Early Career Investigator Awards

Save the Date: Celebration of Research

The Early Career Investigator Award (ECIA) and Industry-Sponsored Researcher Award (ISRA) distinguished faculty awardees will be honored at the upcoming Celebration of Research taking place Thursday, April 16, 2026 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Ballroom of the Diaz Compean Student Union. This annual event also highlights the outstanding accomplishments of faculty and student researchers across campus.

Registration will open in early spring.

Reward and Recognition

The award recipient will receive a commemorative trophy, a cash award of $5,000, and a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition. The award will be presented at the Celebration of Research on on Thursday, April 16, 2025. A profile of each recipient’s accomplishments will be announced to faculty and staff via email, and featured on the Research Foundation’s website and in the Research Foundation’s Annual Report. This information may also be publicized in university media.

2024 Awardee

Please join us in congratulating the 2024 San José State University Research Foundation (SJSURF) Early Career Investigator Award (ECIA) and the Industry-Sponsored Researcher Award (ISRA) recipients.

Drs. Gaojian Huang (left) and Saugher Nojan (right)

Dr.  Gaojian Huang

Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering

Dr. Gaojian Huang joined the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering in August 2021. His research focuses on human-centered AI, designing adaptive systems that improve the accessibility and safety of technologies such as intelligent mobility platforms and self-driving vehicles. Since joining SJSU, Dr. Huang has published 14 journal articles, 32 conference papers, and brought in $467,200 in research funding from agencies such as the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Transportation, and Honda Research Institute USA. As the director of the Behavior, Accessibility, and Technology (BAT) Lab, he leads projects that develop AI-powered adaptive interfaces and cognitive state monitoring tools, with the goal of improving real-time human-machine interaction. Dr. Huang’s research program is deeply student-centered — his mentees have gone on to doctorate programs at top-tier institutions and industry positions at companies like Tesla, Amazon, and Honda. Their achievements include campus-wide fellowships, top CSU research honors, and national conference presentations. Dr. Huang’s work exemplifies the power of inclusive research design and the transformative role of mentorship in advancing both scholarship and student success.

Dr.  Saugher Nojan

Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences
College of Social Sciences

Since joining San José State University in Fall 2021, Dr. Saugher Nojan has emerged as a rising research leader with a growing national reputation. Her interdisciplinary work examines complex social questions through a community-centered lens, and she has secured over $300,000 in competitive external research funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the Mozilla Foundation. Dr. Nojan has published seven peer-reviewed journal articles — five of which were completed at SJSU — and her work continues to gain visibility across scholarly networks. Her research program doubles as a robust student training ground, offering hands-on research opportunities that enhance academic development and professional readiness for both undergraduate and graduate students. Through collaborative inquiry and the real-world application of her findings, Dr. Nojan advances scholarship that benefits students and communities alike. Her growing portfolio of publications and successful grant activity reflects a deep commitment to impactful, engaged research.

Past ECIA Awardees

Congratulations to all of our previous recipients.