Each spring, the Office of the Vice President for Research honors a group of the most outstanding researchers and scholars working at every career level throughout the USC System. The Breakthrough family of awards has been carefully designed to recognize the best and brightest faculty and graduate students with three specially tailored awards programs. The Breakthrough Leadership in Research award recognizes USC’s distinguished senior faculty, the Breakthrough Star award honors outstanding early-career faculty and the Breakthrough Graduate Scholar award celebrates exceptional graduate students.
“It is so exciting to see the ranks of distinguished Breakthrough award recipients grow each year,” said USC Vice President for Research Prakash Nagarkatti. “My office is privileged to honor our tried-and-true research leaders, our most promising early-career faculty and the best and brightest graduate student researchers working in every discipline throughout the USC System. Our goal in developing this award program was to find the most outstanding scholars and researchers in our community and give them the recognition they deserve. But, the truth is that they honor their students and colleagues far more every day, with their hard work and dedication. Congratulations to all of the exceptional 2018 Breakthrough award winners.”
The 2018 Breakthrough recipients will be honored in April with a booklet featuring their outstanding work, a special dinner celebration and other tokens of the USC research community’s appreciation for their contributions.
2018 Breakthrough Leadership in Research Awards
Subrahmanyam Bulusu, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the Satellite Oceanography Laboratory, School of the Earth, Ocean and Environment, College of Arts and Sciences
Bert Ely, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the USC Center for Science Education, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences
Kevin Huang, Ph.D., Professor and SmartState Chair for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing
Yiming Ji, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Mathematics and Computational Science, USC Beaufort School of Sciences and Mathematics
Mitzi Nagarkatti, Ph.D., Carolina Distinguished Professor, SmartState Endowed Chair of Center for Cancer Drug Discovery and Chair, Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, USC School of Medicine
Janice Probst, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center, Department of Health Services Policy and Management, Arnold School of Public Health
2018 Breakthrough Stars
Mohammed Baalousha, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health
Matthew Ballard, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences
Ryan Carlson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Counselor Education, Department of Educational Studies, College of Education
Parastoo Hashemi, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Eli Jelly-Schapiro, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of English, College of Arts and Sciences
Addis Kidane, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing
Susan Lang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of the Earth, Ocean and Environment, College of Arts and Sciences
Thomas Makris, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Karen McDonnell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, College of Nursing
Dmitry Peryshkov, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Ioannis Rekleitis, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing
Morgan Stefik, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Brie Turner-McGrievy, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health
Susan Wood, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, USC School of Medicine
2018 Breakthrough Scholars
Fahd Ebna Alam, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing
Firas Alhasson, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health
Derek Bedenbaugh, Ph.D. Candindate in the Department of English, College of Arts and Sciences
Doug Bell, Ph.D. Candidate in the School of Earth, Ocean and Environment, College of Arts and Sciences
Sara Donevant, Ph.D. Candidate in the College of Nursing
Julie Finnell, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, USC School of Medicine
Min Jee Lee, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Health Services Policy and Management, Arnold School of Public Health
Wenming Li, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing
Victoria Macht, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
Kristen McLaurin, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
Daniela Negraia, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences
Suraj Ravindran, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing
Sally Taunton, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Physical Education, College of Education
8 January 2018