Warrior spotlights
Celebrating the accomplishments of our faculty and students.
Three WSU faculty members were selected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for the 2024 class of AAAS Fellows. The honorees are Dr. Kezhong Zhang (Professor, School of Medicine); Dr. Stephen Krawetz (Charlotte B. Failing Endowed Chair, School of Medicine); and Dr. Mark Mahalingam Baskaran (Professor, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences).
Three James and Patricia Anderson College of Engineering faculty earned NSF CAREER awards. Dr. Zheng Dong (Assistant Professor) received $595,000 for ChronosDrive, a project improving real-time computing for safer autonomous vehicles while training future engineers in AI and systems design. Dr. Xingyu Zhou (Assistant Professor) was awarded $500,000 to develop privacy, fairness and robustness frameworks for trustworthy sequential decision-making. Dr. Mahbub Islam (Assistant Professor) received $540,025 to explore interfacial chemistries in nonaqueous batteries, aiming to enhance energy storage technologies.
Dr. Ramona Benkert, dean of the College of Nursing, was selected for induction into the American Academy of Nursing’s 2025 Class of Fellows, one of the profession’s highest honors. This recognition reflects Dr. Benkert’s leadership and contributions to nursing at both the academic and clinical levels.
Dr. Anna Gottschlich received a five-year, $916,545 National Cancer Institute career development award to study cancer health disparities and early detection strategies. Her research focuses on how chronic stress and social factors influence survival outcomes for women with endometrial cancer in metropolitan Detroit, using data from the Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors cohort.
Dr. Amanuel Tekleab (Professor, Mike Ilitch School of Business) received the prestigious Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship (CADF) for his exceptional business scholarship and dedication to advancing academia in his home continent of Africa. The CADF program provides grants to African-born academics who reside in the U.S. or Canada and work in higher education institutions.
Student standouts
Wayne State University celebrated a record-breaking four Gilman Scholars. Mike Ilitch School of Business students Christina Elkabbout (not pictured) and Brandon York studied supply chain and management in France and Spain; CLAS senior Dana Bazzi studied in Italy; and CLAS undergraduate Maryam Alzuhair explored Stockholm, Sweden. Their achievements reflect Wayne State’s commitment to providing students with transformative global experiences.
Jonathan Teh, Irvin D. Reid Honors College student and environmental science major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was awarded a 2025 Udall Scholarship, becoming the first Wayne State student to receive this prestigious honor. Jonathan was mentored by Interim Dean Dr. Elena Past (Professor, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences), last summer through an environmental internship.
Wayne State’s Creative Warriors were on the international and national scenes this year with exhibitions, performances and more. The Elaine L. Jacob Gallery’s “I’ll Be Your Mirror” was named by Hyperallergic as one of the Top 50 Exhibitions Around the World; Wayne State dancers headlined the National College Dance Festival; and the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts (CFPCA) ranked among the Broadcast Education Association’s 100 top broadcast education programs nationwide.
In memoriam
Dr. Boris Baltes passed away on Aug. 21, 2025. A faculty member since 1998, he served in numerous roles, including department chair, senior vice provost for faculty affairs and academic personnel, and lead negotiator for many of the university’s contract negotiations. Known for his intellect, grace and dedication, as well as his leadership and scholarship, Dr. Baltes made the university a better place through his commitment to advancing faculty success and unwavering service.