2024 GW OVPR Faculty Award Recipients
2024 Recipients
Distinguished Career Awards
Eric H. Cline
Professor of Classics and Anthropology
Dr. Eric H. Cline is Professor of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies and Anthropology, the former Chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and the current Director of the GWU Capitol Archaeological Institute. He is a National Geographic Explorer, a Fulbright scholar, an NEH Public Scholar, a Getty Scholar, and an award-winning teacher and author. In May 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctoral degree (honoris causa) from Muhlenberg College.
Chryssa Kouveliotou
Professor of Astrophysics
Chryssa Kouveliotou is a Professor of Physics and pioneer in the field of astrophysics. She was the recipient of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific’s (ASP) most prestigious award, the Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal. She has been at the forefront of research in the study of gamma-ray sources starting with her doctoral thesis in 1981. Kouveliotou ultimately received global recognition for her study of gamma-ray bursts, and the landmark discovery that there are two distinct populations of these events, based on their duration and their photon energy.
Early Career Award
Harvey Charles Peters
Assistant Professor of Counseling and Doctoral Program Co-Coordinator
Dr. Harvey Charles Peters is an Assistant Professor at The George Washington University. He has participated in professional organizations, including ACES (human rights and social justice committee chair), NARACES (emerging leaders committee member, CSJ (mentor) and ACA (awards committee member). Peters’ scholarship is focused on professional identity, anti-oppression, and leadership and advocacy. His clinical work has primarily focused on serving children, couples, and families from marginalized communities.
Lao Hing
Assistant Professor
Lao Hing is a Research Faculty in the Department of Chemistry.
Research Mentorship Award
Sylvain Guiriec
Associate Professor of Astrophysics
Sylvain Guiriec's expertise includes high-Energy Astrophysics: Gamma-Ray Bursts, Relativistic Jets, Gamma-ray Astronomy.
Nathan Brown
Professor of Political Science and International Affairs
Dr. Nathan Brown received his B.A. in political science from the University of Chicago and his M.A. and Ph.D. in politics and Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University. He teaches courses on Middle Eastern politics as well as more general courses on comparative politics and international relations.He received the Oscar and Shoshana Trachtenberg Award for Scholarship from George Washington University in 2015 and the Harry Harding teaching award from the Elliott School of International Affairs in 2014. His dissertation received the Malcolm Kerr award from the Middle East Studies Association in 1987. In 2013-2015, Dr. Brown was president of the Middle East Studies Association, the academic association for scholars studying the region. In 2013, he was named a Guggenheim Fellow; four years earlier, he was named a Carnegie Scholar by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For the 2009–2010 academic year, he was a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. His previous research was funded by the United States Institute of Peace and two Fulbright fellowships. In addition to his academic work, Brown serves on the board of trustees at the American University in Cairo. He is also nonresident senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He has previously served as an advisor for the committee drafting the Palestinian constitution, USAID, the United Nations Development Program, and several NGOs. Education.
Saniya LeBlanc
Associate Professor, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Dr. Saniya LeBlanc’s research lies at the intersection of materials science, energy conversion, and thermal transport. Her group enables nanomaterials integration by bridging the divide between rapid, inexpensive manufacturing of nanostructures and device integration of nanoengineered components. Her experimental research includes development of scalable nanomanufacturing processes such as spray coating and printing of functional nanomaterials. Projects involve energy harvesting devices that utilize the unique combination of properties offered by nanostructured materials; recent examples include thermoelectric power generators for waste-heat recovery. Combining energy system, cost, and policy analyses, she creates feasibility assessments for the scaling of nanotechnologies for energy applications.
Melissa Napolitano
Professor and Interim Department Chair, Department of Prevention and Community Health
Dr. Melissa Napolitano is a Professor and the Interim Chair of the Department of Prevention and Community Health. She also holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences. Dr. Napolitano uses behavioral science principles and communication techniques to develop, implement and evaluate physical activity and weight management programs for delivery via digital strategies. Her work focuses across the lifespan, including pregnancy and young adulthood. She is interested in the developmental life stage of emerging adulthood and understanding the formation of positive eating and activity behaviors, as well as health-risk behaviors such as disordered eating and tobacco use. She has more than 90 peer reviewed publications and book chapters. Dr. Napolitano’s research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dr. Napolitano was a Consultant to the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, specifically working with the Physical Activity Promotion Subcommittee. She has served in review and editorial capacities as a standing member of the NIH Psychosocial Risk and Disease Prevention Study Section and Senior Associate Editor of the Journal of Physical Activity and Health. She is a current Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) and is SBM’s representative to the Roundtable on Obesity Solutions, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Prior to joining GWU in 2012, Dr. Napolitano was on the faculties of Brown Medical School and Temple University at which she was also a research scientist at the Center for Obesity Research and Education.