The Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida (ASEMFL), a nonprofit that brings together the top academics and practitioners in the state, announced its 2026 cohort of inductees. Eight of the new members are from UCF. The inductees are:
- Associate Professor Chen Chen 鈥� Associate Member
- Professor Ivan Garibay ’00MS ’04PhD 鈥� Associate Member
- Professor Jayanta Kapat 鈥� Full Member
- Professor Damla Turgut 鈥� Full Member
- Associate Professor Thomas Wahl 鈥� Associate Member
- Associate Professor Dazhong Wu 鈥� Associate Member
- Professor Xiaohu Xu 鈥� Full Member
- Associate Professor Yang Yang 鈥� Associate Member
Full members are recognized as established leaders with a sustained record of exceptional impact in their respective fields. Associate members, who are new to ASEMFL this year, are recognized for their professional accomplishments and emerging leadership.
鈥淲e are proud to welcome this exceptional group of scholars and innovators to ASEMFL, including our inaugural class of associate members,鈥� says Yogi Goswami, ASEMFL president and distinguished professor at the 海角直播 of South Florida. 鈥淭heir lifelong dedication and creativity have led to transformational advances in their fields, improving lives and strengthening our communities.鈥�
Since its establishment, ASEMFL has grown to more than 300 experts grounded in common research and educational pursuits who are committed to undertaking issues in science, engineering and medicine of particular interest to the state.
This year鈥檚 cohort is the largest in ASEMFL history. All new members will be inducted at the ASEMFL annual meeting, which takes place in November at the 海角直播 of South Florida.
Chen Chen
Associate Professor in the and the Institute of Artificial Intelligence
Citation: For pioneering contributions to multimodal and federated learning and real-time, privacy-preserving video analytics, advancing trustworthy and efficient AI systems for public safety, healthcare, and societal well-being.
Jayanta Kapat
Pegasus Professor and Director of the Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research
Citation: For innovative research and digital twin modeling and their impact on improved costs, efficiency and emissions in advanced turbines and energy systems.
Nasser Kutkut
Graduate Faculty Scholar in the
Citation: For having pioneered high-efficiency and IoT-enabled battery charging systems, cloud-based energy management, and smart telematics platforms 鈥� technologies that cut costs, reduce emissions, and modernize industrial and electric vehicle power management worldwide.
Ivan Garibay ’00MS ’04PhD
Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems and Director of the UCF Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Initiative
Citation: For pioneering work in AI for modeling complex human behavior, including the development of inverse generative social science, evolutionary model discovery, green technological innovation, and AI for social resilience against disinformation and polarization.
Damla Turgut
Pegasus Professor and Chair of Computer Science
Citation: For pioneering contributions to the application of value of information in wireless networks, and for outstanding leadership in advancing research and education at both the university and international professional society levels.
Thomas Wahl
Associate Professor in the and the Center for Integrated Coastal Research
Citation: For pioneering work on flood risk analysis, coastal compound flooding and assessment of coastal hazards at multiple scales under weather extremes.
Dazhong Wu
Associate Professor in the
Citation: For contributions to the development and implementation of machine learning-based techniques for part qualification and certification in advanced manufacturing.
Xiaohu Xia
Professor in the
Citation: For pioneering artificial enzyme research, achieving unprecedented catalytic efficiencies and developing diagnostic technologies with substantial clinical and societal impact.
鈥淒r. Xia鈥檚 research is an excellent example of how cutting-edge research in the College of Sciences leads directly into transformative applications for the betterment of humanity,鈥� says Josh Colwell, College of Sciences dean. 鈥淗is recognition by ASEMFL is particularly appropriate given the nature of his innovative work combining nanomaterials and fundamental chemistry research for healthcare applications that will directly impact people鈥檚 lives.鈥�
Yang Yang
Associate Professor in the
Citation: For being an accomplished scholar in developing energy materials using nanotechnology.
Driving Research Excellence at UCF
Together, the honorees exemplify the breadth of research excellence driving innovation across UCF’s College of Sciences and College of Engineering and Computer Science.
鈥淛ay Kapat, Damla Turgut, Chen Chen, Ivan Garibay, Thomas Wahl, Dazhong Wu, Yang Yang and all faculty in the College of Engineering and Computer Science have contributed significantly to the research and education in their disciplines and their induction to the academy is a testament [to] their meaningful accomplishments,鈥� says Michael Georgiopoulos, College of Engineering and Computer Science dean. 鈥淭he academy is expected to benefit from their expertise and their anticipated service to move its mission forward.鈥�
