Four members of the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s (GTRI) faculty have been honored by the University System of Georgia's (USG) Board of Regents with 2024 Regents’ Researcher designation. These accolades recognize the recipients’ outstanding contributions and excellence in education, research, and innovation. 
GTRI research faculty named as Regents’ Researcher are:

• Gregory Showman, Principal Research Engineer in SEAL and GTRI Fellow. His existing Regents’ Researcher designation was reaffirmed this year by USG.
• Jeffrey Sitterle, Chief Innovation Officer, Information and Cyber Sciences Directorate.
• Jie Xu, Principal Research Scientist in ATAS.
• David Zurn, Principal Research Engineer in ELSYS.

Each year, GTRI may nominate two research faculty members for Regents' Researcher. The college deans at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) may nominate two academic faculty members for the Regents' Professor title and one research faculty member for the Regents' Researcher title. 
The GTRI researchers are among 19 members of the Georgia Tech community who received USG Regents honors. 

The titles are awarded upon approval of the USG chancellor and its Committee on Academic Affairs only with unanimous recommendation of the Institute Regents Professor and Researcher Selection Committee, the Georgia Tech president, the executive vice president for Research, and the provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs.

GTRI's Regents' Researchers

Gregory Showman

Greg Showman has more than three decades of experience in advanced radio frequency (RF) sensor research and development. His primary areas of focus include the design and implementation of innovative signal processing techniques for radar imaging, electronic protection, and multi-dimensional adaptive filtering.

"I am delighted to be renewed as Regents' Researcher for a second term," said Showman. "It is such an honor to be included in this august collection of Regents' Professors, Researchers, Entrepreneurs, and Innovators.  Their accomplishments and contributions are simply awe-inspiring."

Jeffrey Sitterle 

Jeff Sitterle has nearly 40 years of research experience in RF sensors, propagation, radar, communications, and electronic warfare.  Dr. Sitterle is currently the Chief Innovation Officer for the Information and Cyber Sciences Directorate. Over his long career, he has served in multiple leadership positions, including Chief Scientist of GTRI, Director of the GTRI Biotechnology and Nanotechnology Research Initiative, Director of the Information and Communication Lab (ICL), Interim Director of the Health and Environmental Systems Lab (HESL), and Director of the Systems Development Lab (SDL).

Jie Xu

Jie Xu is Chemical and Biological Systems Branch Head within ATAS. Dr. Xu’s research initiatives span a wide spectrum of applications, including food safety, medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and pathogen mitigation. Dr. Xu enjoys working with teams comprised of individuals with different technical backgrounds, fostering research freedom and collaboration.

David Zurn

Since joining GTRI’s Electronic Systems Laboratory (ELSYS) in 2003, Zurn has worked on a variety of EW-related research efforts including radar warning receiver hardware and software development and test, missile warning system hardware and software test, and development of hardware in the loop (HITL) test solutions tailored to EW applications. Zurn is currently the Division Chief of the Test Engineering Division within ELSYS.

"The appointment to Regent Researcher is a great honor," said Zurn. "I’m humbled to be in the company of an esteemed list of recent regents designees and part of the world-class GT/GTRI research enterprise."

“These amazing colleagues exemplify the spirit of excellence and dedication that defines Georgia Tech's faculty,” said Steve McLaughlin, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “Their contributions not only advance knowledge within their respective fields but also positively impact our community at large. Working alongside these faculty members is an honor and inspires me every day.”

Writer: Christopher Weems
GTRI Communications
Georgia Tech Research Institute
Atlanta, Georgia

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,900 employees, supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $940 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry. GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.