2026 Distinguished Scholars and Early Career Distinguished Scholars

Browning’s research interests include the causes and consequences of community social organization; the neighborhood context of crime, risk behavior, and health; the long-term effects of maltreatment during childhood; and multilevel statistical models. “When something like this happens, it doesn’t happen without the support of others,” said Browning. 

“The fact is our department is filled with distinguished scholars, and yet none would get recognized without the hard work of the Awards and Prizes Committee,” said Hoffmann. Hoffmann is a specialist in Russian and Soviet history, with a particular focus on the political, social and cultural history of Stalinism. 

“I've been at OSU for 20 years now, and during this time I have had the pleasure of working with over 40 outstanding PhD students and postdocs. It is really their amazing work which is being recognized," said Jaroniec. Jaroniec develops advanced solid-state NMR techniques to study the structure and function of complex biological molecules essential to human health. 

“I feel fortunate to be able to work in a department that has supported my research and allowed me to explore the kinds of questions that I find meaningful," said Jones, who is an internationally recognized authority on the manuscripts, literature and customs of early medieval Christianity. 

“Anything that I've accomplished is only because of surrounding myself with superb people, colleagues, students, staff, and other trainees, who are incredibly talented and work really hard,” said Ringel. Ringel’s research focuses on molecular mechanisms involved in thyroid cancer invasion and metastasis, with an interest in new drug testing for thyroid cancer therapy.

“I am deeply honored to receive this award, which I share with my dedicated students, colleagues, and collaborators,” said Shen. “This award is as much theirs as it is mine.” Shen’s primary research interests are data visualization, machine learning, high-performance computing and computer graphics. 

“I'm happy to have the opportunity to do this research,” said Brinberg. “I want to thank my colleagues for their support and my students and collaborators for making this work possible.” Brinberg’s research focuses on examining interpersonal interactions in everyday life and developing methods to better understand those interactions.

“I feel so incredibly fortunate to do work that I love every day,” said Caccese. Caccese is a leading researcher in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and concussion, pioneering new ways to understand, prevent and manage brain injuries in high-risk populations, from youth athletes to first responders.

“Moving forward, I hope also to give back the favor that I received from others to continue supporting other junior faculty down the road." Li, a materials and semiconductor engineer, leads a research group focused on developing optoelectronic interfaces, imaging tools, and probes for living systems to tackle biological challenges and improve human health.