SEAS faculty receive awards for sustained achievement

By Elizabeth Egan 

Nouh is the director of the Sounds and Vibrations Lab at UB, where he leads multiple projects in the areas of acoustics, adaptive structures, mechanical intelligence, and smart metamaterials. He has published over 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals and has received over $3 million in research funding from the National Science Foundation, the Army Research Office, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research among other organizations.  

He noted that his sustained achievement is a direct outcome of many years of hard work and perseverance by his current and former students and postdocs.

“This award is for them,” said Nouh.

Nouh is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and a 2019 recipient of the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award. He has also received the 2020 UB Young Investigator Award, the 2020 ASME Gary Anderson Early Achievement Award, the 2021 Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program Research Mentor of the Year Award, and the 2022-23 President Emeritus and Mrs. Meyerson Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching and Mentoring.

In 2015, Nouh joined UB from the University of Maryland, where he was a postdoctoral researcher after earning his PhD and master’s degree in mechanical engineering. He received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Cairo University.

Singisetti is recognized for his contributions to semiconductor research for power, radiofrequency and next generation computing applications.  

He serves as the co-director of UB’s Center for Advanced Semiconductor Technologies. Singisetti is also the principal investigator for a project that received a $2.8 million semiconductor research grant from the Department of Energy to improve power grids in the United States, aiming to prevent blackouts and make electricity delivery more efficient.

Since joining UB as an assistant professor in 2011, Singisetti’s other areas of research have included novel electronic devices of high-speed circuits, low power logic, next generation power electronics applications and more.

Singisetti earned his PhD in electrical and computer engineering from the University of California Santa Barbara, his master’s degree in interdisciplinary science and engineering from Arizona State University, and his bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. 

Xia is a leader in biophotonics and photaocousic imaging. He has used these techniques for different clinical and non-clinical contexts, such as breast cancer screening, foot ulcer monitoring, and biometric identification. He has received $9.5 million in funding for his research from the National Institutes of Health, the NSF and other funding organizations.

He has published over 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals, edited a book on biophotonics, authored multiple book chapters and serves as the associate editor for Biomedical Optics Express.

Since joining UB in 2014, Xia has mentored 11 PhD students and 13 master’s students. He earned his PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Toronto in 2010 and his bachelor’s degree in applied physics from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2004.

Nouh, Singisetti and Xia will be presented with the award at the UB Celebration of Excellence in the fall.

Zhao is recognized for his achievements in engaging students through new methods and approaches to teaching.

"Knowing that my students appreciate my efforts truly fills me with joy,” said Zhao. “I'm grateful that UB recognizes the innovation I've brought into the classroom."

One of his nominators for the award noted that Zhao utilizes hacking challenges, commonly known as capture the flag, in his software security class to provide students with a safe and controlled environment to practice their skills.

He is the recipient of a 2023 NSF CAREER Award for his work on improving internet security. He also received an NSF Research Initiation Initiative (CRII) Award in 2020 and a Distinguished Paper Award from USENIX Security in 2019. His research interests include computer security and cybercrime analysis.

Zhao received his PhD in computer science from Arizona State University, and his master’s degree in cryptography and bachelor’s degree in automation from the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. 

The Exceptional Scholar Award for Young Investigators recognizes Zou for achievements in his field that have distinguished him as an up-and-coming scholar.

Zou is the recipient of a 2024 NSF CAREER Award for his work on reinforcement learning, a type of machine learning that trains robots, self-driving cars and other intelligent agents to make sequential decisions while interacting with an environment. His other research interests include machine learning and statistical inference, and quickest chance detection and sequential analysis.

He received the 2023 Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence Distinguished Paper Award and an NSF CRII Award in 2020. Zou serves as the associate editor for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ journal, Transactions on Signal Processing, and he has co-authored two book chapters and over 50 publications for various journals and conferences.