Association of American Law Schools

Pheobe HaddonRutgers University–Camden chancellor Phoebe A. Haddon has been selected as the recipient of the 2019 Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of American Law Schools Section on Women in Legal Education. The award honors individuals with exemplary careers that demonstrate outstanding contributions to the legal academy and the legal profession through their teaching, service, and scholarship. Established in 2013, the award’s inaugural honoree was U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ginsburg began her career as a law school professor at Rutgers Law School, where she was on the faculty from 1963 to 1972.

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE

Girsh G. BlumbergMasayori InouyeMike KiledjianAthina PetropuluScott ThomasThe American Association for the Advancement of Science awarded the distinction of fellow to five Rutgers faculty in 2018 “in recognition of their extraordinary achievements in advancing science.” The new fellows are (left to right) physicist Girsh Blumberg, School of Arts and Sciences, whose work has led to 30 patents for inventions in the fields of electronic and optical devices, spectroscopy, and nanoplasmonics; biochemist and molecular biologist Masayori Inouye, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, for contributions to understanding E. coli, microRNAs, and toxin/antitoxin systems in cellular regulation; cell biologist Megerditch “Mike” Kiledjian, School of Arts and Sciences, for contributions including understanding mRNA turnover and its consequences for human disorders; electrical and computer engineer Athina Petropulu, School of Engineering, noted for work leading to high-quality, secure wireless communications; and physicist Scott Thomas, School of Arts and Sciences, whose work includes interpreting data at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) Large Hadron Collider.

National Academy of Inventors

Edmond LavoieJoachim MessingEdmond LaVoie, left, and Joachim Messing have been named 2018 fellows of the National Academy of Inventors, the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors. LaVoie, professor and chair of medicinal chemistry in the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, has led research and development of small molecule therapeutic agents for the treatment of various types of cancers and regular and drug-resistant bacterial infections, including MRSA. Messing, director of the Waksman Institute of Microbiology and Distinguished Professor of microbiology, developed a genetic engineering technique used in laboratories to create disease-resistant crops, considered crucial to feeding the world’s population. When he discovered a way to crack the genetic code of humans and plants like rice, corn and wheat, Messing did not patent his work. Instead, he gave away the tools he invented—for free—to fellow scientists, a decision enabling further deciphering of the genetic blueprint of living cells, which revolutionized medicine and agriculture.

TYLER PRIZE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT

Paul FalkowskiThe 2018 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement—often referred to as the “Nobel Prize for the Environment”—has been awarded to Rutgers University–New Brunswick biological oceanographer Paul Falkowski. The School of Environmental and Biological Sciences distinguished professor shares the prize with Harvard biological oceanographer James J. McCarthy. The two Tyler Prize laureates were recognized for “their enormous contributions to fighting climate change through increasing our scientific understanding of how Earth’s climate works, as well as bringing together that knowledge for the purpose of policy change."

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND LETTERS

Jayne Anne PhillipsJayne Anne Phillips, author, professor, and founding director of the M.F.A. in creative writing program at Rutgers University–Newark, was elected in 2018 to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The academy’s  membership of 250 is divided into departments of art, literature, and music, and only academicians may nominate and elect new members.

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

Patrick RosalPatrick Rosal, an associate professor of English at Rutgers University–Camden, has been named a 2018 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Creative Writing (Prose) Fellow. In 2017, Rosal was named a John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellow, and his poetry collection, Brooklyn Antediluvian, won the Academy of American Poets Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize.

JOHN SIMON GUGGENHEIM MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

Nicolás PeredaNicolás Pereda, director of the Rutgers Filmmaking Center at Rutgers University–New Brunswick’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, has been awarded a 2018 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. Guggenheim fellowships enable recipients to “engage in research in any field of knowledge and creation in any of the arts.” He was cited for his work that "explores the everyday through fractured and elliptical narratives using fiction and documentary tools."

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR CANCER RESEARCH

Joseph R. BertinoThe American Association for Cancer Research has recognized medical oncologist Joseph R. Bertino with its 2018 Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research. Bertino, a senior adviser to the director of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and university professor of medicine and pharmacology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, was honored for “basic science discoveries in the fields of drug action and tumor cell resistance.”

American Marketing Association

Jerome WilliamsJerome Williams—Rutgers University­–Newark executive vice chancellor, provost, distinguished professor, and Prudential Chair at Rutgers Business School—is the recipient of the American Marketing Association’s Marketing and Society Special Interest Group (MASSIG) 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award. In honoring Williams, MASSIG noted “his scholarship on critically important issues such as marketplace inclusion, social justice, and public policy” and his many publications on “topics related to promoting diversity, reducing childhood obesity, reducing marketplace discrimination, promoting multicultural marketing and advertising, and understanding ethics and social justice issues in marketing.”

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

John KeeneJohn Keene, chair of the Department of African-American and African Studies at Rutgers University–Newark, has been named a 2018 MacArthur Fellow. The fellowship is the latest recognition for the author, translator, artist, historian, and professor whose other honors include the American Book Award, the Lannan Literary Award for Fiction, and most recently, the 2018 Windham-Campbell Prize for Fiction for Counternarratives. Commonly referred to as “genius grants,” the annual MacArthur Fellowships are awarded to individuals in a variety of fields who demonstrate exceptional originality in and dedication to their pursuits. Fellows are nominated anonymously by leaders in their fields and receive $625,000 stipends that are bestowed with no conditions.

Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics and Mathematical Optimization Society

Andrzej RuszczynskiAndrzej Ruszczynski, professor of management science and information systems at Rutgers Business School–Newark and New Brunswick, is corecipient of the 2018 George B. Dantzig Prize, an award given every three years to an individual or individuals whose research has a major impact on the field of mathematical optimization. Ruszczynski studies risk optimization, with a focus on outcomes that are not guaranteed, “like an investment or military operation,” he notes. Ruszczynski shares the prize with Alexander Shapiro of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Helen M. BermanHelen M. Berman, Board of Governors distinguished professor emerita of chemistry and chemical biology at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Berman is among 213 people elected to the academy in 2018, including author Ta-Nehisi Coates, actor Tom Hanks, President Barack Obama, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, gene-editing developer Feng Zhang, and pediatric neurologist Huda Zoghbi. Berman cofounded the Protein Data Bank (PDB)—a free, online library of the structures of biological macromolecules that scientists around the globe use to study, store, and share molecular information.

AMERICAN COUNCIL OF LEARNED SOCIETIES

Kate EpsteinKate Epstein, associate professor of history at Rutgers University–Camden and expert in controversial American state secrets, is the recipient of a 2018 American Council of Learned Societies Frederick Burkhardt Residential Fellowship for Recently Tenured Scholars. The fellowship, which carries a $95,000 stipend and a $7,500 research budget, supports recently tenured faculty at pivotal points in their careers.

BALDRIGE FOUNDATION

Brent RubenBrent Ruben, distinguished professor in Rutgers University–New Brunswick’s School of Communication and Information and executive director of the Center for Organizational Leadership at Rutgers, is an inaugural winner of a Baldrige Foundation Leadership Excellence Award, given in 2018. The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award program was established by the U.S. Congress in 1987 to promote U.S. corporate effectiveness. When the Baldrige Foundation extended its model to the health care and education sectors in the 1990s, Ruben led the effort to adapt the model for universities and colleges.

CHICKEN & EGG PICTURES

Kimi TakesueKimi Takesue, associate professor in the Department of Arts, Culture and Media at Rutgers University–Newark, won a $50,000 2018 Breakthrough Filmmaker Award for her film 95 and 6 to Go, a documentary, filmed over a six-year period, about her grandfather. Through the award, which also includes a yearlong mentorship program, Chicken & Egg Pictures supports rising female documentarians.

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Janne LindqvistRonke OlabisiGeorge TsilomelekisThree assistant professors at the Rutgers University–New Brunswick School of Engineering have earned 2018 National Science Foundation CAREER awards that are given to early-career faculty who demonstrate excellence in integrating teaching and research. The awardees are: Janne Lindqvist (electrical and computer engineering), left, for cell phone security; Ronke Olabisi (biomedical engineering), center, for tissue engineering and wound healing; and George Tsilomelekis (chemical and biochemical engineering) for more efficient production of propylene, which is used to make many materials.

AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY

Three mathematicians in the School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick, were named 2018 fellows of the American Mathematical Society. With 47 fellows, Rutgers leads the world in the number of fellows in the society. This year’s fellows are Lev Borisov, for “contributions to algebraic geometry and mirror symmetry”; Feng Luo, for “contributions to Teichmueller theory, conformal geometry, hyperbolic geometry, 3-manifolds, combinatorial topology and computer graphics”; and Stephen Miller, for “contributions to analytic number theory, cryptography, and theoretical physics.”

ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION

Jacquelyn Noronha-HostlerShubhangi SarafTwo Rutgers University–New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences faculty were named 2018 research fellows of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. They are physicist Jacquelyn Noronha-Hostler, left, who studies “Quark Gluon Plasma, the liquid that filled the universe milliseconds after the Big Bang,” and computer scientist and mathematician Shubhangi Saraf, right, who applies “mathematical methods to understand what problems are efficiently solvable on a computer.” According to the Sloan Foundation, fellows “represent the most promising scientific researchers working today.”

PEABODY AWARDS

Chenjerai KumanyikaChenjerai Kumanyika, assistant professor of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University–New Brunswick’s School of Communication and Information, has won a 2017 Peabody Award for “The Raid,”  an episode of “Uncivil,” a podcast that tells overlooked stories of the American Civil War. Kumanyika and journalist Jack Hitt, won the Peabody in the radio/podcast category.

AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE AND CULTURE SOCIETY AND OCTAVIA E. BUTLER LITERARY SOCIETY

Cheryl A. WallCheryl A. Wall, Board of Governors Zora Neale Hurston professor of English, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick, is the inaugural recipient of the Octavia E. Butler Award for outstanding contributions to scholarship on black women writers. The award, presented in 2017, cited Wall’s work as an “institution-builder and her mentorship of women of color scholars, marked most prominently by her role in creating the African American and Africa Diaspora postdoctoral fellowship at Rutgers.”

National Academy of Engineering

Martin L. YarmushMartin L. Yarmush, Paul and Mary Monroe chair and distinguished professor, biomedical engineering, School of Engineering, Rutgers University–New Brunswick, was elected in 2017 to the National Academy of Engineering, among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Yarmush was recognized for his “pioneering advances in cellular, tissue, and organ engineering and for leadership in applying metabolic engineering to human health.”

BLACK MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE

Tayari JonesRutgers University–Newark creative writing professor Tayari Jones has been named the 2017–2018 Shearing Fellow by the Black Mountain Institute at the University of Nevada–Las Vegas (UNLV). Each year, the institute offers Bennett Fellowships, including the Shearing, to three critically acclaimed writers who contribute to the cultural landscape of UNLV and the larger Las Vegas community.

ASSOCIATION OF NURSES IN AIDS CARE

Suzanne WillardSuzanne Willard, professor and associate dean of global health at the School of Nursing has received the 2017 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care Lifetime Achievement Award. An HIV nurse clinician who focuses on prevention of mother to child transmission, Willard started the first preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) clinic in Newark to help prevent HIV transmission.

Geological Society of America

Alexander GatesAlexander Gates, Distinguished Service Professor in Rutgers University–Newark’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, has received the 2017 Geological Society of America’s Public Service Award, which honors contributions that enhance the public's understanding of the earth sciences and serve decision-makers in the application of scientific and technical information.

U.s. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs: Fulbright

Gloria Bonilla-SantiagoGloria Bonilla-Santiago, Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor of public policy and administration, director of the Community Leadership Center, and board chair of the LEAP Academy University Charter School at Rutgers University–Camden, has been named a Fulbright Specialist for 2017–2018; she will lead a professional development institute on leadership, resource development, and community engagement at Universidad Nacional de Asunción in San Lorenzo, Paraguay.

Association of American Law Schools

Frank AskinFrank Askin, Rutgers Law School professor emeritus, has won the national Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Clinical Section’s 2017 William Pincus Award for outstanding service and commitment to clinical education. It is the highest honor that the AALS Clinical Section can bestow on a clinical educator. He founded the law school's Constitutional Rights Clinic and was the longest-serving general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union.

American Academy of Nursing

Elizabeth Scannell-DeschElizabeth Scannell-Desch, professor and associate dean of baccalaureate programs, School of Nursing–Camden, Rutgers University–Camden, was one of 173 nurse leaders inducted as 2017 fellows of the American Academy of Nursing, one of the highest honors in the nursing profession. Scannell-Desch is a retired colonel in the U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps and a noted scholar on such diverse issues as nurses in the military, the impact of mid-life widowhood, and oncology.

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE

Vivian BellofattoArnold RabsonPeter MarchRichard PadgettThe American Association for the Advancement of Science awarded the distinction of fellow to four Rutgers faculty in 2017 “in recognition of their contributions to science and technology, scientific leadership, and extraordinary achievements across disciplines.” The fellows are molecular biologist Vivian Bellofatto, far left, New Jersey Medical School; pathologist Arnold Rabson, second from left, director of the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; mathematician Peter March, third from left, executive dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, and molecular biologist Richard Padgett, far right, Waksman Institute of Microbiology.

CLARIVATE ANALYTICS

Five Rutgers University–New Brunswick faculty were included in the 2017 Clarivate Analytics lists of Highly Cited Researchers. They are materials engineer Manish Chhowalla, School of Engineering; food scientists Chi-Tang Ho and Qingrong Huang, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences; ecologist Rachael Winfree, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences; and statistician Cun-Hui Zhang, School of Arts and Sciences. Researchers on the list rank in the “top 1 percent by citations for field and publication year in the Web of Science,” Clarivate Analytics’s research citation index. The list covers 21 fields in the sciences and social sciences.

Simons Foundation

Gabriel KotliarAlex KontorovichNatasa SesumFour Rutgers University–New Brunswick professors are among 53 outstanding mathematicians and theoretical physicists awarded Simons Fellowships in 2017. School of Arts and Sciences faculty member Gabriel Kotliar, left, was named a Simons Fellow in Theoretical Physics and School of Arts and Sciences faculty members Jeff Kahn, Alex Kontorovich, center, and Natasa Sesum, right, were named Simons Fellows in Mathematics. With four awardees, Rutgers University–New Brunswick ties with MIT for the most Simons Fellows in 2017. In 2016, four Rutgers–New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences mathematicians were named Simons Fellows, the most of any university in 2016. They are Lev Borisov, Fioralba Cakoni, Liping Liu, and Avraham Soffer.