Dear Panther Family,
This year’s Ignite Awards recognized the outstanding contributions of individuals and groups whose work has advanced knowledge and solved complex problems in Georgia and beyond. The event, held at Center Parc Credit Union Stadium, brought together faculty, staff, and distinguished guests to honor the groundbreaking work being done across GSU. As president, I had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the immense talent and passion of our research community. Time and again, I have been inspired by the dedication and ingenuity of our researchers, and this night was no exception.
Numbers may not tell the full story of research, but they certainly highlight its impact. In Fiscal Year 2024, GSU faculty secured nearly $186 million in research awards. Even more impressive, we have already surpassed $114 million in awards this year. These figures are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our research community, reinforcing GSU’s status among the nation’s top Research 1 institutions.
Here are the 2025 Ignite Award honorees:
- Doctoral Research Achievement Award: Kyle M. Jenson, (2CI) Neurogenomics Fellow & Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
- Postdoctoral Research Achievement Award: Carolin M. Lieber, Postdoctoral Researcher, Center for Translational Antiviral Research, Institute for Biomedical Sciences
- Early Career Research Impact Award:
- Armin lraji, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science & Neuroscience, College of Arts & Sciences
- Daniel S. Andrews, Assistant Professor, Institute of International Business, J. Mack Robinson College of Business
- Research Administration Excellence Award: Candice Lynn Ferguson, Director, Research Operations Improvement & Training, University Research Services & Administration
- Research Mentorship Award: Michelle Zoss, Associate Professor and Program Director of English Education, M.A.T, Department of Middle and Secondary Education, College of Education & Human Development
- Faculty Research Partnership Award: Jonathan Isaac Smith, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Georgia Policy Lab, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
- Research, Scholarship, & Creativity Award: Marilynn Richtarik, Professor, Department of English, College of Arts & Sciences
- Research Impact Award: TReNDS Center (Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science);
- Vince D. Calhoun, Founding Director & Distinguished University Professor, Departments of Psychology, Computer Science, Neuroscience, & Mathematics and Statistics, College of Arts & Sciences;
- Armin lraji, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science & Neuroscience, College of Arts & Sciences;
- Dong Hye Ye, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, College of Arts & Sciences;
- Jiayu Chen, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, College of Arts & Sciences;
- Jingyu Liu, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science, College of Arts & Sciences;
- Maria Misiura, Communications Manager & Research Scientist, TReNDS Center;
- Nikki Arrington, Assistant Research Professor, Department of Psychology, College of Arts & Sciences;
- Sergey Plis, Professor, Department of Computer Science, College of Arts & Sciences;
- Zening Fu, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, College of Arts & Sciences
Congratulations honorees! I am so proud to have you here at Georgia State and I can’t wait to see what you accomplish next.
All the best,
