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DePaul faculty Jalene LaMontagne, Mark Potosnak and Filipo Sharevski have been named Researchers to Know by the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition.Three DePaul faculty whose research is driving innovation have been named Researchers to Know by the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition. Ecologist Jalene LaMontagne, environmental scientist Mark Potosnak and cybersecurity expert Filipo Sharevski made the fifth annual list, which draws nominations from throughout the state. ISTC’s list highlights researchers who have achieved milestones, such as publishing an influential paper, receiving national recognition, or commercializing a new innovation.
“DePaul faculty researchers are among the top in the state, and indeed the country, in addressing the most urgent issues of our day,” says Provost Salma Ghanem. “Congratulations to Jalene, Mark and Filipo for this well-deserved honor. Each of you also bring your experience and excellence into the classroom, inspiring our students and elevating the academic experience at DePaul.”
LaMontagne, a professor of ecology in the Department of Biological Sciences, has distinguished herself internationally for research that spans a wide range of organisms—from conifer trees to woodpeckers and insects. Her research addresses questions related to understanding patterns of tree reproduction, drivers of spatial synchrony, and the effects of climate change and urbanization. A highly collaborative researcher, LaMontagne leads an international long-term ecological research synthesis working group, is a research affiliate with The Morton Arboretum, an adjunct scientist at the Urban Wildlife Institute at the Lincoln Park Zoo, and is a collaborator on the Spruce and Peatland Response Under Changing Environments experiment run by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She was recently awarded two federal grants from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy and currently leads three NSF-funded projects.
Potosnak, a professor and chair in the Department of Environmental Science and Studies, researches interactions between climate change, plants and air quality. For one area of focus, he uses low-cost, wearable sensors for citizen science to measure the environmental justice impacts of urban air pollution. Another interest is exploring how biogenic volatile organic compound emissions from plants affect atmospheric chemistry and how climate change will impact this interaction in the future. He also employs high-altitude balloon systems to measure the carbon dioxide exchange over agricultural regions in Illinois. Potosnak also fosters the work of student researchers, who partner with local nonprofit organizations to meet their data science needs through the Metropolitan Chicago Data-Science Corps.
Sharevski is an associate professor in the Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media. In his cybersecurity research, Sharevski constructs and manipulates reality as it unfolds across the cyber-physical spaces and within power structures. His academic work has been published internationally, including a book on cellular network forensics, cybersecurity curriculum under the Cybersecurity National Action Plan, and academic articles in renewed cybersecurity journals and conferences. In 2021, Sharevski earned a grant from the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity, housed within the National Security Agency, to bring cybersecurity courses into high school classrooms. Sharevski led the creation of the National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy, the first certification program of its kind for high school teachers. His goal is to support teachers, and in turn to open future career paths for high school students.
The full list of Researchers to Know is available online.