Several UCF engineering and computer science researchers have been recognized by the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida (ASEMFL). Professors Ni-bin Chang and Roger Azevedo were inducted into the organization while Assistant Professor Kevin Moran was named a Rising Star.

Inductees are selected for their outstanding industry contributions and potential for national impact. These individuals are scholars or professionals who work and/or reside in Florida and are recognized as distinguished leaders in their field.

The Rising Star award is given to select early-career professionals and academicians who demonstrate exception promise in the fields of science, engineering or medicine.

Ni-bin Chang
Inductee

Chang, a professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, has been a renowned researcher in the field of sustainable engineering for more than three decades. He is the inventor of a product called green sorption media, or GSM, which removes nutrients from stormwater runoff, wastewater effluent and agricultural discharge. He has been awarded a total of 14 patents relevant to this nutrient removal and his products have been implemented at more than 300 wastewater sites in Florida. His two most recent patents were awarded for products that can remove forever chemicals from the drinking water supply.

Chang worked closely with the UCF Office of Technology Transfer, and two local companies, to commercialize his products. He has also developed water resources management models and flood management alternatives for several counties in Florida.

Roger Azevedo
Inductee

Azevedo, a recently named UCF Pegasus Professor, is honored for his work in the field of modeling and simulation. A psychologist by trade, Azevedo incorporates his knowledge of human behavior with intelligent systems to provide cutting-edge training and simulations for educators, health professionals and defense contractors.

Azevedo joined UCF in 2018 and serves as a professor in the School of Modeling, Simulation and Training as well as the director of the SMART Laboratory. His interdisciplinary expertise led him to become a member of the UCF learning sciences faculty research cluster.

Kevin Moran
Rising Star

Although Moran has worked at UCF for only two years, he’s already created a name for himself at the UCF Department of Computer Science. Since joining the faculty in Fall 2023, he has earned a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and received the SIGSOFT Early Career Researcher Award for his contributions to mobile app advancement. Now, he can add the ASEMFL Rising Star award to his laurels.

“I’m truly honored to receive the Rising Star Award from ASEMFL this year – particularly among such a distinguished group of scholars and professionals,” Moran says. “This is fantastic recognition and validation of the work that my students, collaborators and lab have conducted over the last five years. To be recognized by a group as interdisciplinary and well-regarded at the FL state level is particularly exciting.”

Moran’s research focuses on the intersection of software engineering and artificial intelligence (AI). His goal is to build AI-powered tools that can help engineers develop the digital services and products that consumers use every day. His research group has pioneered efforts in the area of user interface engineering (UI), or the software projects that implement the user-facing screens that make software easier to use. He says that building tools for engineering UIs has been a challenge for researchers, but it’s vital for the usability of digital products.

“Software is at a point where it is critical to everyday life, and the user interface is the fabric that connects users to the software,” Moran says. “Therefore, improving UIs stands to improve the usability and quality of software for the broader public. From local companies and government agencies that build user facing software, to the international software services used by billions around the world, we hope that our research will translate to improvements for all consumers.”