Department of Physiology and Biophysics

Jian Feng, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. He is a world leader in the biochemical and molecular biology of Parkinson’s disease. His research focuses on developing stem cell technologies to find a cause and a cure for Parkinson’s disease. Specifically, he studies how mutations of the parkin gene cause the disease. Feng is widely known for developing the use of human induced pluripotent stem cells to study the role that parkin plays in Parkinson’s disease. Feng has published 89 articles—many appearing in high impact journals—and two book chapters, which have garnered more than 23,700 citations and an h-index of 57. His outstanding research has led to two patents and numerous inventions.

Department of Computer Science and Engineering

Siwei Lyu, PhD, is an Empire Innovation Professor of Computer Science and Engineering and co-director of UB’s Center for Information Integrity. Lyu is renowned for his research in multimedia forensics and AI-generated deepfakes. He holds four U.S. patents, has authored over 240 peer-reviewed papers that have garnered more than 24,500 citations, and has received more than $11 million in grants from the National Science Foundation, DARPA, and the U.S. Space Force, among others. He chairs the Scientific & Technical Review Panel on Forensic Science for the National Institute of Standards and Technology and has worked with both state and national policy makers on important issues related to deepfakes. He is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, International Association of Pattern Recognition, and Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association.

Department of Urban and Regional Planning

Samina Raja, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and the founding director of the UB Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab. She is a world-renowned expert in local government food system planning and policy. A widely published scholar, her community-engaged research in the U.S. and Global South redefines the role of equitable planning processes and policymaking in building sustainable food systems and healthy communities. Her research, which is funded by more than $20 million from the Robert Wood Johson Foundation, National Institute for Food and Agriculture and others, impacts policy and practice locally, nationally and globally. Committed to translating research into action, she has led capacity building sessions on food systems planning for community advocates, local governments, and United Nations agencies.

Department of Psychology

Jennifer Read, PhD, is a professor and chair of the Department of Psychology. An internationally recognized authority on the causes and consequences of problematic substance use, Read’s work focuses on the intersection of trauma and substance use.  Her research has been continuously funded during her more than two decades at UB with grants exceeding $17 million. She has published over 180 peer-reviewed articles, one book and eight book chapters. She is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and the Association for the Advancement of Behavior and Cognitive Therapy. Read has been chair of an NIH review panel, serves on the board of directors for the Research Society on Alcohol and is the current editor-in-chief of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

Department of Architecture

Despina Stratigakos, PhD, is a professor of architecture and internationally recognized academic and public scholar in architectural history. Stratigakos explores how power and ideology function in architecture, specializing in two sub-fields: women architects and the landscapes of Nazism. Her highly praised work on women architects reveals—and works to rectify—the profound sexism in the architecture profession. Stratigakos has authored five books, which have received numerous accolades, including the Society of Architectural Historians Spiro Kostof Book Award, DAAD/German Studies Association Book Prize, and Milka Bliznakov Prize. Her scholarship is supported by notable funding agencies, including the Mellon Foundation and the Graham Foundation. Stratigakos has held research fellowships at the University of Copenhagen, Berlin Technical University, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.

Department of Operations Management and Strategy

Nallan Suresh, PhD, is the associate dean for faculty, research and centers and a professor of operations management and strategy in the School of Management. In addition, he is the founding co-director of UB’s Stephen Still Institute for Sustainable Transportation and Logistics. Suresh is internationally renowned for his work in cellular manufacturing and flexible manufacturing systems, supply chain agility, logistics and sustainability. He is a prolific researcher who has published numerous papers in leading journals. He has held senior editorial positions in operations management journals and guest-edited key volumes. Among his numerous awards are the Alfred V. Bodine Award for studies in machine tool economics, Outstanding Senior Editor Award from Decision Sciences Journal and the UB Exceptional Scholars: Sustained Achievement Award.