Thomas Bryer empowers neighborhoods. Debopam Chakrabarti battles malaria. And Damla Turgut promotes smart technology that improves lives.
UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 2024 Pegasus Professors represent different disciplines and colleges. But they are more alike than not. All are global influences in their fields and deeply passionate about advancing student success, making valuable discoveries and elevating their university 麻豆精品 S檚 reputation for excellence and impact.
Each will also receive $5,000 in earning UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 most prestigious faculty honor.
The campus community is invited to celebrate them and other exceptional faculty for their remarkable teaching, research and service at Wednesday 麻豆精品 S檚 Founders 麻豆精品 S� Day Faculty Honors Celebration from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union.
Meet the 2024 Pegasus Professors.
Thomas Bryer
College of Community Innovation and Education, School of Public Administration
Fun fact: He enjoys acting in community theater. His first role was Bobby Brady in a theatrical adaptation of The Brady Bunch.
Thomas Bryer champions civic engagement and partnership as an antidote for political dysfunction and discord.
Bryer 麻豆精品 S檚 timely research on teaching and conveying democratic principles and how communities, government, business and organizations can collaborate for better results has made him a global authority on civic engagement. He says his best insights come from rolling up his shirt sleeves and delving into communities, gleaning from their realities and challenges what residents and local organizations can do together to brighten the future.
麻豆精品 S淏roadly speaking, my work focuses on institutional design to create more civically healthy communities, 麻豆精品 S� says Bryer, who arrived at UCF in 2007, fresh from earning his doctorate at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. 麻豆精品 S淗ow do we help develop active, ethical citizens? How do we restructure institutions 麻豆精品 S� including governments, nonprofit organizations and universities 麻豆精品 S� to adapt to the changing environments around us and to better empower folks in a democracy? That 麻豆精品 S檚 what I try to do. 麻豆精品 S�
His prolific work is resonating. His 10 books address democracy 麻豆精品 S檚 great challenges, including teaching the next generation about democratic ideals and overcoming civic apathy and paralysis to improve neighborhoods and communities. His latest book, Integrating Community Engagement in Public Affairs Education: Solutions for Professors Working in Divisive Environments, was just released, and a future book is under contract. Publishing, however, is one aspect of Bryer 麻豆精品 S檚 impact at UCF.
For instance, in league with Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania, he developed a first-of-its-kind international undergraduate dual-degree program in public administration and nonprofit management. It offers civic insights not found elsewhere to students here and abroad. His work helped earn him the Global Lithuanian Leader Award for Scientific Contribution.
At the UCF Downtown campus, where he is based, Bryer serves as director of community-engaged scholarship. He focuses on ways students, faculty, staff and surrounding community stakeholders can engage for positive results. He says UCF Downtown is becoming what he expected when it opened in 2019, 麻豆精品 S渨hich is a campus to empower not only faculty, staff and students but also the neighbors, the neighborhoods and the residents of the Orlando area. 麻豆精品 S�
What Bryer enjoys most about UCF is interacting with students. He 麻豆精品 S檚 supervised 14 Ph.D. students, with three more to help hood on stage during May commencement.
麻豆精品 S淎s a young university, we have an entrepreneurial spirit, which is critical for the success of the work I do and the kinds of big-vision ideas I try to put forward. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Thomas Bryer, Pegasus Professor
麻豆精品 S淏eing able to mentor students is the most special thing for me, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淭heir passion is infectious. 麻豆精品 S�
Bryer 麻豆精品 S檚 next research adventure, funded by the National Park Service, starts in May. Bryer, his wife, Andrea, and 4-year-old son, Edward, will spend more than a year in a 20-foot travel camper at selected national parks as Bryer chronicles the contributions and impact of park volunteers. He 麻豆精品 S檚 writing a blog about a journey expected to yield three books, including one that might be offered at park service gift shops and a children 麻豆精品 S檚 book he 麻豆精品 S檒l co-author with his son.
At a university that surpasses boundaries, Bryer is on the leading edge in his field 麻豆精品 S� just as he had hoped to be when UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 opportunities, innovation and potential attracted him years ago.
麻豆精品 S淎s a young university, we have an entrepreneurial spirit, which is critical for the success of the work I do and the kinds of big-vision ideas I try to put forward, 麻豆精品 S� Bryer says.
Debopam Chakrabarti
College of Medicine, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, head of the Division of Molecular Microbiology
Fun fact: Close friends know him as a 麻豆精品 S渇oodie 麻豆精品 S� who grows gorgeous English roses.
UCF infectious disease specialist Debopam Chakrabarti fights malaria, the world 麻豆精品 S檚 deadliest mosquito-borne illness. And he 麻豆精品 S檚 landing significant punches.
Chakrabarti is a pioneering leader in his field who pursues novel approaches with other expert researchers for conquering a disease that in 2022 inflicted nearly 250 million people and killed 600,000 around the globe, hitting sub-Saharan Africa especially hard. The researchers’ efforts include enlisting cancer drugs, repurposing other approved medicines and identifying promising natural product-derived antimalarials from sources such as fungi, bacteria and coral and sponges from the ocean.
It 麻豆精品 S檚 painstaking work in a race to save lives. Current drugs are losing traction in preventing and curing malaria cases. The disease is getting tougher to treat as parasites become more resistant. Led by Chakrabarti, UCF is at the forefront of finding and accelerating fresh alternatives.
“My anti-malaria drug discovery program started at UCF,” said Chakrabarti, who joined UCF in 1995. “It’s a UCF-grown program that is finding the cure for malaria.”
His early research on malaria produced a major breakthrough by initiating gene fragment sequencing used to better understand and target parasites. Chakrabarti was also among the first to explore repurposing cancer drugs for malaria therapy. Now, a 5-year, $3.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health partners UCF researchers with scientists at Stanford University and the University of California San Diego to test cancer drugs for malaria-thwarting properties. Their study was published recently in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.
Through a second $3.8 million NIH grant, Chakrabarti 麻豆精品 S檚 team partners with a University of Oklahoma chemist to examine how fungus-derived compounds kill the malaria parasite, with insights detailed last month in Cell Chemical Biology.
Chakrabarti 麻豆精品 S檚 prominence in malaria research developed after he left the University of Florida as the scientific director of molecular biology services for a new research opportunity at a smaller school of 25,000 students near Orlando. He wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 sold initially on leaving Gainesville.
UCF was known for optics, lasers and engineering, yet the university had done little research in the biomedical sciences and lacked a doctoral program in the discipline.
麻豆精品 S淥nce I got the offer, I had to think about whether it would be a wise decision to join when there was nothing there almost, 麻豆精品 S� he says.
But Chakrabarti saw a bold future for UCF and Orlando, already a fast-growing major metropolitan area with potential for attracting a medical school and more health-related research. His vision proved to be spot on over time, and Chakrabarti has thrived as an impactful force for progress.
麻豆精品 S淯CF is a young institution. Its growth is creating new opportunities and directions, and that 麻豆精品 S檚 very gratifying. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Debopam Chakrabarti, Pegasus Professor
He was deeply involved in the expansion of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 biomedical research programs, which eventually led to the development of the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences. Chakrabarti was part of the team that created a doctoral program in biomedical sciences and a bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 degree program in biotechnology. He also fashioned a biotechnology laboratory course that gained international attention.
In the mid-1990s, Chakrabarti was among UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 first faculty members to attain a NIH grant, starting a funding streak with the federal agency that continues. His work has resulted in four patents for innovative antimalarial programs and four more applications are pending.
He also takes pride in training the next generation of scientists, preparing UCF students for successful careers and fostering interest among high school students in biomedical studies. A professed around-the-clock scientist, Chakrabarti has no plans to wind down.
麻豆精品 S淯CF is a young institution. Its growth is creating new opportunities and directions, and that 麻豆精品 S檚 very gratifying, 麻豆精品 S� he says.
Damla Turgut
College of Engineering and Computer Science, chair of the Department of Computer Science
Fun fact: She likes swimming: 麻豆精品 S淚 don 麻豆精品 S檛 get to swim a lot, but every year I promise myself I should swim more, 麻豆精品 S� she says.
Damla Turgut 麻豆精品 S檚 packed days at UCF leave little room for the pool. But she 麻豆精品 S檚 OK with it. She’s jazzed by her work, the growth of her students and faculty colleagues 麻豆精品 S� and future possibilities.
麻豆精品 S淲hen people say 麻豆精品 S榊our work is your life, 麻豆精品 S� I think I 麻豆精品 S檓 probably a good example of that. I don 麻豆精品 S檛 think I really associate with 8 to 5 or 8 to 8. There 麻豆精品 S檚 no timeline for me, 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� says Turgut, who is known to answer emails late at night and before sunrise. 麻豆精品 S淭here 麻豆精品 S檚 never a dull moment in computer science. 麻豆精品 S�
Turgut joined UCF in 2002 when it had half of today 麻豆精品 S檚 69,000 enrollment. Having just earned her doctoral degree in computer science and engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, she faced an intriguing career decision: Start at a prominent university with grand old buildings and set ways or take a chance on a promising young school with an entrepreneurial spirit.
麻豆精品 S淚 think the reason I ended up at UCF is because it was an institution that was trying to become something more. It had all this ambition and ideas, and they were inviting me to be part of it, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淯CF is never satisfied with the status quo. We 麻豆精品 S檙e always looking for ways to improve ourselves. 麻豆精品 S�
As UCF developed into a remarkable success story, so did Turgut.
She became an internationally known researcher in emerging technologies such as wireless communication networks, mobile computing and sensor networks. She 麻豆精品 S檚 had visiting researcher roles at the University of Rome, the Imperial College London and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, and she engages with other top thought leaders in her field through professional service roles. For instance, she 麻豆精品 S檚 the editor-in-chief of Computer Communications, an international journal for the computer and telecommunications industry.
麻豆精品 S淚 think the reason I ended up at UCF is because it was an institution that was trying to become something more. It had all this ambition and ideas, and they were inviting me to be part of it. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Damla Turgut, Pegasus Professor
In 2022, Turgut became chair of her college 麻豆精品 S檚 largest division, the Department of Computer Science. She enjoys promoting faculty growth and helping shape programs to advance student success and meet industry needs. She 麻豆精品 S檚 especially passionate about teaching and mentoring students.
麻豆精品 S淚 think the best thing about being a faculty member is to just see your students grow, 麻豆精品 S� Turgut says. 麻豆精品 S淚 try to encourage those students who did not have the same opportunity as me or the same encouragement that I had growing up. 麻豆精品 S�
Turgut grew up in Istanbul, Turkey. Her father was an architect, and her mother and aunt were teachers and her role models. Turgut wanted to teach as they did, and she still tears up when she speaks of being hooded as a doctoral graduate.
Now she’s a role model. Eight of every 10 computer science students tend to be male, and Turgut recalls being far outnumbered in college where computer science hooked her right away. She never felt out of place, however.
麻豆精品 S淧rofessors were so nice and never made us feel like 麻豆精品 S榶ou are not a man, and we don 麻豆精品 S檛 expect the same, 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Turgut says. 麻豆精品 S淚 don 麻豆精品 S檛 want people to treat me differently because I 麻豆精品 S檓 a woman. I want to be here because of my merit. I 麻豆精品 S檓 here because I can do this. 麻豆精品 S�
Turgut sees an exciting future for the college’s teaching and research in areas such as computer vision, artificial intelligence and digital twin technology. She 麻豆精品 S檚 proud of the journey she shares with UCF and its ascent as Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 premier school for engineering and technology.
Gone are the days when she meets conference goers who haven 麻豆精品 S檛 heard of her university.
“Now they say ‘Oh, we heard you guys are doing this 麻豆精品 S� or they will know about a program, 麻豆精品 S� Turgut says. 麻豆精品 S淵ou feel like you contributed to that growth, and that 麻豆精品 S檚 a really good feeling. 麻豆精品 S�
