Physics Professor Receives Governor’s Award for Excellence in Scientific Research

Above: Sorinel Oprisan, third from left, with Governor Henry McMaster, Sebastian van Delden, dean of the School of Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering, and his wife, Ana Oprisan.

Sorinel Oprisan, professor of physics at the College of Charleston, is the 2023 recipient of the South Carolina Governor’s Award for Excellence in Scientific Research at a Predominantly Undergraduate Institution.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster recognized Oprisan during an awards ceremony on July 19, 2023. The Governor’s Award for Excellence in Scientific Research at a Predominantly Undergraduate Institution recognizes an individual whose achievements and contributions to science over at least a 10-year period at a predominately undergraduate South Carolina university or college merit special recognition.

Oprisan joined the College in 2005 and has taught a wide range of courses from algebra- and calculus-based introductory physics to upper-level physics and biophysics courses. An outstanding and internationally recognized scientist, Oprisan actively engages students in his groundbreaking research, which has significantly expanded the world’s knowledge of computational neuroscience. He has mentored almost 50 undergraduate research students, and 17 of his peer-reviewed research papers have undergraduate co-authors.