Fiscal Year Summaries
2026 University Scholars/Research Faculty Fellows
The USURF Program is designed to support the research and scholarly efforts of tenured and tenure-track faculty. These awards are intended to advance work that leads to peer-reviewed journal publications, books, or juried artistic and creative exhibitions and to help faculty pursue external funding for future scholarship and creative endeavors.
- Serra Fels, Art, College of Visual and Performing Arts
Topic: The Re:Center: Spatial Experiments in Collective Care
Award: Summer Stipend - Tien-Shih Hsieh, Accounting and Finance, Charlton College of Business
Topic: CEOs’ Vocal Emotions, Textual Tones and Reporting Risk
Award: Summer Stipend
2026 Internal Multidisciplinary Research SEED (MultiSEED) Funding Program
The MultiSEED Program provides seed funding for research projects that have the potential to attract significant external funding. Proposals that involve collaborations across multiple colleges or schools are strongly encouraged.
- Robert Drew (PI), Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
Co-PI: Max Zavell, School of Marine Science and Technology
Topic: Larval-Stage Differentiation of Cancer Crab Species - Ilknur Yesilcinar (PI), Community Nursing, College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Co-PIs: Martha Whitfield, Community Nursing; Lauren Hicks, Community Nursing; Brian Ayotte, Psychology
Topic: Decision-Making Experiences and Needs of Pregnant Individuals with Substance Use Disorder in Antenatal Care: A Qualitative Study - Jennifer Viveiros, Adult Nursing, College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Co-PIs: Firas Khatib, Computer and Information Science; Shawn Towne, Media Arts
Topic: NoStigma Virtual Simulation: Developing a Competency-Based Digital Training Prototype for Stigma-Free OUD Care - Kristin Magan, Adult Nursing, College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Co-PI: Jennifer Mammen, Adult Nursing
Topic: Mapping Bothersome Symptoms and Impacts of Disease in People Living with Lewy Body Dementia - Nefeli Maria Bompoti, Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Topic: Advancing the Mechanistic Understanding of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Adsorption on Iron Oxides - Radhavi Abeysiridara Samarakoon (PI), Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Co-PI: Ana Doblas, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Topic: First-of-its-Kind Thermal Triaxial System with Integrated Real-Time Microstructural Imaging - Scott Ahrens (PI), Design, College of Visual and Performing Arts
Co-PIs: Rose Mary Botti-Salitsky, Design; Shawn Towne, Media Arts
Topic: Exploring Immersive Design Methodologies - Jiawei Yuan (PI), Computer and Information Science, College of Engineering
Co-PI: Long Jiao, Computer and Information Science
Topic: Reliable Large Language Model-Driven Operation for Small Mobile Robots - Shakhnoza Kayumova (PI), STEM Education and Teacher Development, College of Arts and Sciences
Co-PIs: Gokhan Kul, Computer and Information Science, College of Engineering; Christopher Clinton, STEM Education and Teacher Development
Topic: Empowering High School Learners Through Accessible AI and Cybersecurity Education - Melissa Cronin, Fisheries Oceanography, School for Marine Science and Technology
Topic: Restoring Shared Seas: Quantifying the Impacts of Illegal Fishing on Food Security and Biodiversity in Chile
2026 Course Release Opportunity for Proposal Submission (CROPS)
This program supports tenured and tenure-track faculty members pursuing major scholarship endeavors or substantial sources of external funding to support research activities.
- Nefeli Bompoti, Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Course Release: Spring 2026
Topic: ROSES-INNOVATE: Bridging NASA Earth Observations and Municipal Decision-Making for Climate Resilience and Sustainability - Aneesa Baboolal, Crime and Justice, College of Arts and Sciences
Course Release: Spring 2026
Topic: 25 Years Post 9/11: Integration of Muslim Immigrants in the US - Vijay Varma, Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences
Course Release: Fall 2026
Topic: Gravitational Physics-Theory - Kristin Magan, Adult Nursing, College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Course Release: Fall 2026
Topic: Mapping Bothersome Symptoms and Impacts of Disease in People Living with Lewy Body Dementia
- Mazdak Tootkaboni, Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Course Release: Fall 2026
Topic: Engineering Research Center for Next-gen Bioinspired Building Alliance (NEBULA) - Timothy Walker, History, College of Arts and Sciences
Course Release: Fall 2026
Topic: eWHALES: Extracting Weather Data – Historical Analysis of Logbooks for Environmental Research
2025-2026 The Grants Intensive Fellowship (TGIF)
This program supports faculty members who are actively writing proposals, aiming to improve their grant writing skills and enhance the competitiveness of their applications.
- Melissa Cronin, Fisheries Oceanography, School for Marine Science and Technology
- Soheil Sibdari, Decision and Information Sciences, Charlton College of Business
- Habibor Rahman, Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
- Kelsey Roberts, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Fisheries Oceanography, School for Marine Science and Technology
2026 Outstanding Research and Scholarly Work: Student Awards
- Emma Thiboutot, Bioengineering, Undergraduate Student in STEM disciplines
- Mostafa Khazaee Kuhpar, Mechanical Engineering, Graduate Student in STEM disciplines
2025 University Scholars/Research Faculty Fellows
The USURF Program is designed to support the research and scholarly efforts of tenured and tenure-track faculty. These awards are intended to advance work that leads to peer-reviewed journal publications, books, or juried artistic and creative exhibitions and to help faculty pursue external funding for future scholarship and creative endeavors.
- Anupama Arora, English and Communication, College of Arts and Sciences
Topic: Masculine Cultures of Contemporary Hindi Cinema
Award: Course Release - Shipeng Han, Accounting and Finance, Charlton College of Business
Topic: How Declining Interest in Accounting Careers Affects Audit Quality and Costs
Award: Summer Stipend - Gang Wang, Decision and Information Sciences, Charlton College of Business
Topic: Managing Supply Chain Disruptions: Supplier Diversification and Order Optimization
Award: Summer Stipend
2025 Internal Multidisciplinary Research SEED (MultiSEED) Funding Program
The MultiSEED Program provides seed funding for research projects that have the potential to attract significant external funding. Proposals that involve collaborations across multiple colleges or schools are strongly encouraged.
- Caiwei Shen (PI), Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
Co-PI: Maricris Mayes, Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Topic: Exploration of High-Entropy Polymer Electrolytes for Structural Energy Storage Applications - Genevieve Kozak (PI), Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
Co-PI: Sarah Donelan, Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
Topic: Genetic Variation in Carryover Effects of Climate Change Stress in Eastern Oysters: Developing a Novel Tool to Increase Resilience - Hangjian Ling (PI), Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
Co-PI: Mehdi Raessi, Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
Topic: Understanding Bubble Formation on Complex Solid-Liquid Interfaces through a Combination of Experimental and Computational Studies - Katrina Velle (PI), Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
Co-PI: Sivappa Rasapalli, Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Topic: Design and Development of Inhibitors Targeting Actin Dynamics Specific to the “Brain-Eating” Amoeba
2025 Course Release Opportunity for Proposal Submission (CROPS)
This program supports tenured and tenure-track faculty members pursuing major scholarship endeavors or substantial sources of external funding to support research activities.
- Milana Vasudev, Bioengineering, College of Engineering
Course Release: Fall 2025
Topic: Genetic Manipulation of Structural Coloration and Directed Assembly in Cellulophaga lytica - Sheila Macrine, Education, College of Arts and Sciences
Course Release: Fall 2025
Topic: Towards Embodied Intelligence
2024-2025 The Grants Intensive Fellowship (TGIF)
This program supports faculty members who are actively writing proposals, aiming to improve their grant writing skills and enhance the competitiveness of their applications.
- Martha Whitfield, Community Nursing, College of Nursing and Health Sciences
- Joyce Cadorette, Adult Nursing, College of Nursing and Health Sciences
2025 Student Research/Scholarly Work Mentor Awards
These awards honor the dedication and excellence of faculty members who are deeply committed to mentoring students in research, scholarship, and creative work, enriching their educational experience at UMass Dartmouth.
- Amit Tandon, Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
Graduate Student Mentorship - Anna Klobucka, Portuguese Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
Graduate Student Mentorship - John Buck, Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
Undergraduate Student Mentorship - Maureen Eckert, Philosophy, College of Arts and Sciences
Undergraduate Student Mentorship