Notre Dame faculty in the College of Engineering received some of the nation’s most prominent early-career awards in 2022-23.
Three won National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER awards, which recognize young faculty for their potential as innovators, both in research and education.
- Adam Czajka, assistant professor in computer science and engineering, researches human biometrics and security, especially iris recognition and methods of detecting unknown presentation attacks, known as spoof attacks. His CAREER project aims to improve biometric security by enhancing computer algorithms with human perceptual intelligence.
- Jonathan MacArt, assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering, creates mathematical and software frameworks to help develop high-efficiency, low-emission engines. His CAREER project will enable a cleaner energy future by making more accurate simulations of combustion’s chaotic thermal and chemical conditions.
- Casey O’Brien, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, studies the science of catalytic interfaces and their applications for chemical transformations and chemical separations. His CAREER project aims to engineer a catalytic membrane that converts CO2 into “greener” compounds without requiring high temperatures, pressure or storage.
Two others won National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Office of Naval Research awards, which also support promising early-stage researchers.
- Maria Holland, assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering, received the Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the NIH. Holland studies the role of mechanical forces in living tissues. She will use her award to develop novel computational models of inflammation and swelling that account for mechanical interactions between the swelling tissue and surrounding tissues.
- Jian-xun Wang, assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering, received a Young Investigator Research Program (YIP) award from the Office of Naval Research. Wang will use his award to create AI-assisted computational tools to generate faster and reliable predictive simulation.
— Karla Cruise, Notre Dame College of Engineering