USC Dornsife News Briefs highlight faculty research studies, newly published books, awards, grants and other news showcasing faculty members’ work at USC Dornsife. All USC Dornsife faculty are eligible to submit content.
(The diverse opinions expressed in News Briefs do not necessarily represent the views of USC Dornsife administration or USC.)
Fengzhu Sun, professor of quantitative and computational biology and mathematics, has been elected a fellow of the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association. The association is a global, academic, nonprofit organization formed by scholars who share a focus on advancing AI. Sun is the third fellow from the quantitative and computational biology department to receive this honor, following Nobel laureate Arieh Warshel, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Quantitative and Computational Biology and Dana and David Dornsife Chair in Chemistry, and Michael Waterman, University Professor Emeritus.
Distinguished scholars, artists and activists convened at USC on Nov. 2 for “Artsakh Uprooted,” a symposium addressing the displacement of Armenians from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and hosted by USC Dornsife’s Institute of Armenian Studies.
Sheel Ganatra, associate professor of mathematics, has been named a 2025 Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. The AMS Fellows program honors members for advancing the mathematical profession and recognizes boty extraordinary and excellent mathematicians, aiming to support their visibility and competitiveness for broader recognition within and beyond academia. Ganatra’s research focuses on structural aspects of Fukaya categories and Floer theory, using homological algebra and non-commutative geometry to explore applications in mirror symmetry and string topology.
Viet Nguyen, Aerol Arnold Chair of English and professor of English, American studies and ethnicity, and comparative literature, has been honored with an ACLU Foundation of Southern California Bill of Rights Award. The annual award, this year bestowed during a Nov. 10 ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, celebrates those whose seminal work has challenged the status quo and fostered a more just and inclusive world.
Brittany Friedman, assistant professor of sociology, has received a Visiting Scholar Fellowship with the University of Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain, stationed in the university’s Department of Law during summer 2025. Friedman, who co-founded the Captive Money Lab and co-leads a cross-national study on inmate reimbursement practices that examines the evolution of pay-to-stay policies, debt and inequality, will present her research and advance her next book project.
Anna Krylov, USC Associates Chair in Natural Sciences and professor of chemistry, has been awarded the Kolos Medal from the University of Warsaw and the Polish Chemical Society for her outstanding contribution to the theoretical chemistry of open-shell and electronically-excited molecules in complex environments. The Kolos Medal is awarded every two years in recognition of achievements in chemistry.
Joan Flores-Villalobos, assistant professor of history, was awarded the Wesley-Logan Prize in African Diaspora History for her book, The Silver Women: How Black Women’s Labor Made the Panama Canal (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023). The annual award is jointly sponsored by the American Historical Association and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, recognizing outstanding work in African diaspora history. Flores-Villalobos’ book explores the role of Black West Indian women in constructing the Panama Canal, revealing their critical role in U.S. imperial expansion and migration networks.
Wolf Gruner, Shapell-Guerin Chair in Jewish Studies, professor of history and director of the USC Dornsife Center for Advanced Genocide Research, has received the 2024 Grimme Online Award from the Grimme Institute, which honors high-quality, online journalism. Gruner was honored for his work on the #LastSeen Image Atlas, which collects and contextualizes photographs of individuals deported from Nazi Germany.
Percival Everett, Distinguished Professor of English, has been awarded the 2024 Kirkus Prize for Fiction for his novel James. Established in 2014, the Kirkus Prize recognizes exceptional works in literature, with winners in each category receiving $50,000. With James, Everett reimagines Mark Twain’s classic Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the character Jim’s perspective.
