Dr. Rana Zakerzadeh has received the prestigious CAREER award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). An assistant professor in the School of Science and Engineering, she is only the fourth Duquesne faculty member to receive this award since 2007.
The CAREER award supports junior faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education, and lead advances in their organizations. Activities pursued by early-career faculty build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research.
“I’m truly honored to receive this recognition from the NSF,” said Zakerzadeh, who teaches biomedical engineering. “I am looking forward to the opportunities this award will bring to Duquesne and to provide training and education for students, especially those from marginalized backgrounds.”
Zakerzadeh’s five-year CAREER project will help advance simulation technologies to achieve a fundamental understanding of the vascular lesions of human vocal folds, which are common in professions with high voice usage, such as educators, public speakers and singers. The project will develop predictive computational models to analyze the underlying mechanisms of lesion growth and fatigue. The models may be considered for potential use in surgery and enhanced prevention of voice disorders.
The award will also support the education and training of underrepresented minorities and virtual and on-site outreach activities to help increase understanding of voice disorders, including an annual summer workshop at Duquesne.
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