2010 Professional Promise in Research and Creative Achievement
Jian Huang
Jian Huang is an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science. His research expertise is data intensive visualization areas, the creation of vivid pictures from simulation output as arrays of numbers. His research is an indispensable tool for scientists and has been funded by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science and the National Science Foundation. His work has the potential to make significant contributions to the fields of climate modeling and energy efficiency.
Yanfei Gao 
Yanfei Gao is an assistant professor of materials science and engineering. He joined the faculty in 2005 and already has received several prestigious external awards including the Joint Institute for Neutron Sciences Fellowship. He has pioneered multi-scale modeling of failure mechanisms in advanced structural materials—important work, due to the materials’ novel properties and wide use in high-tech applications such as magnetic storage devices and micro-electronics.
Jered Sprecher
Jered Sprecher, assistant professor of art, is just as committed to participating in the dialogue about contemporary art in high-profile galleries in New York and Los Angeles as he is right here in Knoxville. He has had a solo exhibition at the Wendy Cooper Gallery in Chicago, and has had his work collected by both the Museum of Modern Art and the New York Public Library. Sprecher’s accomplishments also have led to his selection for the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship this year.
Bin Zhao 
Bin Zhao, associate professor of chemistry, has made significant contributions to the field of stimuli-sensitive soft materials. His scientific productivity and impact are widely recognized, and his reputation in the field of polymer science is growing, evidenced by the number of invited talks, his membership on the Editorial Advisory Board of the journal Macromolecules, and a recent invitation from the editor-in-chief of Macromolecules to contribute a perspective article on "Stimuli-Responsive Nanoparticles and Micelles."
Professional Promise in Research and Creative Achievement honors are awardedto tenured or tenure track faculty members at the assistant or associate professor rank who have received national and/or international recognition in their fields and show professional promise for their research and creative achievement.