Each year, the Office of the Vice President for Research honors some of the University of South Carolina’s brightest research minds with our signature slate of Breakthrough Awards—Breakthrough Leadership in Research Awards for senior faculty, Stars Awards for junior faculty and Graduate Scholars Awards for graduate students. This year, we are pleased to celebrate a new class of five Breakthrough Leadership in Research Award recipients, 12 Stars and 13 Graduate Scholars.
Vice President for Research, Prakash Nagarkatti said of this distinguished group, “The University of South Carolina is very fortunate to have so many excellent scholars populating our research community at every level. This year’s Breakthrough award recipients are among the best of the best. It is an honor to call this year’s faculty award recipients colleagues, and to have a small role in launching the 2021 Graduate Scholars into their promising careers. Congratulations to you all on this well-earned accolade.”
2021 Breakthrough Leadership in Research Award Recipients
Xiaoming Li, Ph.D., Professor and SmartState Endowed Chair for Clinical Translational Research, Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health
James Pinckney, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences and School of the Earth, Ocean and Environment, College of Arts and Sciences
Bernardine Pinto, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Dean for Research, College of Nursing
Joel Samuels, J.D., Professor of Law and Director of the Rule of Law Collaborative, School of Law
Simon Tarr, M.F.A., Ph.D., Professor of Media Arts and Director of Undergraduate Studies, School of Visual Art and Design
2021 Breakthrough Stars Award Recipients
Demetrius Abshire, Ph.D., R.N., Assistant Professor, College of Nursing
Jessica Bradshaw, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
Elizabeth Crouch, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Deputy Director of the Rural and Minority Health Research Center, Department of Health Services Policy and Management, Arnold School of Public Health
Vanessa Kitzie, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Information Science, College of Information and Communications
Nicole Maskiell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of History, College of Arts and Sciences
Bankole Olatosi, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Health Services Policy and Management, Arnold School of Public Health
Caroline E. Sawyer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, Department of Social Sciences, USC Beaufort
Aaron Vannucci, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Yi Wang, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing
Nick Watanabe, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Sport and Entertainment Management, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management
Glenn Weaver, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health
Shelley Welton, J.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Law, School of Law
2021 Breakthrough Graduate Scholar Award Recipients
Jacob Barber, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health
Eleanor Davis, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Geography, College of Arts and Sciences
Jennifer Erichsen, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neurology, USC School of Medicine
Sreehari Rajan Kattil, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing
Jennifer Mandelbaum, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health
Shameka McCammon, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Educational Studies, College of Education
Md Abu Shahab Mollah, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing
Kristen Pace, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Michelle Passerotti, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences
Gabriella Reynolds, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Arnold School of Public Health
Travis Wagner, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Library and Information Sciences, College of Information and Communications
Denetra Walker, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, College of Information and Communications
Xiangcheng Zheng, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences