Three faculty from the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering were named University of Florida Research Foundation (UFRF) Professors for 2019-2022.
The recognition goes to faculty who have a distinguished current record of research and a strong research agenda that is likely to lead to continuing distinction in their fields.
“The UFRF Professorships recognize our most innovative and productive faculty, the best examples of researchers and scholars who have helped UF claim its place as a top 10 public university,” said David Norton, UF’s vice president for research. “Key to this recognition is that it is based not just on what they have done in the past, but what they are expected to achieve in the future. These are faculty who we anticipate will continue to generate cutting-edge research well into the future.”
The UFRF Professors were recommended by their college deans based on nominations from their department chairs, a personal statement and an evaluation of their recent research accomplishments as evidenced by publications in scholarly journals, external funding, honors and awards, development of intellectual property and other measures appropriate to their field of expertise.
The three-year award includes a $5,000 annual salary supplement and a one-time $3,000 grant. The professorships are funded from the university’s share of royalty and licensing income on UF-generated products.
Congratulations to the following faculty on his/her UFRF professorships!
Aysegul Gunduz, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & J. Crayton Pruitt Family Term Fellow Primary Faculty, Biomedical Engineering
Dr. Gunduz's research is focused on finding precursors to behavior and aftereffects of stimulation in neural networks through electrophysiology and bioimaging. Her lab aims to translate this knowledge into clinical diagnostic and therapeutic systems to improve quality of life of those suffering from neurological disorders. Gunduz works with many clinical populations, such as neurosurgical patients with epilepsy and movement disorders (Tourette’s syndrome, Parkinson’s Disease), as well as stroke patients undergoing neurorehabilitation.
Jose A. B. Fortes, Ph.D.
Professor and AT&T Eminent Scholar, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Dr. Fortes is the AT&T Eminent Scholar and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Florida where he founded and is the Director of the Advanced Computing and Information Systems Laboratory. Fortes' research interests are in the areas of distributed computing, autonomic computing, computer architecture, parallel processing and fault-tolerant computing. He has authored or coauthored over 200 technical papers and has lead the development and deployment of Cloud and Grid-computing software used in several cyberinfrastructures for e-Science and digital government.
Tanmay Lele, Ph.D.
Charles A. Stokes Professor, Chemical Engineering
Dr. Lele is the Charles A. Stokes Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director of the Institute of Cell & Tissue Science and Engineering at the University of Florida. He holds a joint appointment in the departments of anatomy and cell biology, and affiliate appointments in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. His research is in cell mechanics, cell and tissue engineering, and quantitative cell biology.