Message from the Dean

Auburn University recently was named a prestigious R1 research institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. This honor shows the invaluable role research plays throughout our university and within the College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM).

The annual Dean’s Research Awards program celebrates the outstanding achievements of both faculty and students who make significant contributions and help to elevate our college to greater achievements through high-impact research.

I am proud to showcase these nine outstanding recipients of the 2018-2019 Dean’s Research Awards including four faculty, three doctoral students, a master-level student and an undergraduate student.

Dr. Steven Mansoorabadi is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and is receiving the 2018-2019 Dean’s Research Award. He joined COSAM in 2012 and has an array of accolades including a publication in Science in which all of the work was completed exclusively here at Auburn University. In addition, he has earned National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER and Department of Energy Early Career Research Program awards.

Three doctoral candidates are being recognized for their significant accomplishments.

Isuru Ariyarathna from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has co-authored eight published articles and has presented at numerous meetings and conferences including the prominent Sanibel Symposium.

Hannah Correia from the Department of Biological Sciences is not only the first Auburn University student to win the Katherine S. McCarter Graduate Student Policy Award, she will also be pursuing a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard University.

Taylor Hall from the Department of Physics has presented at ten conferences in addition to his research in dusty plasma physics with extremely high magnetic fields. He has collaborated with researchers around the world on a broad range of experiments.

A master’s and an undergraduate student are also being recognized for their achievements.

Collin Sutton is a master-level student in the Department of Geosciences. His work includes a NSF-funded project on complex data, and he received a national-level award from the American Geophysical Union, which is only given to the top five percent of students who participate in this program.

Kevin Wyss is an undergraduate student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He recently received Auburn University’s President’s Medal for Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Physical Sciences. He also contributed to three presentations at regional and national conferences.

Dr. David Maurer is a professor in the Department of Physics. In 2011, he joined COSAM, and his research focuses on magnetically confined plasmas, in particular, those for application for the generation of fusion energy. He is being honored as this year’s Young Faculty Scholar Awardee.

Finally, two faculty are being recognized with Faculty Service/Outreach awards. Dr. Krystyna Kuperberg is a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics whose research focuses on topology and dynamical systems. Dr. Robert Boyd, an alumni professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, is COSAM’s new Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. He has taught biology courses including plant ecology at Auburn University for three decades.

I sincerely congratulate this year’s recipients of the 2018-2019 Dean’s Research Awards. I also would like to thank the generous alumni and friends who help us to recognize faculty and student leadership in COSAM to inspire future generations of researchers.

Nicholas J. Giordano
Dean
College of Sciences and Mathematics