A former special education teacher, Maya Israel now does research that focuses on strategies for supporting students with disabilities and other academically diverse learners’ meaningful engagement in computer science education through Universal Design for Learning.

Wentong Zheng is a distinguished academic with profound expertise in legal and economic issues pertinent to businesses and regulatory agencies in the globalized economy. His scholarly pursuits cover a broad spectrum of topics, including international trade and business; antitrust and competition policy; international intellectual property; and Chinese state capitalism.

Michal Kowalewski’s research agenda centers on conservation paleobiology, an emerging field that utilizes the most recent fossil record to evaluate the health and stability of modern marine ecosystems. His contributions to the field of evolutionary paleoecology have also established Kowalewski as a leading figure in understanding the long-term dynamics of biodiversity and ecological interactions.

Klodiana Lanaj’s research concentrates on better understanding and facilitating leader effectiveness and well-being. She studies interventions, mindsets and behaviors that enable leaders to thrive at work and home. In related streams of research, she also examines leadership structures that facilitate team success as well as behaviors and mindsets that affect employee performance.

After beginning her career with an emphasis on HIV disease, Debra Lyon eventually expanded her research to include oncology and venous leg ulcers. Throughout her prolific, 25-year career, Lyon’s scholarly pursuits have consistently received funding for innovative investigations into the biological underpinnings of patients’ subjective experiences across diverse populations. That work has included studying symptoms such as fatigue, depression, cognitive dysfunction and accelerated aging.

Sara Jo Nixon is an internationally renowned clinical researcher in the field of substance use and misuse. She is director of UF’s Center for Addiction Research and Education and only the fourth UF College of Medicine faculty member to be named a distinguished professor, the highest faculty honor at UF.

The fields of ecology and biology meet in the study of humanity’s relationship with our environment – paramount to the health of both. Biology Professor Todd Palmer is considered by many to be a leading researcher in both fields. Palmer is a community ecologist who studies how people directly and indirectly impact environmental change with a focus on ecosystems in East Africa and the Bahamas. Through his research, he aims to understand how species loss or invasion impacts ecological functions, which could inform how best to restore damaged ecosystems.

Addressing global food insecurity and enhancing the livelihoods of people across the world have driven Grady Roberts throughout his education and career.

Gavin Rumbaugh has dedicated his life to understanding how brain connections and circuits assemble to enable learning and adaptation, with a focus on genes that cause or increase the risk of severe neuropsychiatric disorders. His work aims to accelerate the development of therapeutic agents that correct impaired brain excitability, improve intellectual abilities and resolve behavioral maladaptation.

Sadie Ryan joined the Department of Geography a decade ago and quickly established herself as a leader in medical geography. She earned tenure and was promoted to professor in 2024, demonstrating her excellence in the classroom and laboratory. Ryan’s work is multifaceted but revolves around disease. As an expert on disease risk, she makes extensive use of modeling to analyze vector-borne and other climate-sensitive diseases in an ever-changing world.