Three Syracuse University faculty members—Atanu Acharya, Zhenyu Gan and Angela Oliverio—have been named to the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology’s (MOST) STEM Under 40 list, presented by Micron Technology. The annual list recognizes early-career professionals whose work is advancing STEM in the region.
The recognition comes as Central New York is poised to become a major hub for semiconductor manufacturing with Micron’s planned multibillion-dollar investment in the region, including a $100 billion manufacturing campus in suburban Syracuse.
“These three faculty members represent exactly the kind of talent that makes Syracuse a magnet for world-class researchers,” says Vice President for Research Duncan Brown. “While their work spans computational chemistry, robotics and microbial ecology, each is training the scientists and engineers our region will need as Central New York’s technology economy grows.”
Atanu Acharya
Acharya, an assistant professor of chemistry at the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), is a computational chemist who uses quantum mechanics, molecular dynamics and machine learning to solve biochemical puzzles, ranging from the respiration of “metal-breathing” bacteria to controlling biochemical reactions with light to understanding how microplastics and nanoplastics get through cell membranes.
His research depends on high-performance computing and simulations, as if he is using a “computational microscope,” a term often used to describe the field. Similar computational tools underlie material design, giving his students skills directly transferable to the region’s growing STEM-focused industries.
Zhenyu Gan
Gan, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the College of Engineering and Computer Science, directs the Dynamic Locomotion and Robotics Lab, studying how animals shift fluidly between gaits and applying those principles to legged robots that can adjust their posture, leg length or shape depending on the task. Gan also studies robotic exoskeletons designed to reduce injury and fatigue in physically demanding jobs.
His research in robotics, controls and automation sits squarely in fields central to advanced chip fabrication, where precision robotics keep cleanroom production lines running, allowing Gan’s students to develop the engineering skills valued by companies like Micron.
Angela Oliverio
Oliverio, assistant professor of biology at A&S, studies the ecology and evolution of microbes—from geothermal amoebae that survive near the boiling point of water to synthetic microbial communities that she builds in the lab. She and her students investigate “community coalescence,” or what happens when separate microbial communities merge, with implications for agriculture, medicine and biotechnology.
That data-intensive approach to biology mirrors the data science techniques increasingly used in semiconductor fabrication, giving her students large-scale data analysis skills that translate well beyond biology.
The trio will be honored at an award ceremony Nov. 5 at the MOST.
