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2024 Professional Promise in Research and Creative Achievement

Research and Creative Achievement—Professional Promise Awards honor faculty members who are early in their careers for excellence in research, scholarship, and creative achievement.

Lauren M. Cunningham

Lauren Cunningham is an associate professor and the Keith Stanga Professor of Accounting. She serves as the director of research for the Neel Corporate Governance Center and has served as associate editor or editorial review board member for several leading accounting journals. Her research has been published in top-tier accounting journals and has been presented at conferences internationally. Cunningham particularly enjoys outlets that allow her to bridge the gap between academia and practice.

What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?

“I initially joined the accounting and information management department because of its national reputation for conducting rigorous research that could have a high impact on practice. It has been my honor to uphold that tradition, but the greatest part about working at UT is that in addition to managing a top-tier research agenda, UT empowers me to be a top-tier educator preparing the next generation of accounting leaders. That truly is a unique aspect of UT compared to our peer schools.”


Olivia Feldman

Dr. Olivia Feldman (formerly Prosper) is an Associate Professor of Mathematics working at the interface of mathematics and biology, with a focus on infectious disease modeling. She earned her Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Florida in 2012, which was followed by a postdoc at Dartmouth College. In 2021, Dr. Feldman received an NSF CAREER grant and Intercollegiate Biomathematics Alliance Excellence in Research award.

What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?

“I am grateful for the mentors throughout my life and career who have contributed to my success in unique ways. Being a Vol means passing that on to the next generation of students at the University of Tennessee, and using my skills to give back to my community. At UT, I’ve had the opportunity to engage non-STEM students in quantitative work outside the classroom. Observing the creativity spurred from that venture inspires me to continue seeking mathematical potential where it may be overlooked.”


Tian Hong

Tian Hong is a computational biologist interested in using mathematical and computational approaches to understand complex biological systems. Before joining UTK, he obtained his Ph.D. in Genetics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology from Virginia Tech, and he finished his postdoctoral training in the Department of Mathematics at University of California, Irvine. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology (BCMB).

What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?

“As a faculty member working in the field of biomedical science, Volunteer is a mindset of improving human health with new fundamental knowledge, and educating the next generation scientists and professionals who will help reducing disease burden in our community for many years to come.”


Sindhu Jagadamma

Sindhu Jagadamma is an Associate Professor of Soil Science. Her research program addresses the grand challenge of achieving ecosystem sustainability without compromising food security. She authored 82 peer-reviewed publications and secured ~7.5M extramural funding for her research program. She received multiple awards including UT GSS’s 2023 Graduate Student Mentor of the Year, UTIA’s 2023 Mid-Career Faculty Research Excellence Award, and Gamma Sigma Delta TN Chapter’s 2022 Research Award.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?

“I am very proud to be a Volunteer. UT provided the opportunity to chase my dream as a professor. I received all the support and resources to establish myself as a researcher and to train students and early-career scientists. I always feel like I am in a tight-knit community and surrounded by helping hands. This feeling helped boost my confidence to do my best as a faculty member.”


Chuanren Liu

Dr. Chuanren Liu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Business Analytics and Statistics and the Haslam College of Business. His research interests include data mining and knowledge discovery, and their applications in business analytics. Recently He has been working on topics such as data-intensive methods for e-commerce research, job and labor analytics, and algorithm-powered intelligent education systems.

What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?

“It means spreading kindness and building a stronger community that is home to everyone. At UT, I can work on ideas that not only matter to me personally but also have an impact on our community. I feel privileged and grateful to work with my colleagues and students who value what I do and offer me the chance to contribute to their endeavors as well.”


Joshua Rosenberg

Joshua M. Rosenberg (Ph.D., Michigan State University) is an Associate Professor of STEM education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He studies the use of data in education, especially in STEM education contexts. Specifically, he works in the context of two disciplines: educational data science, a research methods-focused discipline using newer data sources and methods, and data science education, a discipline focused on supporting educators and learners.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?

“I am proud to work at the state’s flagship land grant University. Working at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has allowed me to serve my local community and to do research with national and international impact. I have been highly supported in pursuing new research topics in educational data science and in teaching classes at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and I look forward to continuing this work and supporting my outstanding colleagues in the many years to come.”