- Andrew Altieri has been named the Scott and Lindy Hearne Rising Star Professor in ESSIE.
- The professorship supports faculty in the Center for Coastal Solutions.
- The Hearnes view their support of the professorship as a tangible way to protect the Florida coastline.
Associate Professor Andrew Altieri, Ph.D., has been named the Scott and Lindy Hearne Rising Star Professor in the Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment, known as ESSIE.
The professorship supports faculty in the Center for Coastal Solutions, or CCS, and will specifically provide Altieri and his students with greater flexibility to pursue novel research and the ability to rapidly respond to emerging water-quality challenges.
Altieri is the second holder of the professorship, following in the footsteps of David Kaplan, Ph.D., also of CCS. Altieri currently serves as the center’s associate director.
“I am honored and excited to have received the recognition and award represented by this Hearne Rising Star Professorship,” Altieri said. “I value the special relationship it represents between our research program here at UF and families such as Scott and Lindy Hearne, who are committed to driving insights and solutions for healthy coasts.”
Altieri earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of California at Santa Cruz and his doctorate at Brown University, which he followed with postdoctoral studies at Northeastern University and Brown University.
Prior to joining the University of Florida, Altieri served as a staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.
The Hearne professorship dovetails nicely with Altieri’s research interests. His work focuses on human impacts on coastal ecosystems, particularly the ecological interactions underlying those impacts.
“The Rising Star Professorship will allow my research group to take risks, respond rapidly to unforeseen opportunities and represent the Center for Coastal Solutions and ESSIE as we engage with our network of collaborators and stakeholders,” Altieri said.
The Hearnes are excited to continue their relationship with UF and CCS.
“The University of Florida is a great place to leave a legacy, and the Center for Coastal Solutions is a good place to focus your energy if you want to help improve the environment and you are able to help financially,” Scott Hearne noted in 2023 when they created the endowment.
The Hearnes view the CCS as a nexus of ideas in the state, combining and multiplying the efforts of different parties and stakeholders, while forming a central point of contact for funneling resources. They view their support of the center and other organizations, such as Captains for Clean Waters and Mote Marine Laboratory, as a way of making a tangible difference in the state they love.
They hope their involvement will inspire others in Florida to get involved.