MCC Daily Tribune
Chancellor King Celebrates Research Excellence with SUNY GREAT Awards for Graduate Researchers
Albany, NY – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. recognized 41 recipients of the Graduate Research Empowering and Accelerating Talent (GREAT) Awards on Tuesday. Each year, the GREAT Awards recognize graduate student researchers across the SUNY system for their outstanding contributions in their respective fields, including psychology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.
“The GREAT Award recipients are the embodiment of research and scholarship, which is a cornerstone upon which SUNY's progress and impact are built,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “SUNY researchers and students are at the forefront of cutting-edge innovation, and I am proud to celebrate their excellence and drive to serve the public good. I am proud to congratulate this year's GREAT Award winners and recognize their incredible achievements.”
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “Research is a fundamental part of public education that strengthens our communities and improves lives across the state and the globe. The research conducted at SUNY campuses throughout the state will help move New York forward and ensure we are at the forefront of emerging technologies. Congratulations to this year’s GREAT Award recipients.”
This year’s research projects focus on producing new knowledge to solve some of the most pressing human problems: SUNY GREAT awardees study risk-aware AI for decision-making, the vulnerability of older adults to financial exploitation, and seizure disorders and mental health in children. They study the mathematics of chaotic systems and of black holes, ultraviolet lithography for advanced computer chips, and environmental contaminants from sunscreen. They measure the chemistry and microbial content of clouds and the impacts of prenatal alcohol exposure. They use high speed imaging to observe the time course of chemical reactions in batteries, and satellite data to measure the impacts of pollution on asthma, among many more exciting, impactful projects.
The SUNY GREAT awards provide $7,500 to each student from the SUNY Office of Research and Economic Development. All recipients of the award have received national recognition from the National Science Foundation, Graduate Research Fellowship Program or the National Institutes of Health’s National Research Service Awards. This year's GREAT Award recipients are:
State University of New York at Albany
- Annabelle Armah, Clinical Psychology
- Sara Sky Lombardo, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
- Justin Nhan, Nanoscale Science and Engineering
- Cassidy Ochoa, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
- Hannah Theriault, Biomedical Sciences
State University of New York at Binghamton
- Kelly Gair, Clinical Psychology
- Gretl King, Earth Sciences
- Grace Pearse, Anthropology
- Peter Penta, Psychology/Behavioral Neuroscience
- Marcis Scroger, Psychology/Behavioral Neuroscience
- Sarah Winchester, Psychology/Behavioral Neuroscience
State University of New York at Buffalo
- Festus Adegbola, Geography
- Adwoa Ampiah-Bonney, Cognitive Psychology
- Margaret Azu-Narcisse, Clinical Psychology
- Caleb Buerger, Microbiology and Immunology
- Peter Fiorica, Genetics, Genomics & Bioinformatics
- Caitlin James, Cancer Sciences
- Susanna Keilig, Biological Sciences
- Ashley McDougall, Biochemistry
- Jobaer Ahmed Saju, Environmental and Water Resources Engineering
- Jordan Scalia, Chemistry
- Samantha Schwarz, Pharmacology/Neuroscience
- Laura Sherwood, Biomedical Engineering
- Jennifer Sosa, Biochemistry
- Jason H. Tong, Cancer Sciences
- Hosam Yousef, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
- Emma Coleman, Environmental Chemistry
- Megan Perra, Environmental Biology
State University of New York at Stony Brook
- Roheyatou Ceesay, Geosciences
- Noah Chavez, Physics
- Derek Fucich, Ecology and Evolution
- Julianna Gerold, Psychology/Integrative Neuroscience
- Brian Gulick, Geosciences
- Michael A. Kim, Marine Sciences
- Aniruddha Madhava, Mathematics
- Erica Nebet, Neurobiology and Behavior
- Thomas O'Neill, Applied Mathematics and Statistics
- Ana Reif, Anthropology
- David Sieg, Mathematics
- Bradyn Weaver, Chemistry
- Colista West, Neurobiology and Behavior
The GREAT Awards build on SUNY’s commitment to advance research projects and excellence throughout New York State, and to expand research opportunities for students.
In April, Chancellor King highlighted SUNY’s leadership in artificial intelligence (AI) during the SUNY AI Symposium, as part of SUNY’s commitment to achieve Governor Hochul’s goal of doubling research and innovation throughout the system. SUNY has undertaken major actions to advance research efforts throughout the system, including:
- In March, SUNY hosted the SUNY Research Expo to highlight faculty and student research excellence throughout the SUNY System.
- In February, SUNY announced the launch of the SUNY Research Connect Portal to showcase the research profiles of nearly 7,000 SUNY researchers from 26 campuses.
- In January, Governor Hochul announced that the New York Center for AI Responsibility and Research, the first-ever independent AI research center at any public university in the United States, would be established at the State University of New York at Binghamton.
- In November 2025, Governor Hochul announced an investment to construct a new biofabrication research and imaging facility on the State University of New York at Buffalo campus that will help discover new medicines and cures to save lives.
- Also in November 2025, Governor Hochul announced the major expansion of the State University of New York at Albany's RNA Institute to advance world-class research, training, and workforce development.
- In October 2025, Governor Hochul announced the launch of the SUNY Brain Institute, a multi-campus initiative focused on expanding SUNY's groundbreaking neuroscience research.
- In September 2025, Governor Hochul established the Quantum Research and Innovation Hub at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, further catapulting New York's national leadership in groundbreaking research that saves lives, grows the economy, and improves national security.
- In July 2025 SUNY launched the SUNY Research Leadership Academy to advance inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) fields.
- In April 2025, Governor Hochul announced that eight SUNY campuses would receive funding to develop departments, centers, and institutes of AI and Society to advance the use of AI for the public good and to foster collaboration across disciplines to promote inclusive AI research and advance responsible data use.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum.
Veronica Chiesi Brown
Community Relations
05/06/2026