Past winners Celebration of Research faculty award winners
Read about annual faculty awards and find a list of prior winners.
Outstanding Research Scientist Awards
Outstanding Research Scientist Awards
These awards are given to researchers at the Associate Professor rank or above whose discoveries have accelerated understanding of fundamental principles of biology and medicine in the Basic or Translational Sciences, significantly impacted the fields of artificial intelligence/data science, or substantively advanced patient care through Clinical, Artificial Intelligence or Data Sciences.
Clinical, Data Science, or Artificial Intelligence Winners
2026 OUTSTANDING RESEARCH SCIENTIST IN CLINICAL SCIENCE
Philip Efron, M.D.
Professor and Chief, Department of Surgery
2026 Outstanding Research Scientist in Data Science or Artificial Intelligence
Todd Manini, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Health Outcomes & Biomedical Informatics
2025 OUTSTANDING RESEARCH SCIENTIST AWARD IN CLINICAL, DATA SCIENCE, OR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WINNER
Kenneth Cusi, M.D.
Professor, Department of Medicine
2024 OUTSTANDING RESEARCH SCIENTIST AWARD IN CLINICAL, DATA SCIENCE, OR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WINNER
Brian Hoh, M.D., M.B.A.
Chair and James and Brigitte Marino Family Professor, Lillian S. Wells Department Of Neurosurgery
2023 Outstanding Research Scientist Award in Clinical, Data or Artificial Intelligence Sciences Winner
Michael Haller, M.D.
Professor and Chief, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics
2022 Clinical Science Research Award Winner
Duane Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D.
Phyllis Kottler Friedman Professor; UF Assistant Vice President for Research; Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Sciences; Director of the UF Clinical Translational Science Institute; Co-Director of the Preston S. Wells, Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, Lillian S. Wells Department Of Neurosurgery
Basic or Translational Sciences Winners
2026 Outstanding Research Scientist in Basic Science
Lee Sweeney, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics
2025 OUTSTANDING RESEARCH SCIENTIST AWARD IN BASIC OR TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCES WINNER
Robert McKenna, Ph.D.
Professor and Director of the Center for Structural Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
2024 OUTSTANDING RESEARCH SCIENTIST AWARD IN BASIC OR TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCES WINNER
Zhijian Qian, Ph.D.
Pierre Chagnon Professor of Cancer Research, Department of Medicine
2023 recipient of the Outstanding Research Scientist Award in Basic or Translational Sciences Winner
Todd M. Brusko, Ph.D.
Professor and Assistant Dean of Basic Research, Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine
2022 Basic Science Research Award wINNEr
Karyn Esser, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Physiology and Aging
See Winners From Before 2022
Rising Star Researcher Awards
Rising Star Researcher Awards
Given to researchers at the assistant professor level, these awards recognize exceptional research achievements in the Basic or Translational Sciences and Clinical, Artificial Intelligence or Data Sciences.
Clinical, Data Science, or Artificial Intelligence Winners
Basic or Translational Sciences Winners
2026 Rising Star Researcher in Data Science or Artificial Intelligence
Qianqian Song, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Health Outcomes & Biomedical Informatics
2026 Rising Star Researcher in Clinical Science
John Ligon, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics
2026 Rising Star Researcher in Basic Science
Nancy Padilla-Coreano, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience
2025 RISING STAR RESEARCHER AWARD IN BASIC OR TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCES WINNER
Mark Moehle, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics
2025 RISING STAR RESEARCHER AWARD IN CLINICAL, DATA SCIENCE, OR ARTIFICiAL INTELLIGENCE WINNER
Laura Jacobsen, M.D.
Assistant Professor and Pediatric Endocrinologist, Department of Pediatrics
2024 RISING STAR RESEARCHER AWARD IN CLINICAL, DATA SCIENCE, OR ARTIFICiAL INTELLIGENCE WINNER
Tyler Loftus, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery
2024 RISING STAR RESEARCHER AWARD IN BASIC OR TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCES WINNER
Erica Dale, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Aging
2023 Rising Star Researcher Award in Basic or Translational Sciences Winner
Olga Guryanova, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics
2023 Rising Star Research Award in Clinical, Data, or Artificial Intelligence Sciences Winner
Coralie de Hemptinne, M.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology
Dr. Mavis Agbandje-McKenna Distinguished Research Mentoring Award
Dr. Mavis Agbandje-McKenna Distinguished Research Mentoring Award
This award recognizes a faculty member at least 10 years into their career for providing outstanding research mentoring to students, trainees, research associates and/or faculty.
2026 Dr. Mavis Agbandje-McKenna Distinguished Research Mentoring Award Winner
Maurice Swanson, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology
2025 Dr. Mavis Agbandje-McKenna Distinguished Research Mentoring Award Winner
Nikolaus Gravenstein, M.D.
Jerome H. Modell, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology and Professor of Neurosurgery and Periodontology, Colleges of Medicine and Dentistry
2024 Dr. Mavis Agbandje-McKenna Distinguished Research Mentoring Award Winner
Linda Bloom, Ph.D.
Professor & Associate Chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
2023 Dr. Mavis Agbandje-McKenna Distinguished Research Mentoring Award Winner
Barry Setlow, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Psychiatry
2022 Dr. Mavis Agbandje-McKenna Distinguished Research Mentoring Award Winner
Sara Burke, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience
Research Innovator and Pioneer Award
Research Innovator and Pioneer Award
This award recognizes a faculty member whose work exemplifies creativity, originality, and transformative impact.
2026 Research Innovator and Pioneer
Ramon Sun, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
