As Florida State University’s 16th president, Richard McCullough brings to the role more than three decades of experience in academic research and leadership that have helped him hit the ground running since his arrival last August.

"Isn’t it just so beautiful?” Florida State University associate professor of neuroscience Wen Li asks, gazing at the image on her computer screen, smiling from ear to ear. Li looks at MRI scans of a human brain the way many people look at a colorful sunset, and her passion for neuroscience and clinical psychology is undeniably infectious.

Pursuing a career in academia or research can be an overwhelming prospect for recent doctoral graduates, and the prospect of a career combining both can be downright daunting. However, some of Florida State University’s junior faculty are getting national attention and support to launch groundbreaking research careers.

A university education is commonly seen as a gateway for students to access careers in the corporate world. But the country’s top universities also serve as centers for early-stage research and development and hubs for innovation.

For the past decade, digital data has experienced exponential growth as technology has changed how information is created, captured and consumed. The amount can easily double from year to year, and Statista projects 181 zetabytes — that’s 181 billion terabytes — will be produced in 2025.

Like superheroes, most meteorologists have an origin story. A lifelong passion for weather often starts with a single moment when Mother Nature’s fury leaps off the television screen and into real life.

For Department of Classics alumna Cheyenne Tempest, conducting research abroad seemed like an impossible dream. Thanks to gifts from generous Florida State University College of Arts and Sciences donors, Tempest has excavated at archaeological sites in Italy as well as designed and mounted museum-level exhibitions in one of the world’s most culturally rich cities.

In the heart of London in 1971, the Beatles were just embarking on their new solo careers, bell-bottom jeans were all the rage, and the United Kingdom was still adjusting to the introduction of decimal currency. That year, Florida State University welcomed its first students to its new study abroad program in London.

When the sun rose over the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee April 17, the air crackled with anticipation. For the first time in over a year, Florida State University was hosting in-person commencement ceremonies.

Kirstin Soper was instantly captivated by Florida State University’s one-of-a-kind campus and its overwhelming sense of community. Her first impression was one shared by many incoming freshmen: a feeling she had just found her new home.

Like many Florida State alumni, Clay Ingram first became a Seminole standing next to his mailbox, reading a letter. The difference, however, was Ingram’s letter arrived when he was a junior in high school. And it came from Bobby Bowden.

Roberta Tatti is essential to the research pursuits in Florida State’s interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, but she’s not a faculty member. Or a staff member. Or a student. Tatti and nearly 250 other researchers at FSU hold a role unlike any other at the university — they are postdoctoral scholars.