James Madison University recognized 17 faculty members for research and scholarship during the 2026 Madison Celebration of Research and Scholarship on Oct. 23, the university said in an announcement published Oct. 28. The event, hosted by JMU’s division of Research, Economic Development and Innovation, highlighted work from the university’s academic colleges and presented three awards.
The Provost Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship went to Cyril Uy, Puzant Balozian, Joshua Pulos, Caitlyn Owens, Giangiuseppe Pili, Behnaz Moradi-Jamei, SangJun Yoo and Valerie Linsinbigler, according to JMU. The award recognizes early-career, tenure-track faculty members for significant achievement in research, scholarship or creative work, the announcement said.
JMU named Brooks Hefner, Nicole Wright, Angela Webb, Stephanie Kurti-Luden, Mace Bentley, Gabriel Niculescu, John Peterson and Elizabeth Chenevey as 2026 Madison Scholars Award recipients. The university said recipients are nominated by colleagues in their colleges and recognized for excellence and scholarly achievement.
William “Chris” Hollinsed, a lecturer in chemistry and biochemistry, received the inaugural Discovery to Impact Award, which recognizes a faculty member helping move ideas into real-world application, JMU said. The announcement said Hollinsed joined JMU in 2021 after a career in industrial research and development and work in higher education.
