Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems (SyracuseCoE) has awarded more than $44,000 in funding to advance innovative faculty research at Syracuse University in collaboration with industry partners. Three professors in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) will receive 2026 SyracuseCoE Faculty Fellow awards.
SyracuseCoE’s Faculty Fellows program is designed to catalyze new, externally sponsored research projects that contribute to economic growth and workforce development with New York State businesses. All applicants are required to partner with a New York State company seeking technology, intellectual property, or technoeconomic expertise.
The 2026 Faculty Fellows are:
- Professor Lihong Lao, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), ECS, Syracuse University
- Professor Zhao Qin, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), ECS, Syracuse University
- Professor Qinru Qiu, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), ECS, Syracuse University
Lao’s project, “Biomass Filter Material and Its Integrated Device to Remove Water Contaminants,” aims to create a biomass filter that uses solar heating to clean polluted water without electricity or specialized infrastructure. MAE Professor Changmin Shi will serve as co-principal investigator, and Syracuse-based startup TAF Carbon is the project’s industry partner.
Qin’s project, “Mycelium-based Double Network Composites for Indoor Air Filtration,” will develop and optimize mycelium–polypropylene (Myco-PP) network composites for use in indoor air filtration systems, aiming to remove contamination from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Qin will partner with Carrier Corporation and MAE Professor Tong Lin.
Qiu’s project, “Neuromorphic Inspired Environment Sensing for Smart Buildings Control and Monitoring,” will use Syracuse University’s LEED Platinum facility at 727 E. Washington Street as a testbed. SyracuseCoE Co-Director and MAE Professor, Bing Dong, will collaborate with Qiu on this effort to develop a processing framework capable of predicting and diagnosing complex patterns in building monitoring sensors. Qiu will leverage industry partnerships built through her role as Syracuse University Site Director for the NSF Industry-University Collaboration Research Center (IUCRC) for Alternative Sustainable and Intelligent Computing.
“We thank all the applicants who made significant effort in developing strong proposals and collaborative relationships with industry partners,” says Jianshun “Jensen” Zhang, MAE Interim Department Chair and Executive Director of SyracuseCoE. “It has been a difficult decision in the final selection of awardees, as we received significantly more high-quality proposals than we can fund. We will continue to seek other ways that we can support innovation through SyracuseCoE’s shared research and development labs, networking and joint proposals to external funding agencies and industries.”
As New York State’s Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems, SyracuseCoE advances research and commercialization activities that support clean energy, healthy buildings, and resilient communities. Since 2015, the SyracuseCoE Faculty Fellows program has allocated over $1.1 million to research and development projects led by more than 70 faculty members from Syracuse University and its academic partners, including SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, and SUNY Oswego.
“Every dollar we dedicate to the Faculty Fellows program is an investment in our regional economy, strengthening Central New York’s research and development ecosystem for companies, including startups,” says Zhang.