Norma A. Alcantar, PhD
Professor and Associate Dean for Research
Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering
Recognized for outstanding contributions in providing drinking water for low-income communities and contributions to disrupting amyloid fibril formation in Alzheimer’s Research
Dr. Norma Alcantar is a global pioneer in developing innovative, natural technologies for environmental, medical, and industrial applications, including improving access to clean drinking water, oil spill cleanup, and cancer tumor cell treatment. She received several prestigious honors in 2022: she was inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame, was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. Dr. Alcantar was elected honorary fellow of the International Society for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, and elected as the chair-elect of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BME) Organizations Leading Diversity (BOLD) committee. As a dedicated educator, Dr. Alcantar has also developed numerous graduate certificates in the College of Engineering. She is the Co-Founder and Director of the interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Water, Health, and Sustainability, and the Director of the Graduate Certificate in Materials Science and Engineering.
Faizan Ali, PhD, Associate Professor
School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
Muma College of Business, Sarasota-Manatee Campus
For distinguished contributions to the field of hospitality and tourism management, particularly for developments in recent research methodologies for consumer behavior and human-computer interaction in hospitality and tourism industry
Dr. Faizan Ali is an associate professor in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and is a renowned expert in recent research methodologies for consumer behavior and human-computer interaction in the hospitality and tourism industry. A scholar, teacher, and mentor, Dr. Ali was ranked in the top two percent of scientists world-wide and declared as a Highly Cited Researcher for 2022 by Clarivate Analytics. He has published 20 research papers and an invited book chapter. He also presented at three conferences and received 2,449 citations. In 2022, he received four different internal and external research grants. Dr. Ali also serves as a coordinating editor and associate editor for the International Journal of Hospitality Management and the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, which are the top two journals in the field of hospitality management.
Mauricio Arias, PhD, PE
Associate Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
For impactful contributions to the field of environmental and water resources engineering, particularly in watershed sustainability and the interplay among climate, infrastructure, and water ecosystems
Dr. Mauricio Arias is an ecological engineer who studies water resources sustainability in Florida, Southeast Asia and South America. His expertise and interest relate to watershed-scale interactions among climate, infrastructure, and water ecosystems in the tropics and sub-tropics. In 2022, he published 11 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including high-impact publications such as Science, Nature Sustainability, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He secured new funding last year for $3.1 million, while continuing to be the PI or co-PI on five projects for a total of $2 million in research funds from a range of sources including the National Academy of Sciences, NASA, US Army Corps of Engineers, US Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Dr. Arias also served as representative of the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, an associate editor in the Journal of Ecological Engineering Design, and chair of the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Ecological Engineering Society.
Jerome W. Breslin, PhD
Professor
Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, Morsani College of Medicine
For distinguished contributions to the study of microcirculatory physiology with fundamental relevance to alcoholism, shock, and cardiovascular diseases
Dr. Jerome Breslin's research focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying microvascular hyperpermeability and lymphatic clearance of edematous fluid. In 2022, he was awarded four new competitive, peer-reviewed grants: 1) a 5-year NIH R35 grant studying microvascular leakage in hemorrhagic shock and trauma; 2) an NIH R21 grant investigating human resistance artery functional changes with alcohol use; 3) an NIH R56 focused on lymphatic dysfunction associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome; and 4) a competitive renewal of the American Heart Association grant that supports the USF Cardiovascular Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program. Dr. Breslin's 2022 grant funding totaled $3,008,932. He is also a co-investigator on two other NIH R01 grants related to cardiovascular disease. He published three new papers and a book chapter pertaining to this work in 2022 and served as president of the Microcirculatory Society for a two-year term from 2021-2023.
Thomas B. Casale, MD
Professor
Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine
For distinguished contributions to the field of medicine, especially in allergy and immunology research, and demonstration of the utility of biologic therapies for the treatment of allergic and respiratory diseases
Dr. Thomas Casale has served as the director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at the Joy McCann Culverhouse Clinical Research Center for the past ten years. There he oversaw multiple clinical research projects in 2022, many of which he either designed or helped design, funded by a variety of sources including the Immune Tolerance Network (NIAID), PCORI, NIH and industry. He published 28 papers in peer reviewed journals in 2022, an unusually high number for any researcher. He was an invited speaker at many national and international meetings in 2022 and was an author on more than 35 abstracts presented at scientific conferences. He was recognized among the top two percent of the word's most influential scientists by Stanford University, showcased for his highly cited papers on the wall of scholarship at Creighton University (where he previously served on the faculty), and named one of the best medicine and immunology scientists in the United States and the world by Research.com.
Peter Clayson, PhD
Assistant Professor
Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
For innovative contributions to the integration of psychometric principles and psychophysiological measurement, leading to improved insights, diagnosis, and therapeutic interventions for mental health conditions, with broad ramifications for disciplines studying individual differences
Dr. Peter Clayson is a leading expert in the field of clinical psychophysiology, earning widespread acclaim for his contributions to the measurement and psychometric evaluation of psychophysiological signals, particularly event-related potentials (i.e., brain waves). In 2022, Dr. Clayson was awarded a highly competitive five-year grant of $2,907,897 to optimize paradigms for studying the relationships between psychophysiological signals and mental illness. His work will guide the evaluation of biomarkers of mental illness through high-quality psychometrics to pave the way for the better selection of biomarkers and the development of innovative tasks, ultimately improving the clinical utility of these biomarkers. Additionally, in 2022 he published six articles in top-tier journals and secured in-principle acceptances on three Stage 1 Registered Reports. His exceptional accomplishments placed him among the top two pecerce of the most cited scientists globally in 2022 (Stanford University World Top 2% Scientists List).
Liwang Cui, PhD
Professor
Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine
For significant contributions to the field of infectious diseases, particularly for advancing research in malaria epidemiology, developmental biology, and drug resistance in pursuit of developing an integrative approach to malaria control
Dr. Liwang Cui is a renowned malariologist and the director of the malaria research center in Southeast Asia. His innovative research focuses on understanding the complex interactions between the parasite, vectors, and human hosts to identify the major drivers of malaria transmission. His work aims to inform evidence-based policymaking for effective malaria control and elimination efforts. In 2022, he had two active grants, including a U19 center grant and a D43 training grant, totaling $2,584,698 in funding. In 2022, he published 26 research papers in high-impact peer-reviewed journals, serving as a corresponding or co-corresponding author on 11 of these publications, and was elected to the American Academy for Microbiology.