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Luminary Award

Table of Contents

Award Info

Applications Open
March 27, 2026
Applications Close
June 12, 2026
Notification Date
October 20, 2026
Award Contact
Kelley.Santalla@ucf.edu

  1. Overview

    UCF has a level of recognition that is campus-wide inclusive and aligns with our collective goal of national and international prominence for UCF through creative works, research, and scholarship. The UCF Luminary (person of prominence or brilliant light) Scholar is an individual faculty member or group of faculty members (e.g., teams working together in a lab or faculty clusters) who has achieved notable accomplishments in research and/or creative activity over the past three academic years while working at UCF. These accomplishments should demonstrate significant impact that can be clearly recognized either nationally or internationally; similarly, achievements could have local relevancy that achieve global impact. These individuals also may evidence achievements in scholarship that are not easily acknowledged in other programs such as the Research Incentive Awards or the College/University Excellence in Research Awards. For example, scholarship may have substantial impact to art/culture/community but be relatively modest in terms of quantitative evidence (e.g., grant dollars, citation count, etc.).

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  2. Criteria for Recognition

    Creative works, research, and scholarship should be recognized externally by news releases, media coverage, national or international awards or fellowships, significant public involvement, social media hits, etc. It is essential that these faculty are furthering our goal of unleashing the potential of people and ideas to positively change the world.

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  3. Eligibility

    • Recognition is available to all ranks of full-time faculty.
      • Full-time tenured and tenure-earning faculty (including assistant, associate, and professors) and full-time non-tenure earning faculty (including all ranks of instructor/lecturers, clinical, research, librarian, and instructional designers)
    • Previous winners are not eligible.
      • Past Winners
        Name College/Division Year
        Chiara Mazzucchelli Arts and Humanities 2024-25
        Keri Watson Arts and Humanities 2024-25
        Tim Brown Arts and Humanities 2024-25
        Matt Dombrowksi Arts and Humanities 2023-24
        Herbert (Tommy) James Arts and Humanities 2022-23
        Julia Listengarten Arts and Humanities 2021-22
        David Poissant Arts and Humanities 2020-21
        Stephen Fiore Arts and Humanities 2018-19
        Humberto Lopez Cruz Arts and Humanities 2017-18
        Wanda Raimnundi-Ortiz Arts and Humanities 2016-17
        Anastasia Salter Arts and Humanities 2016-17
        Craig Crossley Business 2023-24
        Yan Lu Business 2019-20
        Maureen Ambrose Business 2017-18
        Richard Lapchick Business 2016-17
        Geoffrey Turnbull Business 2016-17
        Yue Ge Community Innovation and Education 2024-25
        E. Trey Vasquez Community Innovation and Education 2023-24
        Matthew Marino Community Innovation and Education 2023-24
        Barbara (Basia) Andraka- Christou Community Innovation and Education 2022-23
        Irene Pons Community Innovation and Education 2022-23
        Mary Little Community Innovation and Education 2022-23
        Michele Gill Community Innovation and Education 2021-22
        Staci Zavattaro Community Innovation and Education 2021-22
        Christopher Emrich Community Innovation and Education 2019-20
        Lisa Dieker Community Innovation and Education 2016-17
        Juli Dixon Community Innovation and Education 2016-17
        Glenn Lambie Community Innovation and Education 2016-17
        Kareem Ahmed Engineering and Computer Science 2024-25
        Mahomed Abdel-Aty Engineering and Computer Science 2024-25
        Thomas Wahl Engineering and Computer Science 2023-24
        Yaser Fallah Engineering and Computer Science 2021-22
        Tania Roy Engineering and Computer Science 2020-21
        Helen Huang Engineering and Computer Science 2019-20
        Jiyu Fang Engineering and Computer Science 2018-19
        Sudipta Seal Engineering and Computer Science 2017-18
        George Atia Engineering and Computer Science 2016-17
        Necati Catbas Engineering and Computer Science 2016-17
        Hassan Foroosh Engineering and Computer Science 2016-17
        Jayanta Kapat Engineering and Computer Science 2016-17
        Mubarak Shah Engineering and Computer Science 2016-17
        Subith Vasu Engineering and Computer Science 2016-17
        David Fukuda Health Professions and Sciences 2019-20
        Jeanette Garcia Health Professions and Sciences 2019-20
        Martine Vanryckeghem Health Professions and Sciences 2018-19
        Bari Hoffman Ruddy Health Professions and Sciences 2017-18
        K. Tom Liou Health Professions and Sciences 2017-18
        Naim Kapucu Health Professions and Sciences 2016-17
        Jennifer Kent-Walsh Health Professions and Sciences 2016-17
        Jennifer Tucker Health Professions and Sciences 2016-17
        Dinender Singla Medicine 2019-20
        Debopam Chakrabarti Medicine 2016-17
        Alexander Cole Medicine 2016-17
        Annette Khaled Medicine 2016-17
        Griffith Parks Medicine 2016-17
        Carmen Giurgescu Nursing 2024-25
        Ladda Thiamwong Nursing 2023-24
        Mona Shattell Nursing 2023-24
        Desiree Diaz Nursing 2022-23
        Mindi Anderson Nursing 2021-22
        Victoria Loerzel Nursing 2018-19
        Mary Lou Sole Nursing 2016-17
        Gregory Welch Nursing 2016-17
        Lori Walters Office of Research 2018-19
        Noemi Pinilla-Alonso Office of Research 2018-19
        Jayan Thomas Office of Research 2017-18
        Eileen Smith Office of Research 2016-17
        Timothy Sellnow Office of Research 2016-17
        Aristide Dogariu Optics and Photonics 2022-23
        Kathleen Richardson Optics and Photonics 2020-21
        Peter Delfyett Optics and Photonics 2020-21
        Shin-Tson Wu Optics and Photonics 2018-19
        Ayman Abouraddy Optics and Photonics 2016-17
        Demetrios Christodoulides Optics and Photonics 2016-17
        Robertico Croes Rosen Hospitality Management 2023-24
        Mindy Shoss Sciences 2023-24
        Kerri Donaldson Hanna Sciences 2022-23
        Michael Chini Sciences 2021-22
        Beatriz Reyes-Foster Sciences 2020-21
        Lisa Mills Sciences 2020-21
        Peter Hancock Sciences 2020-21
        Timothy Hawthorne Sciences 2019-20
        Madhab Neupane Sciences 2018-19
        Deanna Sellnow Sciences 2018-19
        Julie Brisset Sciences 2017-18
        Joshua Colwell Sciences 2017-18
        Adrienne Dove Sciences 2017-18
        Candice Bridge Sciences 2016-17
        Alexander Katsevich Sciences 2016-17
        Katherine Mansfield Sciences 2016-17
        Jonathan Powell Sciences 2016-17
        Gunes Tezcur Sciences 2016-17
        John Schultz Sciences 2016-17
        Linda Walters Sciences 2016-17
        Deborah Beidel Sciences 2016-17
        Clint Bowers Sciences 2016-17
        Sandra Neer Sciences 2016-17
        Ann Miller Sciences 2016-17
        Swadeshmukul Santra Office of Research 2016-17

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  4. Protocol for Nomination

    1. In each academic department, chairs and/or directors can nominate up to 2 faculty.
    2. Deans from the College of Optics and Photonics and the College of Graduate Studies can nominate up to 2 faculty.
    3. Directors of each research center and institute reporting to the VPR can nominate 1 faculty member.
    4. Deans can nominate 1 additional faculty member who meets the criteria, following the outlined process.
    5. No self-nominations, please.
    6. All aspects of this process from nomination to selection will remain confidential until winners are announced.
    7. Failure to adhere to nomination protocol will disqualify all nominees.
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  5. Nomination Materials

    Nominations must include the following as one pdf file:

    • One-page maximum letter of nomination from the Dean, Department Chair or Director (as outlined previously) that includes a detailed description of recent scholarship achieved (within the last three academic years, specifically Summer 2023 through Spring 2026), and how it has been notable/recognized nationally or internationally.
      • Do not merely reiterate the content of the CV. The letter should describe exactly how the work of this individual or team has had significant impact and led to national and/or international recognition.
      • For groups of faculty members, one letter of nomination will suffice that clearly indicates the contribution of each individual on the team and confirmation that each team member is a full-time UCF faculty member.
    • 2-4 page vita for each nominee, font size no smaller than 11 pt. (not to exceed 4 pages)

    Nomination packets that exceed 5 pages total will be returned. (This does not include group nominations.)

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  6. Submission Process and Deadline

    • Nominations from Chairs and Directors should be submitted to the Dean of their respective college on or before 5:00 p.m. on May 29, 2026. These nominations must be reviewed and submitted by the Dean to the Vice President for Research on or before 5:00 p.m. on June 12, 2026, via InfoReady.
    • Nomination materials from the Deans of the College of Optics and Photonics and the College of Graduate Studies, and from the Directors of the Office of Research Centers and Institutes should be emailed to the Vice President for Research, Winston Schoenfeld, on or before 5:00 p.m. on June 11, 2026.
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  7. Evaluation of Nominations

    Awardees will be selected by a Provost committee.
    Selection committee decisions are final.
    Recipients of recognition awards will be notified and publicly recognized.

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