Faculty News & Kudos

Dorogan and Radivojevic Jovanovic Win $800K NSF Grant for Quantum Tech

Vitaliy Dorogan (Physics) and Ivana Radivojevic Jovanovic (Chemistry) in partnership with Wenli Guo (Physics, Queensborough Community College) have been awarded a three-year $800,000 National Science Foundation Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (NSF ExLENT) grant. The funding supports the development of experiential learning pathways in semiconductor quantum technologies (SQT) with the aim of expanding workforce opportunities across the state of New York. Read more about it here.

Christopher Blair Reveals Multiple Lizard Lineages in New Study

Christopher Blair (Biological Sciences) led a new study of the greater earless lizard (Cophosaurus texanus). The findings, published in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, reveal that what was once thought to be a single species is actually a complex of multiple lineages shaped by millions of years of geological and ecological change. Read more here.

Ashwani Bedi Promoted to Assistant Commissioner at NYC DDC

Ashwani Bedi (Architecture) has been promoted to assistant commissioner of engineering at the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC). In his new role, Professor Bedi will ensure the City’s commitment to sustainability and resilience is met. Read more here.

Illya Azaroff Speaks to CBS News on Regenerative Architecture

Illya Azaroff (Architecture), 2025 President-elect of The American Institute of Architecture (AIA), spoke to CBS News about building and restoring communities through regenerative designs and the role the AIA plays. Read the interview.

Amanda Almond Publishes on Anti-Racist Behaviors in Medicine

Amanda Almond (Social Sciences), has published an article in Springer Nature’s journal Current Psychology. “The transtheoretical model of change to promote anti-racist behaviors in medical settings,” proposes the application of the transtheoretical model, a stage-matched process for effecting change, to better encourage anti-racist behaviors and methods among health care professionals.

Laura Westengard Receives $40,000 for LGBTQIA+ Programming

Laura Westengard (English), chair of the LGBTQIA+ Collective, has received funding for the fourth time to support programming and initiatives on campus during the 2025-2026 academic year, including the LGBTQIA+ library collection development and nook buildout; a workshop for faculty and staff in Spanish gender neutral and LGBTQIA+ terminology; safer space training; and onboarding two interns. The $40,000 award is from the New York City Council to the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium and is supported by the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives.

Jennifer Sears Wins John Simmons Short Fiction Award

Jennifer Sears (English), is the 2025 John Simmons Short Fiction Award winner for her short story collection What Mennonite Girls are Good For which was published Nov. 25, 2025 by the University of Iowa Press.

Juan L. Rivera-Correa Presents on Autoantibodies in Parasitic Infections

Juan L. Rivera-Correa (Biological Sciences) presented an online oral presentation, “Autoantibodies during tropical parasitic infections” for the 2025 PEERs in Parasitology Parasite Hour (PiP) webinar series on November 21st, 2025.