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MCC Daily Tribune

Chancellor's Horizon Award for Faculty Research and Scholarship

Award Honors Early Career Faculty Whose Scholarly or Creative Activities Have Achieved Significant Recognition and Hold Strong Promise for Field-Defining Impact

Albany, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced the second class of faculty member awardees of the Chancellor’s Horizon Award for Faculty Research and Scholarship. The award honors early-career faculty research and scholarly achievements across SUNY’s colleges and universities.

“Throughout the SUNY system, our faculty are conducting extraordinary research and scholarship that is having a remarkable impact across all fields of study,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “Our Horizon awardees have positioned themselves as leaders in their disciplines early in their careers, while also demonstrating the depth of SUNY’s excellence and expertise. I applaud this year’s awardees for their hard work and look forward to seeing how they continue to lead innovation and scholarship in their fields.”

The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “Across our campuses, SUNY’s faculty are at the forefront of exceptional research and scholarship that is spurring innovation, improving lives, and deepening knowledge. We congratulate the recipients of this year’s Horizon Awards for their leadership in their fields and thank Governor Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature for their steadfast support and continued investment in research at SUNY.”

The Chancellor’s Horizon Award for Faculty Research and Scholarship honors early career tenured and tenure-track faculty whose scholarly or creative activities have achieved significant recognition, and, crucially, hold strong promise for field-defining impact in the future. This year’s awardees have conducted research on topics including glass science, archeological textiles, and disability studies. The 10 awardees are:

  • Dr. Elizabeth Bowen, Assistant Professor, Bioethics and Humanities, SUNY Upstate Medical University
  • Dr. Phyllis Chen, Assistant Professor, Music, SUNY New Paltz
  • Dr. Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, Assistant Professor, Program in Public Health, State University of New York at Stony Brook
  • Dr. Hilary Davidson, Associate Professor and Chair, Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice, Fashion Institute of Technology
  • Dr. Xiaoping Fan, Assistant Professor, Physical Education Department, SUNY Cortland
  • Dr. Elizabeth Garner-Masarik, Assistant Professor, History, SUNY Brockport
  • Dr. Thomas D. Grant, Assistant Professor, Structural Biology, State University of New York at Buffalo
  • Dr. Roger Figueroa, Assistant Professor, Division of Nutritional Sciences, New York State College of Human Ecology at Cornell University
  • Professor Claire Luchette, Assistant Professor, Department of English, State University of New York at Binghamton
  • Dr. Collin Wilkinson, Assistant Professor, Glass Engineering Science, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University

Candidates’ nomination portfolios were reviewed by Distinguished Academy faculty who made recommendations to the SUNY Provost. Up to 10 awards are conferred each year.

The Chancellor’s Horizon Award for Faculty Research and Scholarship builds on SUNY’s commitment to highlighting the excellent research taking place in all disciplines across SUNY campuses, and to achieving Governor Hochul’s goal of doubling research and innovation throughout the SUNY 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.

 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
05/01/2026