The College Research and Creative Activity (RCA) Awards were established in 2024 to honor distinguished faculty research and creative activity. College deans chose recipients, each of whom receives a $2,000 award and a commemorative plaque. The UNO Alumni Association is proud to sponsor one award recipient each year.
Chancellor Joanne Li, Dean Neal Grandgenett, Gwenael Layec, Song-young Park, Sara Myers, Phil He
Gwenael Layec is an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He completed his doctoral work in Marseille, France, at the Center for Magnetic Resonance in Biology and Medicine, a leading European center for translational research using magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopic methods. Building upon this foundation, he gained further expertise with clinical populations during his time in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Utah, before establishing his first laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research now focuses on the mechanisms by which stressors such as oxidative stress and environmental pollutants lead to vascular dysfunction and metabolic dysregulation, with the aim of identifying pathways for therapeutic intervention. He investigates drug-based and lifestyle strategies, such as heat therapy, to improve mobility and health in clinical populations, with the overarching goal of reducing disease burden. As co-director of the Vascular and Metabolic Phenotyping Research Laboratory, he aims to cultivate a collaborative environment where his trainees can conduct impactful, high-quality research.