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Nitin Agarwal wins UA Little Rock research honor
His work has led to the development of tools that identify adversarial influence campaigns and online scams
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Malvika Choudhary - Mon, 06, Apr 2026
- 16:58 EDT
- 16
Nitin Agarwal / LinkedIn/ Nitin Agarwal
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock named Indian-origin professor Nitin Agarwal as the recipient of its 2026 Faculty Excellence Award in Research and Creative Works.
Agarwal, the Jerry L. Maulden-Entergy endowed chair and Donaghey distinguished professor of Information Science, was selected from college-level honorees for the university’s top faculty honor, recognizing his work in artificial intelligence, social computing, and cognitive security.
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“Understanding how digital information ecosystems influence society is one of the defining challenges of our time,” Agarwal said. “I’m fortunate to work alongside talented students and colleagues who are committed to advancing knowledge and developing solutions that strengthen communities and institutions.”
Agarwal joined UA Little Rock in 2009 and founded the Collaboratorium for Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS), an interdisciplinary research center focused on evolving social and cyber behavior across digital platforms.
The center was designated a statewide research center by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education in 2020.
According to the university, Agarwal has secured more than $60 million in federal funding over the past five years, including support from the National Science Foundation, DARPA, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Nearly $30 million of that funding has supported research initiatives at UA Little Rock.
His research examines how information spreads across online networks and how coordinated digital influence campaigns shape public perception. The university said his work has led to the development of tools that identify adversarial influence campaigns and online scams, used by organizations including NATO, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the World Health Organization.
Agarwal’s work spans areas including behavior-cultural modeling, cognitive threat analysis, social cyber forensics, machine learning, and data mining. His research has examined issues ranging from propaganda and recruitment campaigns to election-related digital manipulation and COVID-19 scams.
UA Little Rock said Agarwal has collaborated with more than 200 researchers across 130 organizations worldwide and has authored 12 books and more than 400 research articles, earning multiple best paper awards.
He currently serves on the Arkansas AI Task Force, appointed by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and participates in the National Tech Innovation Hub launched by the U.S. Department of State.
“Our faculty continue to demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to teaching, research, and service that strengthens both our university and the communities we serve,” provost Ann Bain said.
The Faculty Excellence Awards are the highest honor the university bestows on its faculty. Each university-level recipient receives a $5,000 prize, supported through private funding.
Agarwal previously received the university-wide Faculty Excellence Award in Research and Creative Endeavors in 2015 and 2021. His COVID-19 Scam Tracker was also recognized by the World Health Organization during the pandemic.
He earned his doctorate in computer science from Arizona State University and his bachelor of technology in information technology from the Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad.
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