UFRF Professorships are awarded to faculty members who have established a strong record of research excellence while demonstrating the capacity to shape their fields in meaningful and lasting ways. Since the program’s inception in 1997, the foundation has recognized over a thousand UF researchers whose scholarship contributes to the university’s national and international impact.

Read more about UF Research Foundation Names 2026 UFRF Professors.

Representatives of the eight partner institutions in the consortium — Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida A&M University, Florida Institute of Technology, Florida International University, Florida State University,  the University of Central Florida, the University of Florida and the University of South Florida — joined NASA officials, space industry leaders and investors in a day-long discussion of how to strengthen Florida’s competitiveness in a rapidly expanding global space economy.

Read more about Universities, NASA and Space Companies Meet To Discuss the Future of Florida’s Space Ecosystem.

“The Florida Semiconductor Institute will be a huge asset for Jacksonville and an enormous boost for Florida’s economy, and having FSI in Jacksonville will be a huge asset for UF,” said Mori Hosseini, chair of UF’s Board of Trustees.

In October 2023, UF’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering announced the establishment of the FSI – a campus- and state-wide coordinating hub to provide intellectual and technological leadership for semiconductors in the 21st century.The Florida Semiconductor Institute, unveiled during a UF Board of Trustees meeting, is expected to drive innovation in semiconductor research and manufacturing.

The program is a collaboration between UF Research, UF Research Computing and NVIDIA, which together are providing $2.4 million in seed funding and in-kind computer time and consulting for students, post-docs and faculty working on specific projects.

“This program is to help faculty who need access to hundreds of GPUs to perform analysis on billions of pieces of data,” said David Norton, UF’s vice president for research. “These projects are expected to open up whole new avenues of artificial intelligence research and position the researchers to pursue other large external grants.”

“This recognition goes to faculty who have a distinguished current record of research and a strong research agenda that is likely to lead to continuing distinction in their fields,” said David Norton, UF’s vice president for research. “UFRF Professors earn significant grants; publish in the leading journals in their field; hold university leadership positions; and contribute to the university in countless other ways.”

The UFRF Professors were recommended by their college deans based on nominations from their department chairs, a personal statement and an evaluation of their recent research accomplishments as evidenced by publications in scholarly journals, external funding, honors and awards, development of intellectual property and other measures appropriate to their field of expertise.

There are only about 15 public universities in the U.S. that have achieved this mark — an accomplishment that highlights not only the excellence of UF’s faculty, staff, and students but also the commitment of the institution to pursue meaningful research that impacts the state, nation, and world.

While $1 billion a year in research is a remarkable feat, it is the impact of our research in advancing knowledge, creating new technologies, and powering Florida’s economy that really counts.

The academy, which recognizes the work of individuals of the State of Florida who have made major achievements in science, engineering, and medicine, will present awards to the following faculty during its annual meeting on November 5-6 in Orlando.

“This recognition by the Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine of Florida is a reflection of the stature and impact of the research and scholarship efforts of our faculty here at the University of Florida,” said David Norton, UF’s vice president for research.