UNM sociology professor Lisa Broidy named as a regents’ professor Dr. Lisa Broidy in July was named as one of three regents’ professors at UNM, an award for senior faculty members with outstanding accomplishments in teaching and scholarship. Broidy, a sociology professor, said she was honored to learn of the appointment. “I appreciate this recognition for the […] Read More

UNM control theorist makes strides in cyber-physical system knowledge Dr. Meeko Oishi, associate professor and regents’ lecturer, recently received an NSF Cyber-Physical Systems award.   Oishi’s research group develops theories and algorithms designed to assure safety in autonomous, cyber-physical systems.   For the award, Oishi, in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University, is working to develop […] Read More

UNM sociologist introduces idea of “street race”  Professor of Sociology Dr. Nancy López was recently promoted to full professor in the sociology department. López this year was awarded two prestigious recognitions including the 2018 William Foote Whyte Award from the American Sociological Association (ASA) as well as being elected for a three-year term as the […] Read More

UNM seismologist heads seafaring expedition off the coast of Alaska UNM Assistant Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences Dr. Lindsay Worthington was the co-chief scientist of a research expedition to gather seismic activity data off the coast of Alaska this summer.   For three weeks, Worthington and her team deployed 45 ocean-bottom seismometers that for […] Read More

Dr. Lisa Whalen promoted to principal lecturer III Dr. Lisa Whalen recently was promoted to principal lecturer III in the Department of Chemistry and Biology at UNM. In her teaching, Whalen has focused on using collaborative learning pedagogy, developing a study abroad science course for biology, chemistry, and biochemistry students, and helping to design new organic […] Read More

Long-time UNM professor wades in to water quality studies over the years Dr. Laura Crossey is no stranger to the vast world of geology and has been improving the University of New Mexico with her research and presence for 34 years. Having almost continuous funding over the duration of her career from several different institutions […] Read More

Political science prof named one of UNM’s New Teachers of the Year Dr. Jami Gayle Nelson-Nuñez has been named one of UNM’s 2017-2018 New Teachers of the Year. Nelson-Nuñez, who works in the Department of Political Science, studies the politics of providing services, like drinking water and improved sanitation, in developing contexts. Another area of […] Read More

  Economics prof awarded 2018 Women in STEM award UNM Assistant Professor of Economics Dr. Kira Villa was one of 10 women to receive a 2018 Women in STEM award. Her proposal is called “The Intergenerational Health Impact of Early Life Climate Variability and its Implication for Child Recovery from Natural Disasters: Evidence from Indonesia.” Villa’s […] Read More

UNM geologist working on two NSF studies about Earth’s internal structures  Dr. Jin Zhang, assistant professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, is currently undertaking two NSF-backed projects in which she studies Earth’s internal structure, composition, and processes in hopes of providing a more dynamic view of the Earth’s interior. To carry out her research, Zhang […] Read More

Database expert hired by UNM computer science Dr. Soraya Abad-Mota recently was hired full time hire in UNM’s Department of Computer Science. She will lead computer programming courses and systems courses, along with the an elective course on databases in Spring 2018 and the CS capstone, a software development program required for students to graduate. […] Read More

Dr. Cindy Gevarter receives 2018 Women in STEM award Dr. Cindy Gevarter, an assistant professor in the UNM Speech and Hearing Sciences Department is a recipient of a 2018 Women in STEM award at UNM.   Gevarter recently has published several articles, including studies concerning children with autism and children with ASD. Two of the […] Read More

Assistant research professor wins award for preservation project UNM Assistant Research Professor Angelyn Bass has been awarded the 2018 Arizona Governor’s Heritage Preservation Honor Award for her research on the Montezuma Castle and Casa Grande Ruins Preservation Project. This award was given to Bass, who works in UNM’s Anthropology Department, and colleagues Douglas Porter (University of […] Read More

UNM professor creating body scan database  Dr. Heather Edgar, an associate professor in the departments of Anthropology and Pathology, has been awarded a $702,000 grant from the National Institute of Justice to convert a dataset of whole body decedent CT scans into a searchable database that will be available and free to researchers online. “A […] Read More

UNM prof is digitizing paleontologic treasures Dr. Corinne Myers, an assistant professor in UNM’s Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, has been awarded a grant through NSF’s Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections Program (ADBC). The grant allows her to hire students to aid her in digitizing paleontologic collections at UNM. Myers, a paleobiologist, is studying how long […] Read More

You may have heard recently about the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin. Dr. Marie Vasek, an assistant professor in the department of Computer Science at UNM is a specialist in computer security who studies cybercrime. Besides leading StopBadware, an anti-malware organization she began working for in 2011, her work and findings have recently been […] Read More

UNM professor of community and regional planning receives 2018 Best Policy Paper Award UNM Associate Professor of Community and Regional Planning Dr. Caroline Scruggs has been awarded the 2018 Best Policy Paper Award from the Environmental & Water Resources Institute (EWRI) for her and co-author Bruce Thomson’s paper entitled “Opportunities and Challenges for Direct Potable […] Read More

Dr. Jamie Gomez leads research on innovative teaching techniques for engineering at UNM Dr. Jamie Gomez, a senior lecturer in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, is a core faculty member on two grants from the National Science Foundation. She is leading efforts in supporting diverse students in the classroom and implementing research-based teaching […] Read More

Dr. Amy Neel named a 2018 UNM Women in STEM award winner Dr. Amy Neel, an associate professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, has been named 2018 Women in STEM award winners for her research on brain injury recovery along with Dr. Jessica Richardson, an assistant professor and speech-language pathologist in the Department […] Read More

Dr. Ivana Gonzales receives a grant from Los Alamos National Laboratory Dr. Ivana Gonzales, a research associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, received two grants worth $160,000 from Los Alamos National Laboratory for her research on fuel cells. Researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory hope that the fuel cells will […] Read More

Dr. Judy Cannon awarded as a 2018 Women in STEM winner Dr. Judy Cannon, an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology with a secondary appointment in the Department of Pathology, and Dr. Melanie Moses, an Associate Professor in UNM Computer Science with a secondary appointment in the UNM Department of Biology, […] Read More

UNM professor joins researchers in discovering what caused the first recorded mass extinction Dr. Maya Elrick, of the UNM Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, has helped lead a team of researchers to discover that widespread ocean anoxia may have triggered the first recorded mass extinction, the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction, some 440 million years ago. […] Read More

Dr. Jessica Richardson named a 2018 Women in STEM winner Dr. Jessica Richardson, an assistant professor and speech-language pathologist in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences and the Center for Brain Recovery and Repair at the UNM Health Sciences Center, and Dr. Amy Neel, an associate professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing […] Read More

Dr. Melanie Moses named a 2018 Women in STEM award winner Dr. Melanie Moses, a professor in UNM Computer Science with a secondary appointment in the UNM Department of Biology, has been named 2018 Women in STEM award winner for her research on swarms along with Dr. Judy Cannon, an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular […] Read More

Dr. Elizabeth Crosson looks forward to bringing her research to UNM in fall 2018 Dr. Elizabeth Crosson, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of New Mexico, is currently conducting research on the uses and benefits of quantum computers. These quantum computers would assist in helping scientists find faster […] Read More

Dr. Marina Kogan heads research at UNM on crisis-related behavior on social media Dr. Marina Kogan, an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, is leading research on social media behavior in cases of mass disruption like natural disasters. “I’m a computer scientist, but I think about people. I use computational algorithms to analyze […] Read More

UNM Professor Utilizes GIS technology to reduce cancer disparities in New Mexico UNM Assistant Professor Yan Lin of the Geography and Environmental Studies department is contributing to the advancement of public health through her research involving Geographic Information System mapping technology (GIS).   Lin currently is leading a research project on the development of a […] Read More

Dr. Tsiropoulou awarded 2018 Women in STEM award UNM Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer engineering Dr. Eirini-Eleni Tsiropoulou was one of 10 women to receive the 2018 Women in STEM award for her proposal entitled “Redefining resource AllocaTION in Advanced wireLess systEms (RATIONALE)”.   Tsiropoulou’s proposal demonstrates how it is most beneficial for the […] Read More

Anthropology professor receives Fulbright Award to continue research in Chile’s Atacama Desert UNM Professor Dr. Frances Hayashida is a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Scholar Award for the fall of 2018. This award will allow Hayashida to teach at the Universidad de Chile and continue her anthropology field work in the Atacama Desert.   Hayashida, […] Read More

New Astronomy and Physics professor will continue cosmic microwave background research at UNM Dr. Darcy Barron will be joining UNM’s Physics and Astronomy Department as a new assistant professor starting in the fall of 2018.   Barron hails from UC Berkeley, where she has been an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics postdoctoral fellow since 2015.   […] Read More

Dr. Heather Canavan, an associate professor in both biomedical engineering and chemical and biological engineering at UNM, has been named a 2018 AVS (American Vacuum Society) fellow. She will be honored at the AVS award ceremony on October 24, 2018, at the 65th AVS International Symposium and Exhibition in California. Canavan is a recipient of […] Read More

Chemistry professor appointed to prestigious American Chemical Society board   UNM adjunct chemistry faculty member and full time CNM chemistry faculty member Clarissa Sorensen-Unruh was recently appointed as a Board Associate within the Board of Publications for American Chemical Society’s Division of Chemical Education. The BoP supports the Journal of Chemical Education, which is a […] Read More

Vanessa Svihla, an assistant professor in Organization, Information and Learning Sciences and Chemical and Biological Engineering at UNM in January 2018 was awarded a $516,000 National Science Foundation CAREER Award for her work. Her program is called the Framing and Reframing Agency in making and Engineering, or FRAME. She is analyzing design team conversations to […] Read More

Assistant Civil Engineering Professor Jose M. Cerrato recently won a CAREER award through the National Science Foundation for his work “Understanding Reactivity in American Native Impacted Uranium Mines (URANIUM): Research, Education and Outreach.”   Cerrato’s research focuses on the contamination of sediments in Native American communities from uranium mines. The grant will be used to […] Read More

Speech and hearing professor studies how bilingual adults with Parkinson’s communicate Dr. Amy Neel, an associate professor of speech and hearing sciences at UNM, is working with Dr. Alison Behrman at Lehman College/City University of New York in order to help improve listener understanding of bilingual adults with Parkinson disease. Neel’s research is the subaward […] Read More

UNM program receives funding from Federal Emergency Management Agency to photograph acequiasUNM’s Earth Data Analysis Center (EDAC) received a grant to work alongside the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security (DHSEM) and the Office of the State Engineer to develop a GIS database using existing Light Detection and Ranging […] Read More

New UNM faculty member at Nuclear Engineering DepartmentDr. Neven Y. Ali began as a new faculty member in the fall of 2017 in the Department of Nuclear Engineering.According to Ali, one of her goals at UNM is to develop new pedagogical approaches and technologies to be used in classrooms to facilitate learning. Ali is particularly […] Read More

New grant continues fish vaccination researchAssociate professor of biology Irene Salinas received a $500,000 grant from the USDA to further research vaccinations in trout aquaculture populations.Her previous research found that vaccinations help keep populations of fish disease-free. Health of the fish is a serious concern for aquaculturists. By 2020, the aquaculture industry will provide 60% […] Read More

UNM professor researches hydrogen fuel cellsAssociate professor in Biomedical Engineering Kateryna Atyushkova received a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research to study the functions of hydrogen fuel cells at both the atomic and molecular levels.The approximately $200,000 grant will form a partnership with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Advanced […] Read More

UNM professor receives funding for work that could help fight cancerLina Cui, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, has received a $543,335 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop a positron emission tomography or PET imaging probe for heparanase that could help detect aggressive cancer lesions. Heparanase is […] Read More

UNM professors collaborates with CNM on sustainable construction project Dr. Susan Bogus Halter, an associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, is the principal investigator on an NSF grant, along with Dr. Vanessa Valentin of the same department. The project, “NM Green: Advancing Sustainable Construction Technology Education” is a collaboration between faculty at the […] Read More

Polisci prof will delve into emotional side of politicsUNM political science professor Dr. Lonna Atkeson has won a $30,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study people’s emotions in the current political environment.The project, called “Emotion Regulation, Attitudes, and Activism in Extraordinary Times,” is part of a one-year grant from the NSF. It will […] Read More

UNM professor studies the central regions of our Milky Way Associate Professor Ylva Pihlström from the Department of Physics and Astronomy has an active NSF grant of $306,230.00 until August of 2018. Dr. Pihlström’s research looks at the dynamics of the bulge and bar structure found in central regions of the Milky Way. According to […] Read More

Political science professor mentors people and sends students to GermanyDr. Kathy Powers received an NSF grant in 2015 with Dr. Christian Davenport from the University of Michigan to support African-American students and faculty on the path to Ph.Ds and tenure positions in political science. Powers is the first tenured African-American woman in the United States […] Read More

Dr. Lindsay Lowe Worthington recently received a $154,689 grant from the National Science Foundation to study the Earth’s structure. Her work aims to understand deformation of the Earth’s crust, glacial history of high latitude continental margins, and faulting and seismic hazards.Worthington, of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, works to understand the interplay of tectonics […] Read More

Professors help underrepresented students prepare for graduate schoolTwo UNM professors, Dr. Cristina Takacs-Vesbach and Dr. Heather Canavan, are spearheading UNM’s Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC), a program designed to help underrepresented groups pursue biomedical research opportunities and higher education through training and support. Takacs-Vesbach is from the Biology department, while Canavan is from the […] Read More

UNM EPS prof studies Tibetan geothermal springsProfessor of Earth and Planetary Sciences Laura Crossey is working with three collaborators to understand the deep structure of the world’s most dramatic tectonic collision. Now beginning its second year, her research is funded through 2019 by the Structure and Tectonics Program of National Science Foundation. The collaborators are […] Read More

UNM research professor won Best Diversity Paper award for 2016 Dr. Vanessa Svihla is an assistant professor in the Chemical and Biological Engineering department at UNM. Along with colleagues Abhaya Datye, Jamie Gomez, Victor Law, and Sophia Bowers, Dr. Svihla submitted the paper “Mapping Assets of Diverse Groups for Chemical Engineering Design Problem Framing Ability” […] Read More

UNM professor receives NSF grant to study experiences of expatriate Indian engineers School of Public Administration professor Dr. Roli Varma received on March 8 of 2017, $140,186.00 as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for her research project “Keeping U.S. High-Tech Sector Diverse: Avoiding Reverse Brain Drain from the United States to India.” […] Read More

UNM professor studies impact of river management on wildlifeAssistant Biology Research Professor Rebecca Bixby is continuing to study the consequences river management has on wildlife in the Middle Rio Grande with collaborators Angela Gregory, Dr. Mark Stone and Dr. Ayesha Burdett.Now in its second year, her research is funded through 2020 by a $333,626 grant […] Read More

UNM promotes professor who studies robotics and antibodiesDr. Lydia Tapia was recently promoted to assistant professor in the computer science department at UNM.Tapia’s research has two main focuses. The first is the development of autonomous robots. Autonomous robots are capable of accounting for different uncertainties when completing a task.“We have developed several novel methods to […] Read More

Dr. Elizabeth Yakes Jimenez started in July as the the Director of the Dietetics Practice-Based Research Network for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Dr. Yakes Jimenez has been a research associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine and the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Preventive Medicine […] Read More

Physics professor helps organize national conferenceDr. Sally Seidel is organizing a national conference called “New Technologies for Discovery: the Third Workshop of the Coordinating Panel for Advanced Detectors” to be held at UNM from October 12-14. The conference will focus on instrumentation used in particle physics experiments. Seidel received a $5,000 grant from the National […] Read More

UNM professor receives funding for long-term research on role of heparanase in various biological systems Assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and member of the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dr Lina Cui, is the recipient of a $1.89M grant, known as the Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators (R35) from […] Read More

UNM professor receives grant from National Park Service Visiting Associate Professor Diana Northup received a new award from the National Park Service of $10,953.04 for her project “Assessing Western Bat Hibernacula for the Presence of Pseudogymnoascus,” until the end of the year of 2017. Dr. Northup works with colleagues from the Subsurface Life In Mineral […] Read More

Advance at UNM recently received the National Science Foundation grant funding for years three through five of our program. This means we are now fully funded and will be able to continue our work recruiting and retaining women and minorities in the STEM fields at UNM! We have a busy schedule lined up for the […] Read More

UNM professor receives grant to continue as director for UNM lab Associate Professor Melissa Binder received a continuation award for $59,273 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) until the end of August of 2017, for the New Mexico Evaluation Lab @ UNM. “Many non-profit organizations want to know if their programs are working, but they […] Read More

UNM promotes professor who studies drug and alcohol use Dr. Katie Witkiewitz was recently promoted to professor in the psychology department. Her research revolves around alcohol and drug use, particularly using quantitative data to comprehend the variation in alcohol and drug use behavior. It has been funded by grants from the National Institute on Alcohol […] Read More

UNM promotes professor who studies crime and genderDr. Lisa Broidy was recently promoted to professor in the Department of Sociology.Her research investigates the connection between crime and gender. Her work centers on how social and structural customs constrain women’s opportunities and incentives for committing serious crimes. She looks at gendered procedures for criminal justice policy […] Read More

New UNM professor researches different contributors to segregated citiesDr. Elizabeth Korver-Glenn recently joined UNM as an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology.“I decided to come to UNM because I wanted to be part of an institution that emphasizes high-quality research alongside excellence in teaching and community engagement,” Korver-Glenn said.Her award-winning research focuses on the […] Read More

New UNM professor studies the optimization of network resources Dr. Eirini Tsiropoulou joined UNM this year as an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She recently won the N²Women: Rising Stars in Networking and Communications award as well as a Susan Frazier Postdoctoral Research Travel Award. Her research centers around how […] Read More

Algebra conference took place at UNM with help of professor UNM professor Janet Vassilev helped run the Southwest Local Algebra Meeting, which took place March 4-5 at UNM. The National Science Foundation provided a grant to help fund the conference. “These conferences are aimed at giving graduate students in the Southwest an opportunity to learn about new research […] Read More

Healthy bat populations are being studied to prevent deadly diseaseBiology research scientist Jennifer Jane Marshall Hathaway is studying the microbiome in bats in New Mexico to help understand healthy bat populations.Funded by the New Mexico Fish and Game department, the project could potentially assist in the prevention of the spread of white-nose syndrome, a fungal […] Read More

Study gives children with speech impairments iPads to help them communicate UNM professor Cathy Binger is working on a project that helps young children with severe speech impairments communicate by using an iPad to form sentences. In conjunction with Dr. Jennifer Kent-Walsh, this five-year project is funded by the National Institutes of Health. “The results are expected to […] Read More

Genetic diversity of Rio Grande silvery minnow studied by UNM professor UNM Research Professor Megan Osborne is working on the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Genetics Assessment and Monitoring project, which monitors the effects conservation actions, like captive breeding, have on genetic diversity in the Rio Grande Silvery silvery minnow. Osborne has been working with Thomas Turner […] Read More

Biology professor measures atmospheric changes in New MexicoUNM Biology Professor Marcy Litvak is participating in a project using eddy covariance towers to determine the fluctuations in energy, water and carbon between the environment and the atmosphere. Eddy covariance towers are stations that measure certain atmospheric conditions, and can be used for a variety of purposes.Funded […] Read More

Professor seeks connection between temperature and mosquito-borne virus transmission UNM Biology and Mathematics Professor Helen Wearing is conducting research pertaining to the effects temperature has on the spread of two mosquito-borne viruses that affect humans – Zika and Chikungunya.The grant, in conjunction with Dr. Rebecca Christofferson from Louisiana State University, is for $116,394 and awarded by […] Read More

Research should show effects of tree mortality on drier ecosystemsUNM Biology Professor Marcy Litvak is researching tree mortality and the effect it has on other living trees in semi-arid ecosystems. Litvak is working on an extended grant. The original award was for $1,046,194 from the Department of Energy. A new National Science Foundation award was […] Read More

Pottery research should reveal the unity of the Gallina peopleUNM doctoral student Jacqueline Kocer is studying pottery from the Gallina, a group of people native to New Mexico for her dissertation research. Kocer is working on a two-year NSF grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant is estimated to be for $29,742, starting May […] Read More

Fish research could help understand history of immune systemUNM Biology Professor Irene Salinas is conducting research into the presence of defense structures in the body of lungfish that could be the evolutionary forerunners of human tonsils and adenoids.Salinas is working on a three-year NSF grant from the National Science Foundation. Now in year two, the […] Read More

 Professor will gauge Old World animals’ impact on New MexicoUNM Anthropology Professor Emily Jones is conducting research about the impact domesticated animals from the Eastern Hemisphere had on New Mexico.Dr. Jones is working on a two-year NSF grant from the National Science Foundation. Granted on June 6, the award is estimated to be for $69,284.“The […] Read More