Scholars Walk

Associate Professor of Graphic Design

For nearly 40 years at UH, Professor Beckett's students have applied their talents to projects celebrating Houston's historic neighborhoods while spotlighting sustainability and urban beauty. Under her leadership, students' projects have earned awards from the City of Houston and the Society for Environmental Design.

Associate Professor of English

Professor Charara has taught literature and creative writing at UH for over a decade. Honors include induction into the Texas Institute of Letters, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow, and the Lucille Joy Prize for Poetry. His published works include four books of poetry, an award-winning children's book and the novel, "Hush Little Children."

Musa and Khaleda Dakri Endowed Chair

For over four decades, Saleha Khumawala, founding SURE^TM program director, has served UH. Her numerous honors include the American Accounting Association's Lifetime Contribution Award; Houston Women in Business Champion of the Year; Inspiring Programs in Business Award; Excellence in Pedagogical Innovation Award; and Governor's Higher Education Community Impact Award.

Moores Professor of Engineering

For more than 50 years, Dr. Long has been a fixture at UH's Cullen College of Engineering. An IEEE Life Fellow, he has earned the organization's Distinguished Achievement Award. At UH, he is a former Farfel Award recipient and holds the distinction of earning the university's first University Teaching Award. Dr. Long has also been recognized by the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

Associate Professor of Architecture

Professor Rogers leads the Community Design Resource Center. For more than two decades, she has provided design students with opportunities to work side by side with community members to envision places of opportunity and hope. Her work has earned numerous awards, including the AIA Houston Civic Vision Award in 2022.

Associate Professor of Pharmacy

Dr. Williams has taught and mentored thousands of pharmacy students for five decades. As an educator, he helped develop patient-oriented curricula and guided student organizations to national recognition. He also helped launch the College of Pharmacy's scholarship golf tournament and endowment, which have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support students.

Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

President's Circle Award — Patents, Journal Publications
Dr. Bao is one of the world's most cited researchers. In 2022, his paper in Science, "Ultrahigh Ambipolar Mobility in Cubic Boron Arsenide Revealed by Transient Reflectivity Microscopy" was selected by Physics World as "One of Top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year".

Professor of Physics

Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics
Dr. Bellwied is among the UH professors earning one of the world's most prestigious scientific honors. He contributed to the project "A Large Ion Collider Experiment" (ALICE), which is recognized for groundbreaking insights into the strong force and conditions of the early universe.

Associate Dean for Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine

President's Circle Award — Major Grants
Dr. Bruce's efforts as a UH Population Health scholar have earned major grants from the National Institutes of Health and other prominent organizations. He is currently among collaborators from UH and Baylor College of Medicine participating on the newest CTSA Program Hub funded by National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.

Professor of Medicinal Chemistry

President's Circle Award — Patents, Major Grants
Dr. Cuny's research interests focus on developing compounds that can be used to study pathophysiology and to establish new therapeutic strategies. He has co-authored more than 160 peer-reviewed manuscripts and is an inventor on more than 60 issued US patents.

Clinical Associate Professor of Mathematics Education

President's Circle Award — Major Grants
Dr. Cutler has focused numerous books and articles on early childhood mathematics education and other topics. She is among College of Education faculty who earned a U.S. Department of Education Teacher Quality Partnership Program grant to prepare future teachers.

Professor of Psychology

Esther Farfel Award
As the recipient of UH's highest faculty honor, Dr. Grigorenko has demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, and service to the community. Her research in cognitive and educational psychology and developmental psychopathology has been supported by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and Department of Education.

Professor of English

Guggenheim Fellowship
A noted poet, Professor Harris joins an exclusive group of creative writers earning this honor. She has published collections of poetry that have earned national acclaim and accolades, including a National Book Critics Circle Award. At UH, she imparts inspiration on future generations of poets and authors and serves as a consulting faculty editor at literary journal, Gulf Coast.

Brown Foundation Professor of Hispanic Studies

President's Circle Award — National Recognition, Books
2024 National Humanities Medal recipient Dr. Kanellos is the founding director of UH's Arte Público Press, the oldest publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by U.S. Hispanic authors. He's an award-winning author and also directs the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Heritage project.

Else and Philip Hargrove Endowed Professor of Drug Discovery

Dr. Kumar is among the researchers awarded a $3.2 million NIH grant to develop new treatments for rhabdomyosarcoma. A member of UH's Drug Discovery Institute, he leads research on the molecular and signaling mechanisms that regulate skeletal muscle mass and function in conditions such as cancer cachexia, denervation, and sepsis.

Assistant Professor, College of Education

Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
Dr. Master is the University's first professor to earn presidential recognition for potential and leadership as a researcher. She conducts research in UH's Identity and Academic Motivation Lab focusing on how to motivate students into STEM educational pathways.

Associate Professor of Art

Guggenheim Fellowship
Professor Mayer is among the top creatives and critical thinkers in the nation earning this prestigious award. A renowned visual artist, Mayer's ceramic sculptures enact various kinds of burial and recovery, pointing to extractive and exploitative human behaviors towards the land. At UH, she prepares future artists through Sculpture Program courses in the School of Art.

Bauer Professor of Marketing

President's Circle Award — National Recognition
A widely published scholar, Dr. Patrick-Ralhan is a Fulbright Specialist and serves as the President of the Society of Consumer Psychology. She regularly shares her expertise in local, national and global media outlets. Her popular press book The Power of Saying No is a national bestseller.

Professor of English

Professor Prufer was named the 2026 Texas State Poet Laureate, one of the state's highest literary honors. A faculty member in UH's Creative Writing Program and an acclaimed author, he has published 10 books. He has been a longlist finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and earned the 2024 Rilke Prize for American Poetry. At UH, he co-directs the Unsung Masters Series.

Assistant Professor of Sociology

Dr. Purdum was named a Kavli Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences for her research and advocacy on behalf of incarcerated people in disasters. Her work also examines vulnerable populations, organizational decision-making, rural resilience, emergency management, and public health in disaster contexts.

Professor of Physics

Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring
Dr. Stokes earned the nation's highest honor for outstanding mentoring in STEM disciplines. A UH alumna, her research is on physics, improving physics and STEM student success, preparing STEM educators and mentoring students and faculty.

Clinical Professor of Pharmacy

Dr. Varkey received the 2025 Roger W. Anderson Leadership Award for her transformative contributions to graduate education and mentorship. She directs the M.S. in Pharmacy Leadership and Administration and leads The Houston Program.

Huffington-Woestemeyer Professor, Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Dr. Willson was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry for his contributions to the chemical sciences. He's former Director of the Drug Discovery Institute, and Associate Vice President for Technology Transfer. Among his many honors is the 2020 Esther Farfel Award, the University's highest faculty recognition.

Irvin M. Borish Professor, College of Optometry

Dr. Yoon received the Glenn A. Fry Lecture Award, presented annually for research advancing the field of physiological optics and vision science. His work has enhanced both scientific understanding and clinical practice, paving the way for future innovations.

Associate Professor of Curriculum Instruction

Dr. Alarcón engages in research that is key for finding viable solutions for pressing education-based issues. She recently earned a $3.3 million federal grant to launch the University of Houston Partnership to Develop Equity-Minded Educators aimed at preparing future educators for the classroom.

Civil Engineering

Brandt has been part of group collaborations with Civil and Environmental Engineering students and Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. He and fellow students research the rheology of frozen sediments and how their strength evolution are impacted by the freeze-thaw cycles occurring in Arctic regions.

Economics

Social and environmental sustainability are at the heart of Zosia’s research. Her work addressed how social media marketing can bridge gender inequalities in professional sports. She has also explored the global carbon offsets market. Her Senior Honors Thesis examined how recent natural disasters in Texas and California affected the climate change and global warming discourse on social media platform X.

Professor, Architecture

Dr. Colaco’s talents in teaching and structural engineering earned him AIA Houston’s 2023 Educator of the Year honor. He is known worldwide for his structural designs of iconic buildings and is a member of the National Academy of Engineers among other noted organizations.

Professor, Engineering

Dr. Glennie directs the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping and Engineering Defense Research Initiatives at UH. His work with the latter was key in UH earning its largest contract or grant—$63.5 million from the U.S. Army Devcom Analysis Center.

English

Kalena’s research explores Dante’s “Divine Comedy” influence on Gayl Jones’s novel “Corregidora.” Her project seeks to redefine the concept of “the journey” in literature by examining Jones’ work and highlighting other trailblazers in Black feminist literary theory.

Assistant Professor, Decision and Information Science

Dr. Hossain’s expertise in health information science and evidence-based decision-making supports his research addressing health inequities in underserved populations. He has published more than 70 scholarly articles and serves as a reviewer for top-tier healthcare journals.

Brown Foundation Professor of Hispanic Studies

Dr. Kanellos' research and leadership of Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage program have restored lost chapters of American cultural history. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award of the North American Academy of the Spanish Language, and his Recovery team has won a prestigious challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Clinical Assistant Professor, NSM and teachHouston

Dr. Manuel, a nationally recognized STEM education researcher and practitioner, draws from her experience as a teacher and first-generation student to champion culturally responsive STEM education. She recently secured a $1.6 million NSF Racial Equity in STEM grant, dedicated to expanding underserved students' access to STEM education.

Associate Professor, Communication Disorders

Mills’s research addresses the skills and resources that help school children narrate or tell stories and process language. She directs UH’s Child Language Ability Lab and has earned grants from the NIH, ASHFoundation, and UH.

Professor, Computer Science

At UH, Pandurangan has led groundbreaking work on network algorithms and distributed computing. He also researches artificial intelligence and machine learning, including the latter’s impact on thwarting cybersecurity attacks.

Honors Biomedical Sciences

Dimanthi is collaborating with biophysical researchers investigating human chromosome organization. Utilizing the Minimal Chromosome Model, they demonstrate that interactions between chromatin and nuclear bodies play a crucial role in establishing subcompartmentalization.

Professor of Chemical Engineering

Dr. Powell is the Aspire Executive Director and Shell Endowed Chair of the Energy Transition Institute. He is a member of U. S. National Academy of Engineering, and former Shell Chief Scientist—Chemical Engineering.

Paul C.W. Chu and May P. Chern Endowed Chair

Ren is an award-winning scholar and scientist, who leads the Texas Center for Superconductivity. He is consistently ranked among the world’s most cited researchers. The Farfel Award recognizes his excellence in research, scholarship, teaching and service.

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Sydney’s project compares the phonological language processing skills in young bi-dialectical English speakers and their relation to their parents using a webcam-based eye tracking software. She has been recognized for her research endeavors through a number of fellowships and has contributed to projects providing educational information and language and hearing screenings to community members.

Chief Population Health Officer

Beech leads UH Population Health and oversees several research endeavors, including a $44 million project with Baylor College of Medicine to advance a regional hub supporting clinical translational science.

Associate Professor of Optometry

Harrison is the lead researcher for a $3.3 million study funded by the National Eye Institute tracking the health of patients with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes to discover which factors put them at risk for eye problems or future vision loss.

Assistant Professor of African American Studies and Sociology

Since arriving at UH in 2022, Dr. Langa has continued to research gender and healthcare disparities, specifically topics related to maternal healthcare and outcomes.

Professor of Architecture

Professor Munenzon is an award-winning researcher whose visions for resilient, sustainable communities support her scholarly efforts at UH.

Assistant Professor of Law

Dr. Guggenberger's expertise is in the areas of antitrust, law & technology, privacy, and regulation. In addition to being an academic and author, he has advised regulators and legislators.

Professor of Psychology

Neighbors' research addresses health and risk behaviors. At UH, he directs the Social Influences and Health Behaviors Lab and is leading a $3.2 million project to adapt a prominent alcohol screening and intervention program for college students to a telehealth format.

Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Medicine

At UH, Dr. Niu's knowledge of statistics supports faculty and students and fuels his research in Bayesian statistics.

Assistant Professor of Health and Human Performance

Seniors, stroke patients and those challenged by neurological diseases stand to benefit from Dr. Park's work. His research addresses mechanisms and rehabilitation tools supporting motor control, learning and function.

Associate Professor of Biology and Biochemistry

Peng directs UH's Drug Discovery Institute and engages in research focused on immune resistance in cancer patients. She is part of a multi-institutional $45 million project aimed at reducing U.S. cancer deaths by rapidly developing sense-and-respond implant technology.

Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Reddy, a CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research, oversees the Medical Imaging with Lasers Lab, which develops infrared medical devices for disease diagnosis. He is engaged in a $3.2 million NIH study focused on improving the accuracy of lupus diagnoses and a $3.4 million NIH grant for blood-cancer treatment response prediction.

Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Dr. Wen leads research leveraging AI, high-performance computing, and molecular simulations to design new materials for renewable energy.

Associate Professor, Law

Professor Zale is the UH Law Center’s George Butler Research Professor and was named a 2023 Fulbright Research Chair in U.S.-Canada Studies. Her research focuses on equity and sustainability issues in land use, real estate, and local government law.

Biology

Cole’s research focuses on developing potential cancer vaccines through chimeric RNAs. He specifically addresses how cancers can be more easily targeted by a vaccine. His MHCole pipeline may aid the in-silico prediction process identifying immunogenic neoantigens as candidates for cancer vaccine development.

Assistant Professor, Art

TEACHING EXCELLENCE
Zalman teaches courses in the School of Art. Known for her expertise on modern art, she’s earned fellowships and grants from distinguished organizations. She is the author of a book on Surrealism and co-editor of a book about the Museum of Modern Art.

Professor, Law

GLOBAL
Elizabeth Trujillo directs the UH Law Center’s Initiative on Global Law and Policy for the Americas. Her research and teaching focuses on international economic law, sustainable development, energy, contracts, and international law.