Eleven UB doctoral students are among 33 SUNY students selected as recipients of the 2023 SUNY Graduate Research Empowering and Accelerating Talent (GREAT) awards recognizing outstanding students who are conducting innovative research tackling some of society’s most pressing issues.

Each recipient receives $5,000 in flexible funding for research expenses, professional development and stipend supplements.

The SUNY GREAT awards program, now entering its third year, provides incentives for SUNY graduate students to compete for federal awards sponsored by agencies including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Energy, among others.

The students’ award-winning research covers a range of pressing societal issues, including providing a better understanding of climate impacts on glaciers to address the climate crisis; investigating ways to manage harmful invasive species to protect native ecosystems; studying the biomechanics of humans to create more human-like performance in robots; working to create more sustainable battery storage options for solar and wind energy; and developing an enhanced understanding of how genetics play a role in the longevity of humans.

“Each of our GREAT Award recipients exemplify how SUNY is addressing complex problems with groundbreaking ideas and research,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. “We are pleased to congratulate all 33 awardees for their dedication to improving the lives of others. Research will always be a pillar of higher education, especially at SUNY, and I urge all our students to always stay curious and seek out new ways to advance our society.”

Graham Hamill, vice provost for academic affairs and dean of the Graduate School, said UB’s doctoral students “work at the cutting edge of research, and their work demonstrates the ability of research to address society’s most urgent problems.”

“Congratulations to all the award winners. At UB we are so pleased that our doctoral students are being recognized for their outstanding and impactful research.

The UB recipients and their areas of study:

• Zacchariah M. Apolito, Anthropology.
• Kiana T. Bynum, Oral biology.
• Grant Hecht, Mechanical and aerospace engineering.
• Erich Horeth, Oral biology.
• Isys Johnson, Computer science.
• Armond June, Oral biology.
• Kimberly Louisor, Life sciences.
• Seth Moore, Neuroscience.
• Christopher Allen Osborne, Life sciences.
• Gretchen Perhamus, Clinical psychology.
• Courtney Shafer, Geology.

Awardees’ photos and research bios are available here.