Dr. Reza Khanbilvardi Receives the Longevity Award as Part of the 2025 President’s Faculty and Staff Service & Excellence Awards

As part of the President’s 2025 Faculty and Staff Service & Excellence Awards ceremony held on May 6, 2025 at the City College of the City University of New York, CREST Executive Director and NOAA Chair and Professor at the Grove School of Engineering, Dr. Reza Khanbilvardi received the Longevity Award. The award was presented to Dr. Khanbilvardi by the Dean of the Grove School of Engineering, Dean Alexander Couzis. 

The award honors Dr. Khanbilvardi for 40  years of exceptional service to CUNY. Throughout his tenure, Dr. Khanbilvardi has shown deep commitment to student mentorship and academic leadership. He has played a pivotal role in shaping organizations, serving as the director of the CUNY CREST Institute (2010–present), the NOAA Cooperative Science Center – CREST (2001–2016), NOAA CESSRST (2016–2021), and currently leading the Earth System Sciences and Environmental Engineering program at CCNY (2023–present). He also established the United Nations Hub at CCNY on Remote Sensing for Sustainable Innovation and Resilient Urban Systems (R-SRIUS), the first of its kind in the United States.

Dr. Khanbilvardi has served as principal investigator or co-investigator on over $100 million in research grants, supported by prestigious agencies including National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Science Foundation (NSF), USAID, the United Nations (UN), United States Agency for International Development (USDA), and others. Learn more about Dr. Khanbilvardi here.  

Expressing gratitude on receiving the honor, Dr. Khanbilvardi said, “Spending a significant portion of my academic and professional journey at CCNY has been both formative and transformative. The diverse, intellectually stimulating environment at The Grove School of Engineering not only deepened my technical expertise but also cultivated a strong sense of social responsibility and innovation.”