As the spring semester starts winding down, each year the University of Georgia’s Honors Week marks a time to celebrate exceptional performance in the classroom, in the service arena—and in research, as faculty and graduate students are recognized for their contributions to scientific discovery.
Celebrating its 45th year, UGA’s Research Awards banquet and ceremony pay tribute to those who have made groundbreaking strides in their respective fields through research, innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship.
The 2024 Research Awards take place on April 4 as part of Honors Week activities. The awards are sponsored by the University of Georgia Research Foundation.
The full list of 2024 winners includes:
Robert C. Anderson Award
Huimin Cheng — Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Department of Statistics
James L. Carmon Award
Erica Mitchell — doctoral candidate in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Department of Chemistry
Postdoctoral Research Awards
Ahva Potticary — postdoctoral fellow in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ Department of Entomology
Brent Simpson – postdoctoral fellow in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Infectious Diseases
Team Impact Award
The Center on Human Trafficking, Research & Outreach (CenHTRO) — Director David Okech, Hui Yi, Laura Zimmerman, Tamora Callands, Nathan Hansen, Andrea Dennis, Jody Clay-Warner, and Lydia Aletraris.
Inventor of the Year
Qingguo “Jack” Huang — professor of Crop and Soil Sciences in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Entrepreneur of the Year
John Gibbs — associate professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Department of Theatre and Film Studies
Regents’ Entrepreneur
Valentine Nzengung — professor of environmental geochemistry in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Geology
Research Communications Award
Michael J. Chamberlain — Terrell Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management in the Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources
Non-Tenure Track Faculty Research Excellence Awards
Lydia Aletraris — associate research scientist in the School of Social Work
Soraya Leal-Bertioli — senior research scientist in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department of Plant Pathology
Early Career Scholar: Michael F. Adams Award
James Naigus — assistant professor of horn in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music
Early Career Scholar: Fred C. Davison Award
Pengpeng Bi — assistant professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Genetics and Center for Molecular Medicine
Amanda Frossard — assistant professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Chemistry
Early Career Scholar: Charles B. Knapp Award
Drew Abney — assistant professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Psychology
Creative Research Medals
Logan Fiorella — associate professor in the Mary Frances Early College of Education’s Department of Educational Psychology
Hitesh Handa — associate professor and Distinguished Faculty Fellow in the School of Chemical, Material, and Biomedical Engineering
Giorgis Petridis — associate professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Mathematics
Susan Rosenbaum — associate professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of English
Juliet Sekandi — associate professor in the College of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics and the Global Health Institute
Albert Christ-Janer Creative Research Award
J. Derrick Lemons — associate professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Religion
Lamar Dodd Creative Research Award
Jessica Kissinger — Distinguished Research Professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Genetics
Dennis E. Kyle — professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Cellular Biology
Paul Pollack — professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Mathematics
William A. Owens Creative Research Award
Christina Boyd — Thomas P. and M. Jean Lauth Professor of Political Science in the School of Public and International Affairs
Distinguished Research Professors
Samuel E. Aggrey — Richard B. Russell Endowed Chair and Professor in the Department of Poultry Science in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
James E. “Jeb” Byers — UGA Athletic Association Professor in the Odum School of Ecology
Jamie Kreiner — professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of History
Aaron Mitchell — professor and head of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Microbiology
Robert J. Woods — professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Complex Carbohydrate Research
