehabilitation researchers,” he says.

Wheaton was elected ASNR vice president in 2022 and worked during the subsequent three years to develop the organization’s strategic plan. When he assumes the role of ASNR president this April, he will implement that plan. 

“We’re focusing on how to broaden and improve the sense of community within the society,” he shares. “Two of our goals are centered on enhancing our multidisciplinary focus and expanding engagement. We want to bring in not only people from other disciplines — as other disciplines are connected to the goals of neurorehabilitation — but also develop a culture that supports diverse groups of people entering the field.” 

Wheaton recognizes the parallels between his work at ASNR and the College of Sciences: “It is very consistent with many of the things that I've always enjoyed at the College: creating a community that brings people together, that people want to be a part of, and that they see a home for themselves in,” he explains, referencing his efforts as director of the Center for Programs to Increase Engagement in the Sciences (C-PIES) and mentoring students in his research lab. 

About Lewis Wheaton

Wheaton joined the Institute as an assistant professor in the School of Applied Physiology (now the School of Biological Sciences) in 2008. He is currently a professor in Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech, an adjunct professor in the Department of Rehabilitation at the Emory School of Medicine, and a member of the Children’s Center for Neurosciences Research at the Emory Children’s Pediatric Research Center.

Wheaton received a B.S. in biology from Radford University and a Ph.D. in neuroscience and cognitive science from the University of Maryland, College Park. He studied neural function and recovery of motor control after stroke as a fellow at the Medical Neurology Branch of the National Institutes of Health and performed neuroscience research in aging and stroke motor control as a postdoctoral fellow at the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Maryland.

About the American Society of Neurorehabilitation

The American Society of Neurorehabilitation (ASNR) was created in 1990 to advance clinical care and the science of neurorehabilitation and neural repair. The 2025 edition of the ASNR annual meeting will take place in Atlanta in late April.