Last term, Drexel University faculty members were recognized for their scholarly research and prolific academic and professional contributions. This update offers a snapshot of activity courtesy of the Office of the Provost.
Sponsored Research
Joshua Snyder, PhD, associate professor in the College of Engineering, is co-PI (principal investigator) on a new Department of Energy-funded research project aimed at making fuel cells more efficient, durable and affordable. The initiative, led by the University of California, Irvine, brings together researchers from Drexel, Cabot Corporation and Bosch Research Technology Center North America to improve the manufacturing of fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies — a key component that allows fuel cells to generate clean energy.
Andrew Cohen, PhD, associate professor in the College of Engineering, is collaborating with Joel S. Schuman, MD, vice chair for research innovation at Wills Eye Hospital, on a National Institutes of Health-funded project to improve early detection and monitoring of glaucoma.
Kurtulus Izzetoglu, PhD, associate professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, received a two-year, $352,000 Aptima Human-Centered Engineering grant for the project titled, “FORE (Functional Operational Readiness Estimation): Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy Operational Readiness Estimation Sequential Phase II.”
Lin Han, PhD, professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, received a five-year, $584,000 National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases grant for the project titled, “Roles of Type III Collagen in the Matrix Assembly and Mechanobiology of Cartilage.”
Kara Spiller, PhD, URBN Professor of Biomedical Innovation in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, received a one-year, $446,000 R33 supplemental National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases grant for the project titled, “Inflammation-related Gene Biomarkers in Human Diabetic Foot Ulcer Healing.”
Leo Han, PhD, associate professor in the College of Engineering, has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant to further develop RibbonGel, a new material designed to improve cartilage repair. The funding will help Han and his team refine this technology, which could lead to faster healing and better long-term outcomes for patients with joint damage.
Lauren D’Innocenzo, PhD, associate professor in the Bennett S. LeBow College of Business, is co-investigator on “Building a Connected Workplace: Integrating Leadership, Teamwork, and Social Networks Approaches to Reduce Social Ostracism in the Military,” a research project with the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics that received a $3 million, four-year grant from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command.
D.S. Nicholas, PhD, associate professor in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, received a $50,000 grant award from the National Science Foundation for her project “I-Corps: Translation Potential of an In-home Plant Hydroponics Device.”
Joshua Snyder, PhD, an associate professor in the College of Engineering, serves as the principal investigator for the $22.8 million cooperative agreement program sponsored by DEVCOM and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Collaborative for Hierarchical, Agile and Responsive Materials (CHARM). CHARM brings together faculty domain experts, their students and postdoctoral researchers across 11 academic institutions to spearhead advancements in a new class of thin-film materials possessing programmable electrical and thermal properties. Such materials hold promise for next-generation applications, particularly in providing in-field power-on-demand for a range of leading-edge technologies such as assured communications, navigation, surveillance and electronic countermeasures.
Jennifer Nasser, PhD, professor in the College of Nursing and Health Professions, received a gift of $36,000 for her research on ketones and cognition.
Yong-Jie Hu, PhD, Hoeganaes Endowed Assistant Professor in the College of Engineering, has received a five-year NSF-CAREER award for his project, “Understanding Energy Statistics and Glide Mechanisms of Dislocations in Concentrated Solid-Solution Alloys.” The NSF-CAREER program supports early-career faculty who can serve as academic role models in research and education and lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.
Major Gifts, Honors & Recognition
Linda Kim, PhD, associate professor in the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, has received a Huntington Library Research Grant and will be an Edward A. Mayers Fellow at the Huntington Library in Fall 2025. Kim will be researching the papers of Chinese American modern painter Tyrus Wong and his circle of Asian American artists in Southern California for a book titled “Unassimilable Modernities: Chinese and Japanese American Artists during WWII.”
Rosina Weber, PhD, professor in the College of Computing and Informatics, was elected to the Executive Council of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence during the organization’s mid-winter conference in Philadelphia.
Naoko Kurahashi Neilson, PhD, professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, was selected as the 2025 recipient of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) Philadelphia’s Elizabeth Bingham Award for Mentoring.
Jonathan E. Spanier, PhD, Hess Family Endowed Chair Professor and department head of mechanical engineering and mechanics in the College of Engineering, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). AAAS Fellowship recognizes individuals whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished.
Norrell Atkinson, MD, assistant professor in the College of Medicine, was named Pediatrician of the Year by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The honor reflects her outstanding dedication, compassion and contributions to the field of pediatrics.
Ayana Allen-Handy, PhD, professor in the School of Education, received the Division G Mentoring Award from the American Educational Research Association. The award recognizes Allen-Handy’s outstanding contributions to the field of social contexts of education.
Mary Jean Tecce DeCarlo, EdD, clinical professor in the School of Education, was selected by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to serve as a member of the Pennsylvania Reading Leadership Council. In this role, Tecce DeCarlo will advise the Pennsylvania Department of Education by providing critical input to ensure that diverse perspectives are considered as they work toward sharing effective literacy practices in a way that positively impacts students, educators and school communities.
Amy Throckmorton, PhD, professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, was elected to the 2025 Class of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows.
Kara Spiller, PhD, URBN professor of Biomedical Innovation in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, received the 2025 Society for Biomaterials (SFB) Clemson Award for Basic Research, for her original contribution to the basic knowledge and understanding of the interaction between materials and tissue.
Jennifer Nasser, PhD, associate professor in the College of Nursing and Health Professions, was named one of the inaugural Nutrition Excellence Fellows by the American Society of Nutrition. This fellowship cohort recognizes 55 distinguished members for their ongoing contributions to the field and sustained engagement in the nutrition community. This honor was bestowed after a lengthy vetting process where a portfolio of accomplishments in research, teaching, professional service and service to the lay community was evaluated and supported by peer references.
Aroutis Foster, PhD, interim dean and professor in the School of Education, was appointed director of the Greater Philadelphia Region Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (Philadelphia AMP). The Philadelphia AMP is a collaboration among nine local higher education institutions that share resources and work towards the common goal to increase the number of students whose identities are underrepresented in STEM fields.
Kristen Betts, EdD, clinical professor in the School of Education, currently serves as a faculty mentor for the American Association of Colleges and Universities’ Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum. Her term will conclude at the end of the academic year. Betts was also selected by the National Science Foundation to serve as a grant reviewer.
Amy Landers, JD, associate dean for faculty research and professor in the Thomas R. Kline School of Law, was elected chair of the American Association of Law Schools Intellectual Property Section’s Executive Committee.
Jill Wenderott, PhD, Anne Stevens Assistant Professor in the College of Engineering, received a 2024 American Physical Society Innovation Fund award to expand the activities of her Women Supporting Women in the Sciences organization. Wenderott co-founded WS2 with Joyce Elisadiki of the University of Dodoma, Tanzania, in 2018 with the mission to support and empower women in STEM globally by working together and sharing resources.