Twenty one researchers in areas ranging from optics, medicine, psychology and education were recognized last week in what has become a much-anticipated campus tradition – induction into the UCF Millionaires Club.

The club, which was established in 2000, recognizes researchers who have received external sponsored funding of $1 million or more in the last fiscal year. In addition to the millionaires, 95 innovators, researchers who have taken the first step in the patenting process by filing invention disclosures, were recognized as well. In a ceremony at UCF’s Morgridge International Reading Center, UCF Provost Tony Waldrop congratulated the researchers for their role in UCF’s rapid rise as a major metropolitan research university.

“The entire Florida economy counts on your work,” he said. MJ Soileau, vice president for research and commercialization, presented each millionaire with a custom UCF Millionaire lapel pin and a flash drive containing professional portraits that were taken of them over the last month.

Soileau also recognized 11 new faculty and encouraged them to seek out the advice and experience of their successful peers. Soileau started the event shortly after he became vice president to celebrate the accomplishments of highly funded researchers much in the same manner that universities traditionally celebrate the success of sports teams.

Millionaires recognized and the amount of funding they received in fiscal year 2013:

Lynn Hansen – UCF Career Services – $8 million

Tom O’Neal – Office of Research & Commercialization – $6.9 Million

Rosemarye Taylor – College of Education & Human Performance – $4.8 Million

Deborah Beidel – College of Sciences – $4.1 Million

Martin Richardson – College of Optics & Photonics – $3 Million

Brian Plamondon – Institute for Simulation & Training – $2.9 Million

Larry Chew – College of Engineering & Computer Science – $2.7 Million

Andrew Daire – College of Education and Human Performance – $2.3 Million

Winston Schoenfeld – College of Optics & Photonics – $2.3 Million

Janet Andreasen – College of Education and Human Performance – $2.2 Million

Mubarak Shah – College of Engineering & Computer Science – $2 Million

Eunice Choi – Small Business Development Center – $1.7 Million

Alexander Cole – College of Medicine – $1.5 Million

Matthieu Baudelet – College of Optics & Photonics – $1.4 Million

Jaydeep Mukharjee – Florida Space Institute – $1.3 Million

Michael Georgiopoulos – College of Engineering & Computer Science – $1.3 Million

Cameron Ford – College of Business Administration – $1.2 Million

Talat Rahman – College of Sciences – $1.2 Million

Erhan Haciomergolu – College of Education and Human Performance – $1.1 Million

Tammie Mcclellan – Institute for Simulation & Training – $1 Million

Sudipta Seal – NanoScience Technology Center and Advanced Materials Processing & Analysis Center – $1 Million