8 UCF Faculty Members to Be Inducted in Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida
UCF faculty were recognized for their advancements and impact in artificial intelligence, medical diagnostic technology, computer science, energy and manufacturing, and coastal resiliency.
The Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida (ASEMFL), a nonprofit that brings together the top academics and practitioners in the state, announced its 2026 cohort of inductees. Eight of the new members are from UCF. The inductees are:Associate Professor Chen Chen – Associate MemberProfessorIvan Garibay ’00MS ’04PhD– Associate MemberProfessor Jayanta Kapat – Full MemberProfessor Damla Turgut – Full MemberAssociate Professor Thomas Wahl – Associate MemberAssociate Professor Dazhong Wu – Associate MemberProfessor Xiaohu Xu – Full MemberAssociate Professor Yang Yang – Associate MemberFull members are recognized as established leaders with a sustained record of exceptional impact in their respective fields. Associate members, who are new to ASEMFL this year, are recognized for their professional accomplishments and emerging leadership. “We are proud to welcome this exceptional group of scholars and innovators to ASEMFL, including our inaugural class of associate members,” says Yogi Goswami, ASEMFL president and distinguished professor at the University of South Florida. “Their lifelong dedication and creativity have led to transformational advances in their fields, improving lives and strengthening our communities. ”Since its establishment, ASEMFL has grown to more than 300 experts grounded in commonresearchand educational pursuits who are committed to undertaking issues in science,engineeringand medicine of particular interest to the state. This year’s cohort is the largest in ASEMFL history. All new members will be inducted at the ASEMFL annual meeting, which takes place in November at the University of South Florida. Chen ChenAssociate Professor in theDepartment of Computer Scienceand theInstitute of Artificial IntelligenceCitation: For pioneering contributions to multimodal and federated learning and real-time, privacy-preserving video analytics, advancing trustworthy and efficient AI systems for public safety, healthcare, and societal well-being. (Photo by Kadeem Stewart ’17)Jayanta KapatPegasus Professor and Director of the Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy ResearchCitation: For innovative research and digital twin modeling and their impact on improved costs, efficiency and emissions in advanced turbines and energy systems. Nasser KutkutGraduate Faculty Scholar in theDepartment of Electrical and Computer EngineeringCitation: For having pioneered high-efficiency and IoT-enabled battery charging systems, cloud-based energy management, and smart telematics platforms — technologies that cut costs, reduce emissions, and modernize industrial and electric vehicle power management worldwide. (Photo by Carly McCarthy)Ivan Garibay ’00MS ’04PhDProfessor of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems and Director of the UCFArtificial Intelligenceand Big Data InitiativeCitation: For pioneering work in AI for modeling complex human behavior, including the development of inverse generative social science, evolutionary model discovery, green technological innovation, and AI for social resilience against disinformation and polarization. (Photo by Kadeem Stewart ’17)Damla TurgutPegasus Professor and Chair of Computer ScienceCitation: For pioneering contributions to the application of value of information in wireless networks, and for outstanding leadership in advancing research and education at both the university and international professional society levels. (Photo by Nick Leyva ’15)Thomas WahlAssociate Professor in theDepartment of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineeringand the Center for Integrated Coastal ResearchCitation: For pioneering work on flood risk analysis, coastal compound flooding and assessment of coastal hazards at multiple scales under weather extremes. (Photo by Antoine Hart)Dazhong WuAssociate Professor in theDepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringCitation: For contributions to the development and implementation of machine learning-based techniques for part qualification and certification in advanced manufacturing. (Photo by Antoine Hart)Xiaohu XiaProfessor in theDepartment of ChemistryCitation: For pioneering artificial enzyme research, achieving unprecedented catalytic efficiencies and developing diagnostic technologies with substantial clinical and societal impact. “Dr. Xia’s research is an excellent example of how cutting-edge research in theCollege of Sciencesleads directly into transformative applications for the betterment of humanity,” says Josh Colwell, College of Sciences dean. “His recognition by ASEMFL is particularly appropriate given the nature of his innovative work combining nanomaterials and fundamental chemistry research forhealthcare applicationsthat will directly impact people’s lives. ”(Photo by Antoine Hart)Yang YangAssociate Professor in theDepartment of Materials Science and EngineeringCitation: For being an accomplished scholar in developing energy materials using nanotechnology. Driving Research Excellence at UCFTogether, the honorees exemplify the breadth of research excellence driving innovation across UCF’s College of Sciences and College of Engineering and Computer Science. “Jay Kapat, Damla Turgut, Chen Chen, Ivan Garibay, Thomas Wahl, Dazhong Wu, Yang Yang and allfacultyin theCollege of Engineering and Computer Sciencehave contributed significantly to the research and education in their disciplines and their induction to the academy is a testament [to] their meaningful accomplishments,” says Michael Georgiopoulos, College of Engineering and Computer Science dean. “The academy is expected to benefit from their expertise and their anticipated service to move its mission forward. ”