Hao Zheng

Big ideas don’t wait — and neither do the researchers behind them. The 2026 Reach for the Stars honorees — six UCF assistant professors — are already making a substantial impact on their respective fields through meaningful research and creative work that extends far beyond campus, with national and international influence. Across disciplines, their work and research…

Three UCF faculty were named 2025 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program award winners while two recent faculty hires transferred their CAREER projects to continue their work at Florida’s Premier Engineering and Technology University. All five awardees teach and conduct research through UCF’s College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS), and together their funding…