Five postdocs were named recipients of 2025 Research Administration & Support (RA&S) Spotlight Awards, marking a major milestone in the Institute’s effort to elevate and acknowledge the postdoctoral community as key contributors to Georgia Tech's research enterprise. 

Congratulations to the following recipients:  

• Vanessa Franco Carvalho Dartora,  Biomedical Engineering 

• Xuanwen Hua, Biomedical Engineering 

• Katie Kuo, Physics 

• Hyeyeon Lee, Center for Teaching and Learning 

• Ziqin (Grace) Ni, Aerospace Engineering 

The RA&S Spotlight Award is one of the outcomes of Research Next, a planning initiative that launched in 2020 to create a strategy for the future of the research enterprise at Tech. Though the Research Next initiative has formally concluded, its legacy continues through efforts like this award , which was designed to spotlight staff, research faculty, and postdocs who model Georgia Tech’s core values—excellence, collaboration, and innovation— and exemplify the goals of the Research Next “all Members Contribute” Implementation Team goals.  

Karena Nguyen, assistant director of Postdoctoral Services, served on the Research Next "All Members Contribute" Implementation Team from 2022 to 2023. During that time, she collaborated closely with Monique Tavares, special assistant to the Executive Vice President for Research (EVPR), to help design the nomination process and served on the review committee for this inaugural institute-wide award. 

This achievement reflects years of behind-the-scenes advocacy led by the Office of Postdoctoral Services within Graduate and Postdoctoral Education.. Karena Nguyen shared, 

 “Our postdoctoral scholars contribute to the research enterprise by conducting innovative research, mentoring students, and forging new collaborations within and outside Georgia Tech. The creation of the Research Administration & Support - Spotlight Awards provides a means to recognize the unique efforts of postdocs at the Institute level for the first time. We are incredibly proud of the five inaugural postdoc awardees and will continue to champion the incredible work of our postdocs from across Georgia Tech.”  

Winners were selected for demonstrating exceptional performance and partnership across departments, supporting the research enterprise both directly and indirectly between January 1 and December 31, 2024. Each honoree received a $500 award and was recognized during the April Research Administration Buzz (RAB) meeting. 

Jana Stone, assistant vice provost for Professional Development and director of Postdoctoral Services, said, 

“Georgia Tech’s postdocs are extraordinary but often unseen contributors. So I am incredibly pleased that Georgia Tech is now able to recognize exemplary postdocs with this Research Spotlight award. Congratulations to the five inaugural awardees.” 

Postdoctoral Services and the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Education (GPE) remain committed to continuing their advocacy for Georgia Tech’s postdocs by ensuring they are recognized as leaders and collaborators in research efforts across the Institute.