Recognizing the 3rd Class of Charlotte’s Million Dollar Research Circle
Written by: The Division of Research
Dozens gathered for an evening of celebration at the Bissell House at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for the Leaders in Research reception–a time to honor both the recipient of Charlotte’s Distinguished Research Award (formerly the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal) and the third class of Charlotte’s Million Dollar Research Circle.
“This year’s Million Dollar Research Circle inductees come from all across the University,” shared Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber. “Each of you should be incredibly proud of what you’ve accomplished. Please know that the entire University is proud of you as well.”
Charlotte’s Million Dollar Circle honors an elite group of researchers taking on real-world problems and making tangible differences. This year’s induction recognizes 51 faculty from across campus who lead initiatives with $1 million or more in active external funding in annual year 2025, spanning critical discoveries across disciplines. While a million-dollar award is a significant marker, the amplified value lies in the interdisciplinary discovery supported, the students mentored, and the communities benefiting from the research and innovation.
Each awardee received a keepsake engraved with their name. And they weren’t alone.
“This year for the first time, we also want to recognize the co-PIs, as large and complex awards require strong teams,” shared Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, Dr. Deborah Thomas. “Congratulations to all of you!”
The 42 Million Dollar Research Circle Co-PIs received commemorative coins.
This momentum continues to strengthen UNC Charlotte’s position as a Carnegie R1 institution and honors the resilience of the entire research community during a period of uncertainty as funding for many federal research grants was reduced or eliminated.
Chancellor Gaber recognized the researchers for their patience and perseverance.
“The result has been a remarkable year of growth and some truly impressive successes across our research enterprise,” shared Chancellor Gaber.
“We honor your leadership in how you do the work, not just that you secured large awards,” added Vice Chancellor for Research, Dr. John Daniels. “How you mentor, how you teach, how you publish, the character behind all of it.”
Highlights from this year’s Million Dollar Research Circle (annual year 2025):
- ✅ 51 PIs with over $1M active awards, either as a single award or total awards
- ✅ $91.9 million (representing 37% of the $248M active award portfolio)
- ✅ Top Colleges: COED & KCOS
- ✅ Top Departments: Biological Sciences, Educational Leadership, and Bioinformatics
- ✅ Top 6 are from 5 different colleges: COED, CCI, KCOS, CHESS, COEN, and CHHS
This Year’s Charlotte’s Million Dollar Circle Award Recipients:
Cato College of Education
- Kristen Beach – Special Education & Child Development
- Mark D’Amico – Educational Leadership
- Kristin Davin – Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education
- Richard Lambert – Educational Leadership
- Debra Morris – Educational Leadership
- Michelle Stephan – Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education
- Virginia Walker – Special Education & Child Development
- Coral Wayland – Undergraduate Education
- Charles Wood – Special Education & Child Development
College of Computing & Informatics
- Xiuxia Du – Bioinformatics and Genomics
- Liyue Fan – Computer Science
- Anthony Fodor – Bioinformatics and Genomics
- Abigail LaBella – Bioinformatics and Genomics
- Heather Lipford – Software & Information Systems
- Ann Loraine – Bioinformatics and Genomics
- Rebekah Rogers – Bioinformatics and Genomics
- Min Shin – Computer Science
- Jun Wang – Bioinformatics and Genomics
College of Health and Human Services
- Robert Cramer – Epidemiology and Community Health
- Shanti Kulkarni – School of Social Work
College of Humanities and Earth & Social Sciences
- Cheryl Brown – Political Science & Public Administration
- Shelley Johnson – Criminal Justice and Criminology
- Elizabeth Stearns – Sociology
Klein College of Science
- Kirill Afonin – Chemistry
- Ishwar Aggarwal – Physics and Optical Science
- Christopher Bejger – Chemistry
- Shunji Egusa – Physics and Optical Sciences
- Jonathan Foley – Chemistry
- Kristen Funk – Biological Sciences
- Thomas Hutchens – Physics and Optical Science
- Ian Marriott – Biological Sciences
- Adam Reitzel – Biological Sciences
- Bao-Hua Song – Biological Sciences
- Andrew Truman – Biological Sciences
- Patricija van Oosten-Hawle – Biological Sciences
- Juan Vivero-Escoto – Chemistry
- Michael Walter – Chemistry
- Shan Yan – Biological Sciences
William States Lee College of Engineering
- Aidan Browne – Engineering Technology & Construction Management
- Youxing Chen – Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science
- Badrul Chowdhury – Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Robert Cox – Energy Production and Infrastructure Center
- Amirhossein Ghasemi – Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science
- Sukumar Kamalasadan – Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Edward Morse – Mechanical Engineering & Engineering Science
- Brigid Mullany – Mechanical Engineering & Engineering Science
- Hamed Tabkhivayghan – Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Brett Tempest – Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Terry Xu – Mechanical Engineering & Engineering Science
- In Hong Yang – Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science
- Qiang Zhu – Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science
For more on the Charlotte’s Distinguished Research Award, we invite you to read this Inside Charlotte story.
You can also access this full photo library from the 2026 Leaders in Research reception.
