NC State announced its 2022-23 class of Goodnight Early Career Innovators today, with Amro Awad and Wenyuan Tang, assistant professors of electrical and computer engineering among the recipients. This program recognizes and rewards promising NC State early-career faculty whose scholarship is in STEM or STEM education. The 25 faculty selected will receive $22,000 for each of the next three years to support their scholarship and research endeavors.
“The Goodnights’ generosity has made an amazing impact on our faculty and their scholarship,” said Chancellor Randy Woodson. “The Goodnight Early Career Innovators program gives our talented STEM faculty momentum to expand and advance their research.”
Faculty members eligible for the award must be tenure-track assistant professors at the time of nomination and their scholarship must clearly and substantively contribute to innovations and advancement in STEM or STEM education. Nominees were evaluated based on evidence of early productivity in research and innovation, which may include a strong early record of scholarly publication or dissemination appropriate to their discipline, external funding or recognition as an early career leader in their field.
Nominees were recommended by their colleges and selected by a committee of distinguished faculty from across the STEM disciplines at NC State. Thirty-eight faculty members were nominated for the award.
“Our faculty who are named Goodnight Early Career Innovators set the bar when it comes to groundbreaking STEM research,” said Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Warwick Arden. “The Goodnights’ gift means that these faculty receive support that allows them to expand their expertise across STEM disciplines and to positively impact the university community.”
This year’s class of Goodnight Early Career Innovators includes:
- Robin Anderson, assistant professor of STEM education
- Amro Awad, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering
- Rongmon Bordoloi, assistant professor of physics
- Jie Cao, assistant professor of applied ecology
- Jeffrey Dunne, assistant professor of crop and soil sciences
- Ayse Ercumen, assistant professor of forestry and environmental resources
- Alon Greenbaum, assistant professor of biomedical engineering
- Angela Harris, assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering
- Mark Hoffmann, assistant professor of horticultural science
- Timothy Horn, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering
- Alejandra Huerta, assistant professor of entomology and plant pathology
- Caroline Laplante, assistant professor of molecular biomedical sciences
- Nathalie Lavoine, assistant professor of forest biomaterials
- R. Bryan Ormond, assistant professor of textile engineering, chemistry and science
- Caroline Proulx, assistant professor of chemistry
- David Rasmussen, assistant professor of entomology and plant pathology
- Rubén Rellán Álvarez, assistant professor of molecular and structural biochemistry
- Deepti Salvi, assistant professor of food, bioprocessing and nutrition sciences
- Adriana San Miguel, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering
- Seema Sheth, assistant professor of plant and microbial biology
- Virginia Stage, assistant professor of agricultural and human sciences
- Wenyuan Tang, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering
- Laurianne Van Landeghem, assistant professor of molecular biomedical sciences
- Qingshan Wei, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering
- Alex Woodley, assistant professor of crop and soil sciences