Faculty Awards

August 2025:

Professor Sayed Nassar in the Department of Mechanical Engineering received an additional amount of $143,605 from the Georgia Institute of Technology for his research project entitled, Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC).

Associate Professor Jun Chen in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering received $334,218 from the National Science Foundation for his research project entitled, Collaborative Research: Scalable Privacy Verification and Quantification for Multi-Robot Systems.

Associate Professor Douglas Wendell in the Department of Biological Sciences received a supplement of $3,416 from the Great Lakes Commission for his research project entitled, Genetic Identification of Phragmites Subspecies.

Assistant Professor Elizabeth Delorme-Axford in the Department of Biological Sciences received $562,320 from the National Institutes of Health for her research project entitled, The Role of Pseudouridine Synthases in Autophagy.

July 2025:

Associate Professor Adam Avery in the Department of Chemistry received $505,394 from the National Institutes of Health for his research project entitled, Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 5.

Professor Guangzhi Qu in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering received $99,077 from the Oakland County for his research project entitled, Empowering Economic Growth: A Smart Platform for Managing State and County Development Opportunities.

Professor Vardan Karamyan in the Department of Foundational Medical Studies received $3,033,874 from the National Institutes of Health for his research project entitled, Development and Characterization of Small Molecule Activators of Peptidase Neurolysin for Stroke Therapy.

Associate Professor Kwame Sakyi in the Department of Public and Environmental Wellness received $104,919 from the Center for Learning and Childhood Development - Ghana for his research project entitled, EPIC – Engaging Policymakers in Intersectoral Collaboration to Advance Early Childhood Care and Development: An Implementation Research Project.

June 2025:

Professor Sergey Golovashchenko in the Department of Mechanical Engineering received $164,000 from the Ohio State University / National Science Foundation for his research project entitled, Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRC): Center for Industrial Metal Forming.

Assistant Professor Jun Chen in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering received $55,000 from Michigan State University / Michigan Economic Development Corporation for his research project entitled, Affordable Autonomous Vehicle Platform for University Research and Education (ADVANCE Grant).

Associate Professor Tomoko Wakabayashi in the Department of Human Development and Child Studies received $7,000 from the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) for her research project entitled, Evaluation of the B3 Early Literacy Training.

Professor Dan Aloi in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering received $150,124 from the University of Michigan / Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) for his research project entitled, Low Cost Antenna/Radar Measurement System for Advance Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) Development.

Associate Professor David Szlag in the Department of Chemistry received $82,054 from the Army Research Laboratory for his research project entitled, Clinton River Microbial Source Tracking.

Special Instructor Maria Beam in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work and Criminal Justice received $562,821 from the Health Resources and Services Administration for her research project entitled, Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program.

May 2025:

Associate Professor Krzysztof Kobus in the Department of Mechanical Engineering received $15,000 from the University of Michigan / National Aeronautics and Space Administration for his research project entitled, Earth System Sciences STEM Camps, Outreach and Teacher Training.

Assistant Professor Ankun Yang in the Department of Mechanical Engineering received $5,500 from the University of Michigan / National Aeronautics and Space Administration for his research project entitled, AI-Driven SEI Optimization for Sodium Metal Batteries.

Assistant Professor Vandre Figueiredo in the Department of Biological Sciences received $5,000 from the University of Michigan / National Aeronautics and Space Administration for his research project entitled, The Effect of Unilateral Limb Immobilization in Mice on Muscle Ribosome Biogenesis.

Assistant Professor Zhe Wang in the Department of Chemistry received $4,992 from the University of Michigan / National Aeronautics and Space Administration for her research project entitled, Photocatalytic Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species by Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Green Air Disinfection in Ionic Liquid.

Assistant Professor Mst Shapna Akter in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering received $5,000 from the University of Michigan / National Aeronautics and Space Administration for her research project entitled, Efficient Neuro-Symbolic LLM-Driven Framework for Real-Time Detection and Mitigation of Software Vulnerabilities in Autonomous Spacecraft Systems.

Assistant Professor Sarah Beetham in the Department of Mechanical Engineering received $599,821 from the National Science Foundation for her research project entitled, Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Site: More than Automotive--Toward a Healthier, Sustainable Society (MATHS2). She also received $5,000 from the University of Michigan / National Aeronautics and Space Administration for her research project entitled, The Role of Heterogeneity in Iron Particle Combustion-Toward Renewable Extraterrestrial Energy Sources.

Assistant Professor Marco Gerini-Romagnoli in the Department of Mechanical Engineering received $3,997 from the University of Michigan / National Aeronautics and Space Administration for his research project entitled, Effect of 3D Printing Orientation on the Adhesion Properties of Bonded Single-Lap Joints and received $3,999 for his research project entitled, Metal Substrate Adhesion Using Soy-Based Biopolymers.

Professor Laila Guessous in the Department of Mechanical Engineering received $1,500 from the University of Michigan / National Aeronautics and Space Administration for her research project entitled, Michigan Space Grant Consortium Administrator.

Professor Nasser Nasrabadi in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering received $138,000 from the West Virginia University / National Science Foundation for his research project entitled, Towards the Creation of a Large Dataset of High-Quality Face Morphs - Phase III.

Assistant Professor Rebecca Boni in the School of Nursing received $5,000 from Sigma Global Nursing Excellence for her research project entitled, Professional Quality of Life Among Oncology Nurses in the United States.

Associate Professor Jun Chen in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering received $119,845 from the University of Michigan / MTrac Adv Trans for his research project entitled, Sensor Reduction for Large Battery Packs (Year 2).

April 2025:

Associate Professor Dao-Qi Zhang in the Eye Research Institute received $16,600 from the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation for his research project entitled, Therapeutic Strategy of L-Dopa for Premature-Like Retinal Neovascularization.

Associate Professor Amany Tawfik in the Eye Research Institute received $5,000 from the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation for her research project entitled, Exploring the Role and Mechanism of Platelet Activation and Microthrombi in Retinopathy of Prematurity.

Assistant Professor Luis Villa Diaz in the Department of Biological Sciences received $10,000 from the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation for his research project entitled, Modification in Mitochondria Heteroplasmic in the Retina of Kearn-Sayre Syndrome Patients.

Associate Professor Kenneth P. Mitton in the Eye Research Institute received $16,600 from the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation for his research project entitled, The Interplay between Norrin and TGFb/BMP Signaling in Retinal Fibrosis.

Distinguished Professor Yang Xia in the Department of Physics received $51,993 from Corewell Health for his research project entitled, Corewell Student Research Agreement.

Assistant Professor Yongsoon Yoon in the Department of Mechanical Engineering received additional funding of $9,000 from the National Science Foundation for his research project received in FY23 entitled, ERI: Nonlinear Inverse Model Estimation and Frequency Domain Analysis for Hydraulic Cylinder Diagnostics in Closed-Loop.

March 2025:

Professor Ramin Homayouni in the Department of Foundational Medical Studies received $149,996 from the University of Houston / National Institutes of Health for his research project entitled, Intelligent Social and Behavioral Health Tool for Addressing Health Related Social and Behavioral Needs.

Professor A. Valance Washington in the Department of Biological Sciences received $29,450 from the Dompé Farmaceutic for his research project entitled, Sepsis Induced Dysregulation of CXCR1 and 2 Recycling and Possible Effects on the Effectiveness of Small Molecule CXCR1 and 2 Inhibitors.

Associate Professor Randal Westrick in the Department of Biological Sciences received $36,000 from the American Heart Association for his research project entitled, AHA@OU SURE Summer Research Program 2025.

Distinguished Associate Professor Wing-Yue Geoffrey Louie in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering received $140,000 from the University of Michigan / ARC Department of Defense for his research project entitled, Dynamic Allocation of Information through Auditory, Visual, and Haptic Interfaces to Minimize Cognitive Burden and Maximize Performance during Crew-AI Teaming.

Associate Professor Ziming Yang in the Department of Chemistry received $208,861 from the University of Maryland / National Aeronautics and Space Administration for his research project entitled, Fate of Subsurface Ocean Solutes During Ejection into Vacuum.

Associate Professor Douglas Wendell in the Department of Biological Sciences received $7,323 from the Great Lakes Commission for his research project entitled, Genetic Identification of Phragmites Subspecies.

Associate Professor Fabia Battistuzzi in the Department of Biological Sciences received $148,861 from the Detroit Zoological Society for her research project entitled, GA agreement with Detroit Zoo.

Distinguished University Professor Huirong Fu in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering received $150,000 from the National Science Foundation for her research project entitled, Collaborative Research: EAGER: NAIRR Pilot Expansion: FA1: Advancing AI Research with NAIRR Workshop Series on Cybersecurity, Edge AI, and Autonomous Driving.

February 2025:

Associate Professor Tomoko Wakabayashi in the Department of Human Development and Child Studies received $111,859 from the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators for her research project entitled, Evaluation of the Coaching Practices for Early Literacy Training.

Assistant Professor Vandre Figueiredo in the Department of Biological Sciences received $502,986 from the National Science Foundation for his research project entitled, Cell Cycle Regulators in Postmitotic Multinucleated Cells: Conserved Mechanisms Regulating Muscle Cell Size.

Professor Hongwei Qu in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering received $968,295 from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation for his research project entitled, Advanced Manufacturing Higher Education Strategic Investment.

January 2025:

Associate Professor Sang Hoon Rhee in the Department of Biological Sciences received $439,049 from the National Institutes of Health for his research project entitled, PTEN and Gut Epithelial Physiology.

December 2024:

Associate Professor Jun Chen in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering received $320,000 from the National Science Foundation for a project entitled, Sensor-Lean Estimation and Monitoring for Second Life EV Batteries.

November 2024:

Professor Richard Olawoyin in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering received a supplement of $21,073 from the National Science Foundation for the Advance-Belong Summit: Building Equity, Leadership, and Opportunities for a New Generation.

October 2024:

Assistant Professor Anyi Liu in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering received $20,000 from Michigan State University / Michigan Economic Development Corporation for his study entitled, Enhancing AI Accountability and Security in Industrial Autonomous Systems through Advanced Forensics.

Assistant Professor Nicole Wagner in the Department of Biological Sciences received $7,434 from Michigan Technological University / Michigan Sea Grant for her study entitled, An Ecosystem-Scale Approach to Understanding Changing Winters in the Great Lakes.

Distinguished University Professor Sayed Nassar in the Department of Mechanical Engineering received an additional $126,822 from Georgia Tech Research Corporation / Georgia Institute of Technology for his program entitled, Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) Program.

Distinguished University Professor Gopal Srinivasan in the Department of Physics received $50,000 from ARCTOS/Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) for his study entitled, Engineered Ferrimagnetic Films via Liquid Phase Epitaxy and Sputtering.

Assistant Professor Ali Ahmad Malik in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering received $200,000 from the United States Council on Automotive Research (USCAR) for his study entitled, GM-Digital Twins-Modeling: Standards of Component-, Machine-, and System-level Digital Twins in Manufacturing for Full Stack Virtual Commissioning.

Assistant Professor Michael Kranak in the Department of Human Development and Child Studies received $425,955 from the National Institutes of Health for his study entitled, Using Behavioral Economics to Mitigate Relapse of Problem Behavior in an Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Population. He also received $177,111 from Auburn University / National Institutes of Health for his study entitled, Optimizing Dimensions of Reinforcement to Enhance Behavioral Interventions.

Assistant Professor Luis Villa Diaz in the Department of Biological Sciences received $45,455 from Michigan Technological University / Michigan Economic Development Corporation for his study entitled, Chemical and Customer-Based Optimization of Bioengineered Substrates for Stem Cell Culture.

Professor Mohamed Al-Shabrawey in the Department of Foundational Medical Studies received $375,060 from the National Institutes of Health for his study entitled, The Effects of GPR31 and GPR39 in Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), a Severe Neurovascular Complication of Diabetes.

Associate Professor Felicita Arzu-Carmichael in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric received $2,850 from the National Council of Teachers of English for her study entitled, An Investigation of First-Year Composition Instruction in Two-Year Colleges in Belize, Central America.

Associate Professor Kwame Sakyi in the Department of Public and Environmental Wellness received $373,358 from the National Institutes of Health for his study entitled, A Multi-Method, Multi-Domain Approach to Evaluating Preterm's Effect on Child Growth and Development.

Professor Gerard Madlambayan in the Department of Biological Sciences received a supplement of $71,873 from the National Institutes of Health for his study entitled, The Role of Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells in Solid Tumor Growth and Response to Radiation Therapy.

Distinguished Professor Huirong Fu in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering received $3,497,947 from the National Security Agency for her project entitled, NSA NCAE-C-Center-2024: Upskilling and Reskilling Program for Automotive Engineers, Cybersecurity and AI Professionals, Military and Civilian Defense Personnel, Information Technology (IT) Professionals, Educators, Students, and Department Heads.

Associate Professor Tomoko Wakabayashi in the Department of Human Development and Child Studies received $18,142 from the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators for her study entitled, Evaluation of the Coaching Practices for Early Literacy Training.

Assistant Professor Alycen Wiacek in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering received $341,598 from the National Institutes of Health for her study entitled, Non-Invasive Diagnostic Tools to Characterize Blood Clot Microstructure.

Assistant Professor Vandre Figueiredo in the Department of Biological Sciences received a supplement of $629,406 from the National Institutes of Health for his study entitled, Reverse Engineering Cancer Cachexia: Muscle Ribosome Biogenesis in the Etiology of Cachexia.

Associate Dean (Interim) Kristine Thompson in the Department of Human Movement Science received $1,000 from the American Physical Therapy Association / Michigan Institute for Education and Research for her study entitled, The Impact of Mentoring and Other Support Relationships in the Recruitment, Retention, Professional Development, and Graduation of Black Students in the Entry-Level Physical Therapy Program.

Associate Professor Jennifer Lucarelli in the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences received $59,844 from Ascension Crittenton Hospital for her project entitled, Community Health Needs Assessment, Primary Data Collection, Southeast Michigan Region.

Professor Hongwei Qu in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering received $199,547 from the University of Missouri / Department of Energy for his project entitled, Development of Hydrogen Sensing Tool.

August 2024:

Professor A. Valance Washington in the Department of Biological Sciences received $435,000 from the National Institutes of Health for his study entitled, TLT-1 intracellular function.

Professor Sergey Golovashchenko in the Department of Mechanical Engineering received $40,000 from PNL/Department of Energy for his study entitled, Local Property Improvement for Wrought Aluminum and Cast Magnesium. He also received $487,000 from the National Science Foundation to support his IUCRC Phase I: Center for Industrial Metal Forming.

Assistant Professor Jun Chen in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering received $23,000 for a project entitled, Optimal scheduling of Edge Devices and Decentralized Data Preprocessing.

Associate Professor Mary Lewis in the Department of Psychology received a $9600 supplement for her study entitled, Social Norms Intervention Assessment.

Distinguished Professor Yang Xia in the Department of Physics received a $40,000 supplement from the Henry Ford Hospital System for his study entitled, MRI Signatures of Response to High-Dose Radiotherapy.

Professor Nelia Afonso in the Department of Foundational Medical Studies received a $5000 supplement from Merck Corporation for her study entitled, Promoting Vaccine Confidence in Medical and Dental Students: Development and Evaluation of an Educational intervention.

Professor Martha Escobar in the Department of Psychology received $1.1M from the National Science Foundation for her project entitled, Advancing STEM Workforce Readiness of Interdisciplinary Scholars for Excellence Using a Mentored Community Approach to Promote Belonging and Professional Identity.

Professor Tomoko Wakabayashi in the Department of Human Development and Child Studies received $400,000 from the Spencer Foundation for her project entitled, Co-Creating a Culturally Sustaining Infant-Toddler Childcare and Resource Hub in a Public High School through Critical Participatory Action Research.

Associate Professor Brian Dean in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering received $442,000 from the National Science Foundation for his project entitled, REU Site: Applied Research Experience in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ApREECE).

Assistant Professor Zhe Wang received $82,000 from the National Institutes of Health for his study entitled, Wearable Continuous Drug Monitoring Device for Personal Medications in Opioid Use Disorders (CDM-MOUD).

Associate Provost of Operations, Amy Banes-Berceli, received $283,000 from the National Institutes of Health for Replacement of Two Autoclaves for Oakland University's Biomedical Research Support Facility.

Assistant Professor Thomas Bianchette in the Department of Chemistry received $400,000 from the National Science Foundation for his study entitled, Mexico West Coast Sampling Project.

Assistant Professor Ankun Yang in the Department of Mechanical Engineering received $3M from the National Institutes for Standards and Technology to support his project entitled, Next-Gen Electrification Testing and Standards Facility: from Materials to Vehicles.