ASEM - FL

2026 Associate Member Inductees

Christine Angelini

Vice President, Environmental Advisory

AECOM

For significant and innovative advances in enhancing nature sustainability within coastal regions through scientific knowledge, emerging technologies, and community engagement.

Pavlo Antonenko

Professor of Educational Technology and Director of Institute for Advanced Learning Technologies

University of Florida

For pioneering research advancing AI and educational neuroscience, transformative STEM education initiatives, and inspiring thousands of teachers and students to engage with innovative, technology-rich learning in Florida and across the globe.

Christian Bleiholder

Professor, Chemistry

Florida State University

For pioneering the structural analysis of proteins and protein assemblies by ion mobility of mass spectrometry, including the development of Tandem Trapped Ion Mobility Spectrometry, and the creation of computational approaches that enable structural interpretation of these measurements.

Chen Chen

Associate Professor, Institute of Artificial Intelligence (IAI)

University of Central Florida

For pioneering contributions to multimodal and federated learning and real-time, privacy-preserving video analytics, advancing trustworthy and efficient AI systems for public safety, healthcare, and societal well-being.

Matthew Eddy

Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry

University of Florida

For pioneering work to advance understanding of drug receptor mechanisms and inspire new strategies for development of safer, more effective therapeutics.

Mark Finlayson

Associate Professor & Associate Director for Research and Academic Affairs, Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Services

Florida International University

For important contributions to the computational modeling of narratives, which has advanced our understanding of the structure of cultural texts.

James Frederich

Werner Herz Associate Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Florida State University

For pioneering photochemical and biomimetic strategies enabling programmable polyene cyclizations and for translating synthetic organic chemistry innovations into therapeutic discovery and biotechnological applications.

Ivan Garibay

Professor, Industrial Engineering and Management Systems

University of Central Florida

For pioneering work in artificial intelligence for modeling complex human behavior, including the development of inverse generative social science, evolutionary model discovery, green technological innovation, and AI for social resilience against disinformation and polarization.

Audrey Harkness

Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Health Studies

University of Miami

For being a nationally recognized expert who uses behavioral and implementation science to enhance the reach of evidence-based HIV and mental health interventions to communities experiencing disparities; her work has impacted clinical practice and advanced the field implementation science.

Gregory Hudalla

Professor and Integra Life Sciences Term Professor, J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering

University of Florida

For the development of biomaterials to advance the delivery of biotherapeutics and the deployment of clinical diagnostics, and for the fostering of social action within the field of biomedical engineering.

Justin Kennemur

Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Florida State University

For breakthroughs in the fundamental science and technology of precision polymers.

Anna Pyayt

Associate Professor, Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering

University of South Florida

For significant contributions to the field of sensing applications, artificial intelligence, assistive technology for individuals with blindness, and mobile health technologies.

Natalia Soares Quinete

Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute of Environment

Florida International University

For excellence in scientific and technological advances in Environmental Chemistry, especially with respect to newly discovered ‘Forever Chemicals’ such as PFAS.

Parisa Rashidi

Professor, J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering; Founding Co-Director, Intelligent Clinical Care Center (IC3)

University of Florida

For pioneering Medical AI systems that enable real-time monitoring and decision support in critical and perioperative care, and for national leadership ó recognized by the Presidential Early Career Award (PECASE) ó advancing research, education, and clinical translation of AI in healthcare.

Mariana Sanchez

Associate Professor and Assistant Chair, Department of Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, College of Public Health

Florida International University

For pioneering research elucidating how sociocultural and immigration-related factors shape Latino health trajectories, and for national leadership in advancing culturally informed, community-driven approaches to public health equity.

David Simmons

Professor of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering, and President of the Faculty Senate

University of South Florida

For transforming our understanding of how heterogeneities alter the properties of nanostructured polymers, with impacts on nanocomposites, commodity polymers, polymer films, and interfaces; and pioneering discoveries enabling emerging materials and reducing environmental impact.

Whitney Stoppel

Dr. and Mrs. Frederick C. Edie Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering, Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering

University of Florida

For pioneering work combining engineering precision with biological complexity to enable reproducible, high-performance systems that address critical needs in regenerative medicine, controlled release, and soft tissue repair.

Thomas Wahl

Associate Professor, Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering and Center for Integrated Coastal Research

University of Central Florida

For pioneering work on flood risk analysis, coastal compound flooding, and assessment of coastal hazards at multiple scales under weather extremes.

Lakiesha Williams

Professor and Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering; Affiliate Faculty, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

University of Florida

For pioneering contributions to injury biomechanics and translational neuro-technologies, and for national leadership in cultivating the next generation of engineering academicians.

Dazhong Wu

Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

University of Central Florida

For contributions to the development and implementation of machine learning-based techniques for part qualification and certification in advanced manufacturing.

Xiaohu Xia

Professor, Department of Chemistry

University of Central Florida

For pioneering artificial enzyme research, achieving unprecedented catalytic efficiencies and developing diagnostic technologies with substantial clinical and societal impact.

Yang Yang

Professor

University of Central Florida

For being an accomplished scholar in developing energy materials using nanotechnology.