Each month, Campus Kudos will spotlight recent awards and distinctions earned by University of Houston faculty and students. These include memberships into professional societies, international honors, competitive fellowships and other accolades. To submit recent accomplishments, send a note to Academic Update.
UH's Newest National Academies' Member
Venkat Selvamanickam, an engineering professor at the University of Houston, has been
elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional honors awarded to engineers worldwide.
Magnificent Seven
Seven University of Houston faculty members have been named Senior Members of the National Academy of Inventors — the most of any single Texas institution this year — reinforcing UH’s leadership
in research-driven innovation with real-world impact.
Those honored include:
- Haleh Ardebili, Kamel Salama Endowed Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and assistant vice president for Entrepreneurship and Startup Ecosystem
- Vemuri Balakotaiah, Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished University Chair and professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering
- Jakoah Brgoch, Eby Nell McElrath Professor of Chemistry in UH’s Department of Chemistry
- Preethi Gunaratne, Moores Professor in the Department of Biology and Biochemistry and director of the UH Sequencing Core in UH’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
- Jae-Hyun Ryou, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering
Rising Star
Tai-Yen Chen, associate professor of chemistry, was named a 2026 Rising Star by the American Chemical Society for groundbreaking research that reveals how proteins regulate copper inside living
cells, advancing understanding of disease and drug response.
Cloudy with a Chance of Awards
Ronin Costello, a doctoral student in the University of Houston’s College of Natural Sciences and
Mathematics, has been selected for the highly competitive U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Science Graduate Student Research award. His work examines Arctic climate
processes, using advanced climate models to study how cloud behavior responds to sea
ice loss and shapes future Arctic climate feedback.
Hack to the Future
Two University of Houston teams earned top honors at the VIVERSE Spark 2025 Global Hackathon, a worldwide competition for university teams focused on immersive technology, digital
storytelling and game design. Their projects stood out among submissions from 400
students representing 40 universities worldwide.
The Knight Watcher, created by digital media undergraduates Rylee Bettis, Vivian Nguyen, Richard Witek and Christian Garcia, won first place in the Immersive Storytelling category and received a $5,000 cash prize. Axolotl Adventure, developed by digital media undergraduate Katelyn Shapiro and education graduate student Garrett Ward, earned honorable mention in the Games category.
Pedal to the Medal
Kamel Salama Endowed Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Haleh Ardebili earned the Emmy Noether Medal from the Society of Engineering Science for her groundbreaking work on solid electrolytes
for stretchable batteries and her commitment to advancing science beyond the laboratory
and into the public sphere.
On Board
Dimitrios Kalliontzis, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering,
has been appointed to the 2026 University Marine Energy Research Community Board of Directors. UMERC, a Department of Energy–supported national organization within the Water Power
Technologies Office, advances marine energy research and collaboration across U.S.
universities.
A Fine Fellowship
Carola Aisenberg, a third-year student at the University of Houston Law Center, has
earned a Skadden Fellowship—one of the nation’s most competitive public interest honors. The first UHLC student
to receive the award, Aisenberg is among 34 fellows selected from 20 law schools nationwide
to develop projects addressing unmet civil legal needs for people living in poverty.
Trifecta of Honors
The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture has awarded national honors
to three faculty-led projects from the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College
of Architecture and Design, underscoring the college’s leadership in design-build education, cultural preservation
and climate-responsive research.
The recognized projects are Bird Blind Wetlands, a Design Build Award winner led by Patrick Peters, Jason Logan and Joseph Colaco; Kiosk K67: System for Urban Imagination, which earned a Faculty Design Award for Dijana Handanovic; and Hell & High Water, by Rafael Beneytez-Duran and Ophélia Mantz, which received a Faculty Design Award honorable mention.