A trio of faculty members representing three disciplines in the School of Engineering and Applied Science – computer science, mechanical and aerospace engineering, and civil and environmental engineering – were elected to the rank of “fellow” by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and publisher of the Science family of journals.
Sandhya Dwarkadas, Patrick E. Hopkins and Venkataraman “Venkat” Lakshmi are among 471 scientists and engineers named in the class of 2024, according to the AAAS.
“I’m thrilled that these members of our faculty have been recognized by AAAS,” UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer L. West said. “Sandhya, Patrick and Venkat exemplify the strength of our faculty across disciplines. Their election underscores their many valuable contributions in their respective fields as well as the UVA community.”
Dwarkadas, the Walter N. Munster Professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science, was elected for “cutting-edge work in computer architecture, parallel and distributed computing, and issues at the interface of hardware and software with a particular focus on sharing and concurrency control.”
Dwarkadas has made fundamental contributions to the design and implementation of shared memory in hardware and software. Her work also helps systems automatically adjust their settings to save energy and use resources efficiently. Her innovations improved the speed, energy efficiency and ease of use of modern computing systems.
Hopkins, the Whitney Stone Professor of Engineering in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, was elected for “excellence in research in energy transport and coupled photonic interactions with condensed matter, soft materials, liquids, vapors, plasmas and their interfaces.”
Hopkins is known for developing methods and instruments using powerful lasers to measure thermal conductivity: how energy moves through and interacts with materials in different states. He focuses on how heat and light behave at their boundaries – for instance, how temperature changes at interfaces between two different materials or states of matter.
Lakshmi, the John L. Newcomb Professor of Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was elected for “distinguished contributions to the field of hydrology, particularly for the monitoring of global water resources and hydrological extremes, including floods, droughts, landslides, permafrost thaw and wildfires.”
Lakshmi is an international authority on studies of hydrological extremes using remote-sensing – aerial and satellite imagery, for example – and in-place “Earth observations” to collect data and modeling to study the terrestrial water cycle and better understand weather, climate and ecology.
Citron Tops Legal Scholars List
School of Law professor Danielle Citron ranked No. 1 in SSRN’s article, “The Top 100 Legal Scholars of 2024,” which “emphasizes inclusivity and current impact, highlighting the achievements of all scholars who are actively and substantially contributing to legal scholarship.” According to the article, compiled by Rob Wiley and Melanie Knapp of the George Mason University Law Library, Citron led in the number of citations to her articles published from 2018 to 2020, with 660.
Law professor Danielle Citron is the top-ranked legal scholar in the U.S. for 2024, according to an analysis from the George Mason University Law Library. (Contributed photo)
UVA Law professors Richard Schragger, Micah Schwartzman, Lawrence B. Solum and Megan Stevenson also made the list. UVA’s School of Law tied for the third-most scholars in the rankings.
Citron, who co-directs the school’s LawTech Center, is the author of the books “The Fight for Privacy: Protecting Dignity, Identity, and Love in the Digital Age” and “Hate Crimes in Cyberspace.” She is the Jefferson Scholars Foundation Schenck Distinguished Professor of Law.
Dr. Fernando Operé Santillana Inducted Into Order of Don Quijote
Spanish professor Fernando Operé Santillana is the first person to be inducted into Sigma Delta Pi’s Order of Don Quijote since 2022. (UVA Department of Latin American Studies photo)
Sigma Delta Pi inducted Fernando Operé Santillana, professor of Spanish, into its Order of Don Quijote in February – the national collegiate Hispanic honor society’s most selective recognition, last conferred in 2022.
According to the society’s website, “The highest honor conferred by Sigma Delta Pi, the Order of Don Quijote recognizes exceptional and meritorious service in the fields of Hispanic scholarship, the teaching of Spanish, and the promotion of good relations between English-speaking countries and those of Spanish speech.”
Past inductees include renowned literary figures such as Carlos Fuentes, Carmen Laforet, Fernando Arrabal and Camilo José Cela, among other highly accomplished literary artists and scholars.
4 UVA Health Teams Earn National Patient Experience Awards
Four teams at UVA Health University Medical Center have been honored with national patient experience awards, based on ratings from patients.
The awards recognize health care teams that have maintained consistent levels of excellent patient experiences for three years based on the results of patient surveys.
Patients rate four teams at UVA Health University Medical Center as providing care experiences that are among the best in the nation. (University Communications photo)
The teams earned the HX Pinnacle of Excellence Award from Press Ganey, which supports health care providers nationwide to improve overall safety, quality and experience of care. UVA Health’s award-winning teams were:
- Hematology/Oncology Clinic West at UVA Cancer Center’s Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center
- Hematology/Oncology Clinic East at UVA Cancer Center’s Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center
- UVA Health Heart and Vascular Center Fontaine
- UVA Health University Medical Center Outpatient Services
“These honors from Press Ganey recognize hundreds of team members from across University Medical Center for their commitment to providing the highest-quality care for all of our patients,” Dr. Wendy Horton, chief executive officer of UVA Health University Medical Center, said. “I am so proud of their hard work to serve our patients.”
Catherine Bradshaw Selected as 2025 AERA Fellow
Catherine P. Bradshaw, a University Professor and senior associate dean at the School of Education and Human Development, has been selected as a 2025 AERA Fellow.
The American Educational Research Association is the largest national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning. Its AERA Fellows Program honors scholars for their exceptional contributions to, and excellence in, education research.
Nominated by their peers, 29 fellows were selected this year. They will be inducted Thursday at the association’s annual meeting in Denver.
“I am deeply honored to be named a 2025 AERA Fellow,” Bradshaw said. “This recognition reflects the incredible support and collaboration I’ve received from my colleagues at the University of Virginia and beyond. I am continuously grateful for the opportunity to contribute to meaningful research and to work alongside so many inspiring and talented individuals.”
Catherine P. Bradshaw, a University Professor and senior associate dean at UVA’s School of Education and Human Development, is among 29 people to be inducted Thursday as fellows by the American Educational Research Association. (University Communications photo)
Bradshaw is a leading national expert on bullying and school climate, the development of aggressive behavior, and school-based prevention of behavioral and mental health problems. She has led more than 10 federally funded randomized trials of school-based prevention programs and has received more than $50 million in research grants.
“We are thrilled to celebrate Catherine and this well-deserved recognition of her contributions to education research,” said Stephanie Rowley, dean of the School of Education and Human Development. “Her pioneering work in school-based prevention programs and her dedication to improving school climate have had a lasting impact on the field, and we are fortunate to have her as a valued member of our academic community.”
Engineer Honored for Preparing a New Generation of Leaders
James H. Lambert, the Janet Scott Hamilton and John Downman Hamilton Professor in UVA’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, earned the 2024 Distinguished Educator Award from the Society for Risk Analysis. The society bestows the honor each year to a teacher, author or mentor who has contributed substantially to training new experts in the field.
Lambert, a professor of systems and information engineering and a professor of civil and environmental engineering, is known internationally for the analysis and management of risk in complex systems. He has worked on projects ranging from energy infrastructure to Olympic planning.
He received the award for teaching, mentoring and sharing his expertise and knowledge in the field. During his nearly 30 years on the UVA faculty, Lambert has advised dozens of doctoral and master’s students, and scores of undergraduates.
UVA Engineering professor James Lambert is known internationally for the analysis and management of risk in complex systems. (Photo by Tom Daly)
His students travel with him to conferences around the globe, where he helps them make valuable industry connections. Closer to home, students are engaged in projects with the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Logistics Systems, where Lambert is active on the Technical Advisory Council. Together they help address operations and logistics challenges at the Port of Virginia, one of the first fully automated container ports of the Western Hemisphere.
Students also work with Lambert on sponsored research projects, providing them with valuable research experience and mentoring opportunities. He has led more than 60 such projects, totaling more than $25 million in funding, with research partners ranging from industry to federal and state agencies, including branches of the U.S. military.
