Five UCR faculty members have been named University Scholars, a new program designed to promote the research of young and rising professors at UCR.

Pingyun Feng, associate professor of inorganic chemistry; Andrew Jacobs, associate professor of religious studies; Martin Kennedy, associate professor of geology; Shuba Srinivasan, associate professor of marketing and chair of the Department of Management and Marketing; and Yushan Yan, professor of chemical engineering were all chosen to receive the award, which includes $25,000 per year for three years to support their research, funded by the chancellor's discretionary funds.

"The University Scholars program is an exciting opportunity to help our rising stars achieve their potential. We were pleased with the number of nominations, which led to keen competition with many deserving young scholars," said Ellen Wartella, executive vice chancellor and provost.

College deans, with consultation from faculty at large and the vice provost for academic personnel, can suggest nominees.

Feng's research focuses on the development of ways to make and control catalytic, electronic and optical materials to allow development of new technologies and chemical production methods. These materials integrate uniform porosity with other properties and have a variety of possible applications including catalysis, separation and information processing.

Jacobs' researches early Christian history, biblical interpretation, Jewish- Christian relations in antiquity, gender and cultural studies. He uses contemporary cultural studies in his 2004 book, "Remains of The Jews," to examine the rise of Christianity in the later Roman Empire and how its rise shaped its views of the Jews in the highly charged Holy Land.

Kennedy's research focuses on the evolution of the Precambrian biosphere integrating data from sedimentary rocks and geochemistry. His studies include the geochemical interplay of the inorganic and organic in marine and terrestrial soil systems.

Srinivasan studies strategic marketing problems. She applies data-analytic methods, such as econometrics and time-series analysis, to help managers make better decisions. Her recent examination of the impact of price promotions found that, while consumers win through lower prices and greater selection, retailers and manufacturers benefited less and sometimes saw losses.

Yan's research focuses on the use of carbon nanotubes tiny tubes about 100,000 times thinner than a human hair as catalyst support in fuel cells to reduce the need for platinum nanoparticles, which affect a variety of applications including fuel cells used in automobiles and as replacements for rechargeable batteries. Fuel cell systems produce highly efficient, zero-emission electrical energy. Ideally, chemicals continuously flow through the cells, making them a constant energy source.

University Scholars nominees must be at least associate professors and must show strong evidence of exciting and highly visible research programs. Up to six faculty members may be chosen to receive the award.