FAMU-FSU College of Engineering faculty selected for the inaugural Danfoss Faculty Fellowship and Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Pictured left to right are: Bayaner Arigong, Ryan Gosse, William Oates, past Danfoss Turbocor president Ricardo Schneider, Danfoss Turbocor president Rogerio Federici, Subramanian Ramakrishnan, Zhibin Yu, Ebrahim Ahmadisharaf, and Hui Wang with a Danfoss Turbocor compressor at the end of the assembly line at Danfoss in Tallahassee, Florida. (Scott Holstein/FAMU-FSU College of Engineering)
The FAMU-FSU College of Engineering recently launched the Danfoss Research Fellowship Program, a pioneering industry-academic partnership aimed at advancing engineering research and strengthening international collaboration in sustainable building technologies.
Strategic Partnership Drives Innovation
The new fellowship program brings together the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, global HVAC leader Danfoss Turbocor and the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) in a collaboration designed to accelerate innovation in heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems while nurturing the next generation of engineering leaders.
“This fellowship program reflects our commitment to the future by aligning academic innovation with industry expertise and empowering FSU faculty researchers to shape the next generation of engineering leaders,” said Rogerio Federici, CEO of Danfoss.
The program provides $25,000 in seed funding per project to support research initiatives, international travel and professional development opportunities. Fellows participate in program events, acknowledge Danfoss in their scholarly work and submit comprehensive reports documenting their achievements, publications, new proposals and broader societal impact.
Building Global Research Networks
University-industry partnerships have become essential for advancing engineering education and research, particularly as federal funding landscapes evolve. These collaborations provide students with real-world experience while accelerating the translation of academic discoveries into practical applications.
“Collaborations with industry leaders like Danfoss are essential to our mission,” said Suvranu De, dean of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. “These partnerships provide our students with invaluable real-world experience, open doors to innovative research, and expand international collaborations with the Southern Denmark University, and ensure that our graduates are prepared to drive progress in today’s rapidly evolving engineering landscape.”
Zhiyong (Richard )Liang, the college’s associate dean of research, emphasized the program’s strategic importance. “This program is a major boost to the college collaboration with our industrial partners and is the result of the decade-long collaboration we have had with Danfoss.”
Inaugural Fellowship Class
Seven FAMU-FSU College of Engineering faculty members were selected as the inaugural 2025 class of Danfoss Faculty Fellows. Working alongside Danfoss engineers, SDU researchers and graduate student research fellows, they will advance projects in critical engineering disciplines:
- Ebrahim Ahmadisharaf (Civil & Environmental Engineering): Promoting indoor air quality and healthy commercial buildings under various weather conditions.
- Ryan Gosse (Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering): Development of implicit time-marching methods and meshing for GPU acceleration.
- William S. Oates (Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering): Digital twins of complexity — monitoring and analyzing advanced systems.
- Bayaner Arigong (Electrical & Computer Engineering): Programmable analog circuits for control miniaturization and reliability.
- Zhibin Yu (Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering): Novel labyrinth seal with 3D-printed high-entropy ceramics for next-generation Turbocor compressors.
- Hui Wang (Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering): Predictive maintenance and contamination diagnostics in HVAC and refrigeration systems, given incomplete data.
- Subramanian Ramakrishnan (Chemical & Biomedical Engineering): Advanced materials and manufacturing of integrated thermocouples and EMI shielding materials.
Ricardo Schneider, Danfoss executive advisor, emphasized the program’s collaborative spirit. “The Danfoss Fellow Program showcases what becomes possible when private industry and public research institutions work side by side to address the world’s most pressing challenges,” he said. “Climate resilience, energy efficiency, digitalization, and sustainable manufacturing require not only scientific excellence but also an innovation mindset grounded in curiosity and long-term value creation. This is the Danfoss DNA — and the driving force behind our commitment to Engineering a Better Future.”
Schneider continued, “We are proud to recognize this year’s seven Danfoss Fellows, each selected for meaningful, cutting-edge research with the potential to shape the next generation of sustainable technologies. Their work strengthens the growing collaboration between FSU, SDU and Danfoss, building a powerful bridge between education, research and industry impact.”
Advancing Research Excellence
The fellowship creates opportunities for engineering faculty and graduate students to tackle real-world challenges while building international research networks. By working directly with industry experts on applied research projects, fellows gain experience that enhances both their professional development and the quality of their academic contributions.
“This program provides an important opportunity for our faculty and graduate students to work with real-world engineering challenges side-by-side with industrial experts,” Liang said. “It is great for faculty and student career development and success. We truly appreciate the Danfoss support and collaboration.”
The Danfoss Research Fellowship Program represents a strategic investment in the future of engineering innovation, connecting academic research with industry needs while preparing graduates to address pressing challenges in sustainable building technologies and energy efficiency.
Editor’s Note: This article was edited with a custom prompt for Claude Sonnet 4.5, an AI assistant created by Anthropic. The AI optimized the article for SEO discoverability, improved clarity, structure and readability while preserving the original reporting and factual content. All information and viewpoints remain those of the author and publication. This article was edited and fact-checked by college staff before being published. This disclosure is part of our commitment to transparency in our editorial process. Last edited: 02/24/2026.
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