Accolades News for Researchers
Posted September 2, 2026 by Tiffany Lee
Accolades are compiled from faculty and staff submissions, the Office of Research and Innovation’s external recognition and awards coordinator, the Achievements column published by University Communication and Marketing, and college, center and departmental websites.
Honors and Recognitions
Jena Asgarpoor, engineering management, was named a fellow of the American Society for Engineering Management. Fellows are selected for sustained and noteworthy contributions to the energy management profession and contributions to the society. Asgarpoor, who directs the Master of Engineering Management program at UNL, has expertise in quality management, pedagogy, and assessment of teaching and learning, especially in online education.
Brian Couch, biological sciences, received the Bruce Alberts Award for Excellence in Science Education from the American Society for Cell Biology. The award honors an individual who has demonstrated innovative and sustained contributions to science education, with a special focus on the national impact of their work. Couch, a national leader in biology education research, has played a key role in transforming how undergraduate science is taught. His work has led a shift toward active, research-supported approaches rather than traditional lecture-based teaching. Couch will present at the annual ASCB Cell Bio meeting in December, where he will be recognized for his contributions to science education.
Jeffrey L. Day, architecture, is co-founder of Actual Architecture Company and leads FACT at UNL, a student design-build studio in the College of Architecture. Both Actual and FACT were included in “Out There: New Architecture Across America,” a book showcasing 50 architecture firms across America that use unique, regional methods. Selection for inclusion was based on the recommendation of distinguished architects, critics and the book’s writing team. Actual Architecture also received the honorable mention in the Architect (Small Firm) – Midwest category of Architect Newspaper’s 2026 Best of Practice Awards, which honor firms for portfolio quality, office culture and social impact.
Andrew Hanna, management, received the 2026 Rising Star Early Career Award from the Network of Leadership Scholars. The award recognizes a junior academic making a significant contribution to the field of leadership and promotes the recipient’s work within the academic community. Hanna’s research focuses on emergent leadership, examining how individuals influence others without holding positions with formal power. Hanna accepted the award at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting in Philadelphia in early August.
Bedross Der Matossian, history, was appointed director of genocide research at the Zoryan Institute. The appointment recognizes his internationally recognized scholarship in genocide studies, modern Middle East history, and the study of mass violence and historical memory. Der Matossian has authored and edited numerous works on genocide, denial and interethnic violence and recently received a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. The Zoryan Institute is a nonprofit research and educational organization focused on genocide, human rights and diaspora studies.
Daniel Snow, Nebraska Water Center, received a Fulbright Specialist Award. The Fulbright Specialist Program enables U.S. academics and established professionals to engage in two- to six-week project-based exchanges at institutions around the globe. Snow will pursue work at the University of Campinas in Brazil.
Jian Wang, mechanical and materials engineering, received the Outstanding Research and Creative Activity Award from the University of Nebraska system. The ORCA honor is one of the President’s Excellence Awards, the system’s most prestigious faculty awards for teaching, research, engagement and commercialization. It recognizes individual faculty members for outstanding research or creative activity of national or international significance. Wang was recognized for his sustained record of accomplishments, including leading the Laboratory for Multiscale Interfaces Design in Solids and advancing exploration of the structure-properties relationships of structural and nanostructured materials.
The Art Chapel, developed and designed by students in the College of Architecture with leadership from architecture faculty Jeffrey L. Day and Jason Griffiths, received the 2026 AZ Award for Architecture in the Adaptive Re-Use category. Azure Magazine launched the AZ Awards in 2011 to recognize excellence, innovation and leadership in global architecture and design. The magazine highlighted the design team’s “make-nothing” approach and focus on modifying what already existed rather than building from scratch. The chapel functions as a faith-based arts event space hosting knitting groups, live music nights and arts programming.
Publications
Mohamed Khalil, natural resources, received the AEG Publication Award from the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists. The award recognizes the most outstanding paper published in any AEG publication during the fiscal year. Khalil was recognized for the paper “Differentiation of Structurally Controlled Seepage in a Dam and Dike Complex by Integrated Geophysical Surveys,” which identified and analyzed previously undiscovered geologic features affecting the seepage conditions of Lake Capote in southwestern Colorado. Khalil is an assistant geoscientist with the Conservation and Survey Division and the Panhandle Research, Extension and Education Center.
Professional Service
Deepa Choudhry, NUtech Ventures, was appointed chair-elect of the Nebraska Local Section Executive Committee of the American Chemical Society. The appointment recognizes her service and contributions to the chemistry community and provides an opportunity to support the section’s programs, professional engagement and advancement of chemistry across Nebraska.
Other News
Michael Burton became director of Nebraska Innovation Studio on Aug. 17. Burton, previously associate professor of art and digital fashion at UNL, brings to the role more than 16 years of experience working at the intersection of art, technology and hands-on making. He will provide strategic leadership, operational oversight and vision for the studio, as well as oversee Frontier Tech Lab, a design and prototyping service center operated and managed by Nebraska Innovation Studio. Burton succeeds longtime director David Martin, who retired in July.
Erica DeFrain, University Libraries, was appointed chair of the teaching partnerships unit within University Libraries. In this role, DeFrain will lead the Libraries’ curricular and co-curricular teaching and learning efforts, which focus on developing students’ information proficiency for academic and professional success. She will work with chairs of research partnerships and information services and learning spaces, as well as other library areas, stakeholders across campus and the state, to develop collaborations that increase the Libraries’ ability to advance student outcomes.
Lisa Knoche is the new interim director of the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools, effective Sept. 1. For the last six years, Knoche has served as co-director of CYFS, where she is a research professor. She has been director of the Nebraska Academy for Early Childhood Research since 2015. Knoche’s expertise is in the design, development and evaluation of early childhood intervention and prevention programs to support healthy development in children and family engagement in early learning. She has been principal investigator on more than 20 research projects with more than $14.7 million in funding and co-PI or co-investigator on an additional $20.3 million in projects, including a portfolio of large-scale federal grants, multi-site collaborations and community-engaged translational projects. Knoche earned both her master’s and doctoral degrees in developmental psychology from UNL after graduating cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and biology from Creighton University.
Scott Silversten is the university’s new chief communication and marketing officer. In this role, he will lead the Office of University Communication and Marketing and serve on the chancellor’s Executive Leadership Team. Silversten will oversee integrated communication and marketing efforts, including brand strategy, media relations, executive communications, creative services, digital communications, issues management and marketing initiatives that support university priorities. He has more than three decades of professional experience in communications and marketing, including extensive experience in higher education at Florida Atlantic University, SUNY Cobleskill and Manhattan College (now Manhattan University). Silversten earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Syracuse University, a master’s degree in publishing from New York University and a certificate in radio and television broadcasting from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting.
Research News Accolades Submission Form
