Five Florida A&M University (FAMU) faculty members were honored by their peers Friday, Aug. 11 during the University’s seventh Principal Investigator Appreciation & Researcher of the Year Awards Luncheon.
The luncheon recognizes outstanding faculty for achievements in research and scholarly activities, who have distinguished themselves among their peers both within and outside the campus community.
Honorees were selected after a rigorous nomination and peer review process overseen by a University-wide committee made up of diverse faculty. Each honoree received a plaque presented by Interim President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., Interim Provost Rodner Wright, AIA, and Vice President for Research Timothy Moore, Ph.D.
The researchers also received institutional awards from the University’s Division of Research ranging from $2,000-$5,000.
The honorees are:
- Daniel Solis, Ph.D., Emerging Researcher of the Year
- Subramanian Ramakrishnan, Ph.D., Research Excellence
- Caroline Odewumi, Ph.D., Research Excellence
- Seth Ablordeppey, Ph.D., Distinguished Researcher of the Year
- Mandip Sachdeva, Distinguished Researcher of the Year
Solis is an assistant professor and program leader in the Department of Agribusiness at the FAMU College of Agriculture and Food Sciences. His areas of research interest and expertise include production economics, productivity and efficiency analysis, climate and weather economics, and development economics.
Ramakrishnan is an associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. His areas of research interest and expertise include colloidal science, nanotechnology, nanoparticle synthesis and self-assembly, rheology of complex fluids, renewable energy, biofuels, and bioseparations.
Odweumi is an associate professor in the Department of Biology at the FAMU College of Science and Technology. Her areas of research interest and expertise include molecular environmental toxicology, molecular biology, cancer research, gene expression, and gene regulation.
Ablordeppey is a professor and interim dean at the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. His areas of research interest and expertise include medicinal chemistry, computer-aided design, 3-D models in drug design, natural products as sources for drug discovery and development, the development of novel orally effective, anti-infective agents against infections, and emerging infectious diseases.
Sachdeva is a professor and section leader for pharmaceutics activity in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. His areas of research interest and expertise include drug delivery with special emphasis in inhalation/aerosol delivery as applied to lung cancer, Triple negative breast cancer and topical delivery of neuropeptides. He also is focusing on identifying new molecular pathways and mechanisms for therapeutic agents and nucleic acids intended for the treatment of lung, breast and skin cancer.
Selection criteria for the awards included:
- Receipt of prestigious national or state awards or prize
- Continuous funding from major research foundations or agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, Department of Agriculture and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Receipt of a major award from an institutional or primary professional society
- Major publications (books, chapters and original articles), shows, critical reviews, and exhibits
- Citations of major work
- Evidence of collaborative research activities
- Outstanding professional service
- Leadership in the development of significant institutional research centers or programs
- Contributions to the teaching and development of undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows
- Participation and presentation of major research findings in national and international meetings
The research awards are designed to help promote and enhance FAMU’s distinction as a doctoral, research institution and its mission to provide mechanisms to address emerging issues through local and global partnerships, while enhancing the lives of constituents through innovative research.
