The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry announced two faculty members have been given awards:
Deepak Kumar was named Exemplary Researcher for 2025-26 at ESF. This award recognizes active researchers with outstanding publication records, impactful research programs, and strong mentorship of graduate and undergraduate students.
Nominated by peers and selected by the Committee on Research and Scholarship, awardees are evaluated on publication impact, success in securing external funding, and student mentorship.
Kumar joined ESF's department of chemical engineering in 2019 and quickly became a leader in sustainable technology. His lab develops eco-friendly solutions such as PFAS-removal materials and biodegradable plastics from industrial waste. Known for bridging innovation and real-world application, Kumar collaborates with teams nationwide and globally.
Since 2020, he has published more than 65 of his 94 peer-reviewed papers, accumulating more than 5,000 citations. He is editor of "Sustainable Biorefining of Woody Biomass to Biofuels and Biochemicals" book and has contributed extensively to conferences and book chapters.
Kumar has secured funding for more than 20 research projects and plays a lead role in initiatives at the New York State Center for Sustainable Materials Management.
Kumar mentors a dynamic team of Ph.D. and M.S. students and postdoctoral researchers. He has graduated three Ph.D. and two M.S. students, with his group publishing widely in leading journals. He also introduced a popular course on process modeling and techno-economic analysis, drawing students from across ESF and Syracuse University.
Nationally and internationally recognized in biological and chemical engineering, Kumar is a rising leader in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), having served in leadership roles and as session organizer for more than 10 years. He also contributes as an associate editor and journal reviewer, underscoring his broad impact on the field.
Kumar has a Ph.D. biological and ecological engineering from Oregon State University, a master of science degree in agricultural engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur, India; and a B. Tech in agricultural engineering from Punjab Agricultural University in India.
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Yaqi You has been honored as one of the inaugural faculty awardees of the Chancellor's Horizon Award for Faculty Research and Scholarship by SUNY ESF Chancellor John B. King Jr. The honor awards early-career faculty research and scholarly achievements across SUNY's colleges and universities.
You is an assistant professor in ESF's department of environmental resources engineering. Her research focuses on the interactions between microbial communities and emerging contaminants in natural and engineered systems, aiming to develop innovative solutions for resource recovery, ecosystem sustainability, and public health improvement. She employs multi-omics approaches, analytical chemistry, and environmental engineering principles to study these interactions.
The Chancellor's Horizon Award for Faculty Research and Scholarship honors early career tenured and tenure track faculty whose scholarly or creative activities have already achieved significant recognition and, crucially, hold strong promise for field-defining impact in the future. You was among 10 inaugural awardees from across SUNY.
Yoo received a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a postdoctoral fellow in environmental health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.