Soroya to Receive 2026 Lois Lunin Award
The Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) is delighted to announce that Saira Hanif Soroya is the 2026 recipient of the Lois Lunin Award. This award recognizes individuals who have made noteworthy contributions to the practice of information science and technology through leadership, mentoring, and innovation.
Saira is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information and Library Science at Southern Connecticut State
University. She earned her PhD from the University of the Punjab, Pakistan. Her research interests include health informatics, human information behavior, human–computer interaction, information security, social informetrics, metrics (including bibliometrics, scientometrics, and altmetrics), information literacy, library and information services, and artificial intelligence in libraries.
Soroya has been recognized as one of the top 2% most-cited scientists in the world for two consecutive years. She has received the James A. Crestos Award from ASIS&T and was also the first-place winner of the ASIS&T International Paper Contest.
In nominating Soroya for the award, Devendra Potnis from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville stated, “Dr. Soroya’s accomplishments reflect a rare combination of intellectual rigor, innovative thinking, and sustained commitment to community and professional development. Her work integrates leadership, mentoring, and research in ways that produce tangible and lasting contributions to the field of information science and technology. Importantly, her trajectory indicates strong potential for continued influence, particularly in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, health informatics, and equitable information access”.
Upon learning of his selection as the 2026 Lois Lunin Award winner, Soroya said, “I am deeply honored to receive the 2026 Lois Lunin Award. Lois Lunin’s legacy of connecting research, professional service, and innovation will continue to inspire my work, and this recognition strengthens my commitment to supporting student growth, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and using information science to improve access, understanding, and equity for diverse communities. I dedicate this award to the memory of my late mother, whose unwavering support, encouragement, and inspiration have guided me throughout my life and career.”
Soroya will receive the award during the 2026 meeting of ASIS&T which will be held 6-10 November 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand.
About ASIS&T
The Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) is the only professional association that bridges the gap between information science practice and research. For nearly 90 years, ASIS&T has been leading the search for new and better theories, techniques, and technologies to improve access to information.