Through the Ascending Star Fellowship program, the partners with academic units to accelerate scholarship and promote the national reputation of exceptional mid-career researchers. During the year long program, the fellows work with an external mentor and are coached through an ambitious project that moves their scholarship to the next level of development.����

This year’s class — representing four schools — includes:

• • Amanuel Beyin, College of Arts and Sciences, whose work focuses on the anthropoligical origins of humans in East Africa;��
  • Adam Enders, College of Arts and Sciences, whose work focuses on political science and conspiracy beliefs;��
  • Lesley Harris, Kent School of Social Work, whose work focuses on improvement of service delivery for persons over the age of 50 living with HIV/AIDS;
  • Jonathan Kopechek, J.B. Speed School of Engineering, whose work focuses on development of image-guided molecular therapy platforms utilizing ultrasound-responsive drug and gene carriers for treatment of cancer and cardiovascular diseases;
  • Matthew Nelson, School of Music, whose work focuses on recording and disseminating historical clarinet works of United Kingdom artist, Charles Hartford Lloyd;��
  • Stephanie Prost, Kent School of Social Work, whose work focuses on the health of incarcerated aging individuals;
  • Farshid Ramezanipour, College of Arts and Sciences, whose work focuses on chemistry solutions in renewable energy.��
  • Hui Zhang, J.B.Speed School of Engineering, whose work focuses on precision medicine and machine learning; mathematical visualization, multimodal data analysis, and human-computer interaction;
  • Jianhua Zhao, College of Arts and Sciences, whose work focuses on anthropological study of the Chinese fashion industry.

“The breadth and depth of this cohort’s work is truly impressive,” said M. Cynthia Logsdon,��associate vice president for research and innovation, who leads the fellowship program. “While they’re already ‘stars,’ my hope is that through the Ascending Stars Fellows Program we can support them in advancing their scholarship, its impact and recognition.”

To be considered for the program, faculty must be associate professor rank, must be nominated by their unit and must show a “consistent record of scholarship with the passion and desire to achieve greater national recognition.”��

The new Ascending Star Fellowship provides mentorship, funding and other support to high-performing associate professors. The goal is to boost the national impact of the fellows’ scholarship, with a heavy focus on work in diversity, inclusion and community empowerment.

The UofL Office of Research and Innovation launched the program last year, selecting its inaugural class in partnership with the . This year’s class — representing four schools — includes:

• , an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy whose work focuses on feminist bioethics, specifically on clinical encounters��between�� health��professionals and��members��of��marginalized communities;��
• an associate professor��in the Department of Mathematics whose work focuses on developing analytic��and computational tools, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, to study nonlinear fluid equations;
• , an associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, whose research focuses on electrochemistry, wastewater treatment, solar cells and more;��
• , an associate professor in the Department of History whose work lies at�� the intersection of human rights, religion and foreign relations history;
• , an associate professor in the College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development, whose work focuses on health promotion, with a particular focus on underserved populations and rural communities;
• , an associate professor in the Kent School of Social Work, whose work focuses on utilizing trauma-informed organizational change interventions to disrupt systems of oppression and investigating the scope and complexity of child trafficking across the U.S.;
• , an associate professor in the Hite Institute of Art & Design and a nationally recognized glass artist;��
• , an associate professor in the College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development whose work focuses on the intersection between Black education and sociopolitical factors and the role sociopolitical forces play in creating disparities in Black education;
• , an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, whose work focuses on microfluidics, electrokinetics and colloid science, including tracing the unique “DNA” of whiskey.��

“I’m extremely pleased with the quality and diversity of the work already being done by this new cohort,” said M. Cynthia Logsdon, the Office of Research and Innovation’s director of research academic programs, who leads the fellowship program. “They’re already stars, but with the Ascending Stars Fellows program, we hope to help them in advancing their scholarship, magnifying their national recognition and extending the impact of their work.”

In addition to other supports, the and UofL’s , aimed at improving equity for female STEM faculty, will provide educational and enrichment activities geared toward advancement of diverse communities and populations.

To be considered for the program, faculty must be associate professor rank, must be nominated by their unit and must show a “consistent record of scholarship with the passion and desire to achieve greater national recognition.”

The new Ascending Star Fellowship provides mentorship, funding and other support to high-performing associate professors. The goal is to boost the national impact of the fellows’ scholarship, with a heavy focus on work in diversity, inclusion and community empowerment.

The UofL Office of Research and Innovation launched the program this year and partnered with the to select the inaugural class, which includes:

• Cheri Levinson, director of the Eating Anxiety Treatment (EAT) Laboratory within the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and founder of the Louisville Center for Eating Disorders;��
• Brandon McCormack, director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Pan-African Studies with a joint appointment in Comparative Humanities; and
• Kaila Story, Audre Lorde endowed chair in race, gender, class and sexuality studies with joint faculty appointments in Departments of Pan-African Studies and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies.��

Levinson’s work focuses on diagnosing, understanding and treating eating disorders and anxiety disorders. McCormack’s focus is on the intersections of Black religion and cultural studies, including the hip-hop generation. And lastly, Story’s work focuses on the intersections of race and sexuality, with special attention to Black feminism, Black lesbians and Black queer identity.

“These fellows are already stars — their outstanding work speaks for itself,” said M. Cynthia Logsdon, the Office of Research and Innovation’s director of research academic programs, who leads the fellowship program. “With this support, we want to help them shine even brighter, advancing their scholarship, magnifying their national recognition and extending the impact of their work.”

In addition to other supports, the and UofL’s , aimed at improving equity for female STEM faculty, will provide educational and enrichment activities geared toward advancement of diverse communities and populations. ��

To be considered for the program, faculty must be associate professor rank, must be nominated by their unit and must show a “consistent record of scholarship with the passion and desire to achieve greater national recognition.”