Once annually, the Office of the Vice President for Research reviews nominations for nine major awards that recognize faculty and staff excellence in research, scholarship, and creative activities.
These awards, a part of the long-standing Discovery and Innovation Awards program, celebrate researchers and scholars who receive national recognition for forging new frontiers of discovery.
The awards also honor faculty and staff who excel at sharing their work with broad audiences beyond academia, administer complex research programs, and provide outstanding mentorship for the next generation of researchers, scholars, and artists.
“Together, these faculty and staff are driving innovations that have real-world impacts for Americans,” said Lois Geist, interim vice president for research. “From elucidating mechanisms that underly serious health conditions, to building strong partnerships with our communities, to fostering creativity, these scholars and artists are among the best and brightest at the University of Iowa.”
Meet the winners of the 2025 awards.
Faculty Awards
Kaveh Akbar, associate professor in the Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), is the University of Iowa’s 2025 Scholar of the Year.
Akbar’s debut novel, Martyr!, received the sort of acclaim that most writers dream of. The book earned national press coverage and received rave reviews by numerous major publications, including a front-page arts profile in The New York Times. A finalist for the National Book Award and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, the novel won the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize and was featured in more than a dozen Best of 2024 lists, including the The New York Times top 10 books of the year. Martyr! has been translated into more than 20 languages.
“With this novel, Professor Akbar has leapt from being a highly respected figure in the comparatively small world of contemporary poetry to being an internationally renowned novelist and literary lion familiar to readers and writers around the world,” said Loren Glass, M.F. Carpenter Professor and chair of the Department of English, who nominated Akbar for the award. “His novel is accessible while also exhibiting rigorous research and granular understanding of both narrative technique and the cultural and political history which forms its context. Kaveh Akbar exemplifies the blending of critical and creative practice which we are innovating in the English Department; he is both an artist and a scholar.”
Related story: A conversation with Kaveh Akbar, Iowa Now, Feb. 27, 2025
Susan Lutgendorf, Dewey B. and Velma P. Stuit Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences in CLAS who also holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Urology in the Carver College of Medicine, is the winner of the 2025 Leadership in Research Award. This is a lifetime achievement award which recognizes research and scholarly accomplishments over a career.
Over her 30-year career, Lutgendorf has made an exceptional impact within the domain of psychoneuroimmunology, an interdisciplinary field that straddles psychology, immunology, neuroscience, and endocrinology. Her research has revealed critical insights into how behavior influences health and the interplay between psychological stress, inflammation, and tumor progression.
With a special focus on ovarian cancer, Lutgendorf currently leads a multisite biobehavioral clinical intervention trial for ovarian cancer patients funded by the National Cancer Institute as well as an NIH-funded training grant that trains predoctoral scientists at the behavioral-biomedical interface. Her research informs understanding of a multidimensional approach to cancer care.
“She has made pioneering contributions to understanding brain-to-tumor communication and is one of the early contributors to the burgeoning field of cancer neuroscience,” said Mark Blumberg, UI Distinguished Chair, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. “Her findings have profound clinical implications and have led to a range of approaches to stress management, including the use of beta blockers and psychological interventions in patients with ovarian and other cancers.”
Stephanie Miracle, assistant professor in the Department of Dance in CLAS, is one of two winners of the 2025 Early Career Scholar of the Year award.
Miracle has built an international reputation as a skilled professional performer, choreographer and screendance maker. Her interdisciplinary research practice combines choreography, filmmaking, and relational aesthetics into performances for stage and nontraditional spaces, challenging assumptions around what dance can do and where it can happen.
In 2024, Miracle produced five complete, collaborative works. This includes Alivenesses: scores for vibrant body listening performed at the Museum of Natural History; Since we have come this far how do we get back?, created in collaboration with robotics engineering professor Deema Totah; and the nationally recognized dance film “Purgatorio”. She also directed and performed in two evening length, site-specific productions with her live cinema project FAKERS CLUB in France.
“During her time on the tenure track, since Fall 2022, Professor Miracle’s research trajectory has only accelerated and strengthened. She is inarguably a formidable and luminescent tour de force – with the year 2024 as the most impressive,” said her nominator Rebekah Kowal, professor and chair in the Department of Dance.
Stephanie Gantz, assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics in CCOM, is also the 2025 Early Career Scholar of the Year.
She is an expert in ion channel research, a field in which she has already made several landmark discoveries that have revolutionized our understanding of how G protein-coupled receptors signal in the brain. Her work has the potential to uncover new underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms in brain disorders such as schizophrenia and drug addiction.
“Professor Gantz is an outstanding early career investigator in the biomedical sciences who shows truly exceptional promise, both as an independent and talented scientist with great strength in ion channel research, an as an individual who has made several discoveries that have shaped our understanding of the molecular control of neuronal function,” said Ted Abel, Roy J. Carver Chair in Neuroscience and Director of the Iowa Neuroscience Institute.
Gantz is also the recipient of a highly competitive Sloan Research Fellowship, an award for early-career researchers whose creativity, innovation, and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next generation of leaders.
Rima Afifi, professor in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health in the College of Public Health, was awarded the 2025 Distinguished Achievement in Publicly Engaged Research Award
Afifi leads the Prevention Research Center for Rural Health, which is dedicated to community-engaged research and to addressing public health challenges facing rural communities. Working together with community partners across Iowa and the nation, the center is focused on a range of rural health disparities, from tobacco use and physical activity, to the social determinants of health.
Afifi incorporates community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches into her research, practice and teaching whenever possible and has published on the powerful process and outcomes of community-engaged research projects in which she had been involved. Her work focuses on mental health, refugee and immigrant wellbeing, and substance use. Afifi’s passion is to work with adolescents and young adults to craft environments conducive to their wellbeing. She is a regulator collaborator with the Office of Community Engagement.
“In the field of community-engaged scholarship, CBPR is considered the gold standard, requiring researchers to not only include community partners in projects, but equally and equitably center communities in all facets of the research process,” said Nick Benson, executive director of the Office of Community Engagement, who nominated her for the award. “Through Dr. Afifi’s teaching and mentorship, a future generation of community-engaged scholars are learning not only how their research can advance their careers in the academy, but how they can shape and transform the world in which we live.”
Bryon Winn, professor in the Department of Theatre Arts in CLAS, is the winner of the 2025 Distinguished Achievement in Arts and Humanities Research Award.
Throughout his 30-year professional career, Winn has pushed the boundaries of how lighting, technology, and media design can elevate storytelling in theatre. A well-known lighting designer, his repertoire includes traditional plays, musical theatre, dance, and opera, as well as cross-disciplinary productions in emerging fields such as virtual and augmented reality production.
A regular collaborator with playwrights who ushered in the New American Theatre Movement, his design credits include over 50 world-premiere plays. In addition to teaching full-time, Winn has designed lighting and scenery for more than 300 productions over the course of his career. He also produces and advises student productions as the Director of Theatre.
“The work of a lighting designer necessitates a complex alchemy of visual acumen, dramaturgical perception, command of physics and geometry, and technical virtuosity. A lighting designer must marry their fluency with color theory, interplay of light and shadow, and the kinesis of moving images with a deep understanding of how their stage designs not only illuminate structures, space, and bodies, but also the collective vision of fellow collaborators -- from the writer to the director,” said Mary Beth Easley, associate professor and chair in the Department of Theatre Arts.
“Simply put, Bryon is a master of this art form.”
Yamnia I. Cortés, associate professor in the College of Nursing’s Division of Community and Primary Care, is the recipient of the 2025 Faculty Communicating Ideas Award. This award acknowledges the significant contributions of individuals who excel in communicating their research and scholarship to the broader public through print and electronic media.
An expert in midlife women’s health, menopause, and cardiovascular disease, Cortés is a regular contributor to the public discourse around women’s healthcare in mid-life and the disparities faced by Latinas in accessing menopause care.
In the past two years she has been featured in six print and electronic media stories, including major outlets such as PBS and Oprah Daily. In the PBS documentary, “The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause,” she provided evidence-based insights into the physiological and psychosocial changes women, particularly Latinas, experience during the menopause transition.
“Through her diverse media engagements, Professor Cortés has established herself as a leading voice in midlife women's health disparities, menopause, and cardiovascular disease, breaking barriers in how scientific knowledge is shared with the public,” said Lisa Segre, professor and head, Division of Community and Primary Care in the College of Nursing. “She mentors students and junior faculty, inspiring them to see communication as an essential facet of academic work.”
The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) selected two recipients for the 2025 Distinguished Mentor Awards.
Thomas Mira y Lopez is a visiting assistant professor of creative writing and translation in the Department of English and the Translation Program. He holds MFAs in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Arizona and Literary Translation from the University of Iowa. He is the author of The Book of Resting Places (Counterpoint Press, 2017), as well as a fiction editor at DIAGRAM and a recipient of a 2025 National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in translation. “He has been highlighted by many students as a patient, passionate, and sincere mentor, providing students with guidance to succeed,” said Tawny Tibbits, OUR director. “Students have spoken to his willingness to foster growth in students, whether it is in their writing, confidence, or their comfortability in who they are.”
Marcia H. Lindgren is the director of the Latin Program and an associate professor of instruction in the Department of Classics. Lindgren received a bachelor’s degree in education from Southern Connecticut State University and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in classics from The University of Iowa. Since 2000 she has been teaching and directing the Latin program in the Department of Classics. Her interests include pedagogy, Roman poetry, women and gender in antiquity, and promoting the study of classical languages. “She has inspired students to dive into classics, challenging them to think deeper, and supporting their learning,” said Tibbits. “Lindgren’s enthusiastic energy towards her students and her investment in their growth have supported students to challenge themselves and celebrate their growth.”
Staff Awards
Lisa Roth, deputy director of the Injury Prevention Research Center in the College of Public Health, is the 2025 Distinguished Research Professional.
In her 10 years in this role, Roth has been actively involved in securing funding for numerous research projects, including a project focused on implementing an evidence-based safe driving program for high-risk teen drivers funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
She also serves as the coordinator for several statewide and national initiatives, including a network of 11 Injury Control Research Centers across the nation. In this role, she is charged with ensuring cross-site collaboration and fostering a culture of shared learning and collective innovation. As a result, the centers have developed unified injury prevention strategies and expanded their research impacts.
Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals, showcasing her research on topics such as safe driving interventions for high-risk teens and parent-based interventions to support injured children.
“Her expertise in bridging research and practice, particularly through her collaborative work with community, state, and federal partners, has had a transformative impact on injury and violence prevention initiatives and policy development in Iowa and beyond,” said Hans-Joachim Lehmler, professor and associate dean for research in the College of Public Health. “In addition, her mentorship of research staff has been instrumental in developing the next generation of public health professionals, ensuring they are well-prepared to tackle complex health challenges.”
Phil Forbes, research support administrator in the College of Pharmacy, is the 2025 Distinguished Research Administrator.
Over the course of his 26 years of service to the university, including the last twelve years in his current role, Forbes has been instrumental in securing and managing major grants and navigating complex funding landscapes to support pioneering research within the college. He has served as a key contributor to helping grow the College of Pharmacy’s research funding portfolio, from $5-7 million annually to a projected $30 million in FY25.
For example, he oversaw the submission of and now administers a $17.9 million Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) grant to Professor Korey Kennelty, focused on improving hypertension management in older adults living with chronic diseases. This project is a collaboration among three UI colleges and more than 60 primary care clinics across the United States.
“What sets Mr. Forbes apart is his steadfast commitment to going above and beyond the ordinary fulfillment of his duties,” said David Roman, associate dean for research and graduate education, and professor in the College of Pharmacy. “Whether assisting with budget forecasting, resolving compliance issues, or liaising with funding agencies, Mr. Forbes approaches every task with professionalism, precision, and a collaborative spirit.”