From advancing sustainable energy technologies and AI literacy to improving stroke rehabilitation, diabetes care and inclusive education, this year’s internal funding awardees are tackling challenges with real-world impact. Designed to provide critical seed funding, UC’s internal funding programs help faculty launch innovative research, build interdisciplinary collaborations and strengthen projects for future extramural funding opportunities. These awards support the early momentum that leads to transformative discoveries, larger grant success and long-term research growth across the university.
Michelman Green, Clean, and Sustainable Technology Research Innovation Program
Courtesy of the generous contributions of the Dr. John S. Michelman Fund for the Advancement of Sustainable Technology, the Michelman Green, Clean, and Sustainable Technology Research Innovation Program supports applied R&D and use-inspired research with the potential to meaningfully contribute to improvements in environmental health, environmental stewardship, and sustainability by demonstrating new and marketable scientific and technical innovations intended to address real-world problems in the Green-tech and Clean-tech fields.
Congratulations to the following grantees!
AI-Assisted Design and Manufacturing of Transparent Solar Panels and Ultra-Low Power Wireless System Monitoring for Agrivoltaics
Yeongin Kim, Ankit Mittal, Marc Cahay, Mohsen Rezayat (OMID USA), David Weiskittel (Vinovoltaics), Arthur Hendsbee (Brilliant Matters)
College of Engineering and Applied Science
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
This project will enable dual-use farmland for simultaneous food and renewable energy production, improving farm productivity, sustainability, and energy resilience. The battery-free, solar-powered sensor systems will reduce maintenance costs, electronic waste, and environmental impact while supporting data-driven agriculture. The project is also expected to support regional economic development through scalable manufacturing and technology commercialization in sustainable energy and agriculture.
Scaling Up CO2 Electrolyzer for Ethylene Production
Jingjie Wu
College of Engineering and Applied Science
Chemical and Environmental Engineering
This project directly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), by enabling an electrified, scalable pathway for converting CO2 into value-added chemicals using renewable energy. The development of durable, high-performance CO2-to-ethylene electrolyzer systems advances energy-efficient chemical manufacturing and supports the transition toward low-carbon industrial processes.
Collaborative Research Advancement: Pilot Grantees
The Collaborative Research Advancement Program Pilot Grants, as part of the Office of Research’s goal to seed interdisciplinary collaborative research, provide support for high-potential team research and creative activities. The program aims to help teams develop their research and increase their competitiveness and capacity for major external awards and funding opportunities.
Congratulations to the following awardees!
Marc Cahay and Vesselin Shanov
College of Engineering and Applied Science
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Vesselin Shanov (CEAS; Chemical and Environmental Engineering)
Design, Fabrication, and Testing of 3-Dimentional Graphene Field Emission Cold Cathodes for Medical Applications
The main goal of this research is to conduct a thorough study of the field emission properties (in both DC and pulsed high voltage environments) of three-dimensional graphene sheets prepared by chemical vapor deposition and cold rolling for their applications in the next generation of electronic brachytherapy (EB) machines. The new cold cathodes will be tested in the EB systems of our collaborators at Euclid Labs. Immediate applications of the proposed three-dimensional graphene sheet-based cold cathode will be field emission sources into portable high-power microwave devices used in detection of chemical and biological agents in real-time, medical diagnostic imaging and long-distance communications, including radar and electronic warfare for military and space operations. Other applications include cathodes in flat-panel displays, electron-beam lithography, free-electron lasers, x-ray generation, electron microscopy, and ion-propulsion systems.
Andrew Erwin
College of Engineering and Applied Science
Mechanical Engineering
Oluwole Awosika (CoM; Neurology PM&R), Ishita Basu (CoM; Neurosurgery), Zag ElSayed (CECH; School of IT), and Derek Wolf (CEAS; Mechanical Engineering)
Pre-MOVE: A neurorehabilitation system to detect electrophysiologic activity and enhance recovery in subacute stroke survivors with clinically absent arm movement
This project will develop Pre-MOVE, a novel neurorehabilitation system designed to support early re-wiring of the brain-body connection in stroke survivors with severe motor impairment. By using biofeedback, the system is expected to motivate early rehabilitation, improve engagement during a critical recovery window, and ultimately support better arm function and independence for individuals recovering from stroke. In the long term, this work may enhance independence and quality of life for stroke survivors, mitigate broader societal and healthcare burdens, and provide a functional framework for translation to other neurological conditions.
Seung-Yeon Lee
College of Allied Health Sciences
Rehabilitation, Exercise, and Nutrition Sciences
Amanda Simmons (CAHS; Communication Sciences and Disorders), Vesna Novak (CEAS; Electrical and Computer Engineering), Laura Nabors (CECH; School of Human Services), Melinda Butsch Kovacic (CAHS)
Developing Inclusive Technology: Co-Design and Evaluation of a Nutrition App for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
This project supports the co-design, development, and evaluation of an inclusive nutrition app for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their caregivers. The app will use multimodal communication (visual, text, and audio) and Easy Read principles, including simple layouts, plain language, and supportive images, to improve access to nutrition information. By promoting accessible communication, shared decision-making, and culturally responsive nutrition education, the project is expected to strengthen community-based support systems, improve health and well-being, and empower individuals with disabilities to make informed choices about their nutrition.
Kara Moranski
College of Arts & Sciences
Romance & Arabic Languages & Literatures
Yulia Khoruzhaya (A&S, Romance & Arabic Languages & Literatures); Nancy Jennings (A&S, School of Communication, Film, and Media Studies), Evan Torner (A&S, School of Communication, Film, and Media Studies; East European & German Studies), Kelly Merrill Jr. (A&S, School of Communication, Film, and Media Studies), Ryan Moore, (Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Division of Cardiology)
Using AI conversation partners to develop communicative skills: Cross-disciplinary insights
Recent developments in AI-powered conversation agents place us at the forefront of a new future, in which access to high-value, high-yield one-on-one interaction could soon be available ‘on demand’ across a wide variety of disciplines. However, relatively little is known about the psycho-physiological impact that a shift toward human-AI interactions could have for communicative tasks. This study uses both biometric and psychometric measures to examine human-machine interaction in immersive contexts for three separate fields: health care, language education, and game studies. The results of this study will inform school and program administrators and curriculum developers in their decisions about the integration of conversational AI tools into curricula and professional development programs.
Heekyoung Jung
DAAP
School of Design
Maria Luce Lupetti (Department of Architecture and Design at Polytechnic di Torino, Italy); Tilman Dingler (Computer Scientist and Associate Professor in the Department of Sustainable Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands); Samangi Wadinambi (Human-Computer Interaction Group at U Melbourne, Australia)
Speculative Infrastructure for Participatory AI Futures
How might creative practice evolve in an AI-mediated future, and what role should higher education play in shaping it? This international collaborative project challenges dominant, technology-driven narratives of AI by using creative education as both subject and method. It develops hands-on, critical AI literacy through accessible toolkits for speculative storytelling and prototyping, making AI more approachable and imaginable for creative practitioners while foregrounding emerging values of creative practice as a shared human and more-than-human endeavor. The project presents speculative scenarios and artifacts that explore new forms of human-AI collaboration, alongside curriculum modules and a workbook for AI design and pilot deployment.
University Research Council Faculty Scholars Research Awards Program
The University Research Council (URC) Faculty Scholars Research Awards Program builds on the legacy of the University Research Council (URC), which is the university’s oldest and most prestigious internal funding program. It recognizes promising early-career individual faculty at UC who are proposing transformative, future-shaping ideas that are either discipline-focused or interdisciplinary in nature.
Congratulations to the following awardees!
Kishan Bellur
Mechanical, Materials and Industrial Engineering
College of Engineering and Applied Science
Leveraging thin film stability to leapfrog development of phase change heat transfer devices
This research explores how tiny, nanoscale vibrations in liquid films can be used to control how liquids evaporate and boil. By using high-speed laser imaging and advanced computer simulations, the project aims to bridge the gap between these microscopic movements and large-scale cooling effects. The expected outcome is a new method to "tune" phase change on demand using simple vibrations, much like active noise-cancellation technology. This work will provide the blueprint for building much more powerful and efficient cooling systems for everything from high-end electronics to massive data centers.
Dongmei Feng
Chemical and Environmental Engineering
College of Engineering and Applied Science
Advancing understanding of river eutrophication across the contiguous U.S.
We will develop a novel modeling framework that integrates the complementary strengths of remote sensing and deep learning to study long-term eutrophication dynamics in U.S. river systems. By producing high-resolution estimates of riverine nutrient concentrations for rivers in the U.S., we will provide a comprehensive view of nutrient evolution over time and space.
Kate Kennedy
School of Education, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies
College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services
The Caring School District: An Institutional Ethnography
This project seeks to build an institutional ethnography of a caring school district. To do this Kennedy will analyze qualitative interviews with educators and leaders (N=130) supplemented by document analysis and observations. Kennedy posits that school district leaders—in concert with other stakeholders, such as school leaders, community partners, parents, educators, and teachers—act as agents of care, making decisions that impact school and classroom implementation of caring practices. The anticipated outcome of this project is an ethnographic story about the ways in which people in school district offices work together to create the conditions for care with two concrete knowledge products: a public-facing policy and practice brief and a peer-reviewed manuscript.
Jacob Lollis
School of Public and International Affairs
College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services
Democracy Denied: Explaining the Rise of Election-Denying Candidates in U.S. Politics
Today, more than one in four members of the U.S. Congress have publicly denied the results of free and fair elections. Democracy Denied traces this problem back to its roots by examining why election-denying candidates run for office, how political gatekeepers enable or constrain them, and how they govern once elected. Using evidence from two original surveys of potential candidates and party leaders, this project explains why election-denying candidates are increasingly entering the electoral arena.
Renkai Ma
School of Information Technology
College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services
PACT-home: Proactive Autonomic Co-regulation Technology for Home Independence
Project PACT-home directly addresses an independence gap and service cliff that leaves over 75% of autistic youth without formal support post-high school by providing an AI-driven, transitional scaffold for daily living skills. By empowering neurodivergent youth to proactively manage autonomic distress and build interoceptive awareness, this project fosters genuine home independence, reduces severe caregiver burnout, and promotes participation in adult society.
David Reeping
Engineering and Computing Education
College of Engineering and Applied Science
Forming a Feedback Loop of Cooperative Engineering Education with AI Literacy
This project investigates AI literacy in engineering by identifying key threshold concepts that shape how students think and practice as engineers. In particular, this work will ground these concepts in employer expectations by leveraging cooperative education experiences to connect workplace practices to classroom learning. A mixed-methods design will be employed, beginning with a Delphi study of employers across engineering sectors in Year 1 to identify potential threshold concepts and continuing with think-aloud interviews with industry experts and students in Year 2 to examine their validity. Expected outcomes include an empirically grounded set of AI literacy threshold concepts and a model linking co-op and curricular experiences that support their development, along with peer-reviewed publications and practical tools for engineering educators that can be readily integrated into classroom practice and disseminated through the University of Cincinnati’s College of Engineering and Applied Science Teaching Institute.
Katy Wheeler
Behavior Analysis
Project Regulating from the Inside Out (RIO): Developing a Scalable Nervous System-Based Training Model for Emotion Regulation in K–12 Special Education
Project RIO is expected to improve access to learning for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities and autism by equipping educators with effective, neuroscience-informed strategies to support regulation in real time. By reducing escalation cycles and strengthening teacher capacity, the project also addresses a key driver of educator stress and burnout, contributing to workforce stability in high-need classrooms. At scale, this work has the potential to transform how schools support regulation, leading to more inclusive and sustainable educational environments.
Xiaomo (Shawn) Xiong
Division of Pharmacy Practice and Administrative Sciences
College of Pharmacy
Medication Therapy Management and Continuous Glucose Monitoring to Improve Diabetes Care: A Socioeconomic Perspective
This study uses large-scale Kroger Health pharmacy data to explore how routine pharmacist support helps patients successfully use continuous glucose monitors. To understand the broader societal impact, the project integrates neighborhood socioeconomic data to identify where digital health interventions succeed and where equity gaps remain. By mapping the intersection of wearable tech, community pharmacy care, and socioeconomic status, this research will guide national strategies to make effective diabetes care accessible to all communities.