June 2026 Grants and Awards
Cultivating Resilience: Participatory Planning for Rural Prosperity in Virginia's Food System
Principal Investigator:
Lia Kelinsky-Jones
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Agriculture Leadership and Community Education
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Total Anticipated:
$299,933
Sponsor:
United States Department of Agriculture
Combining Protein Simulations and Gene Editing for Fine-Tune Modulation of Pennycress Growth and Development
Principal Investigator:
Kong M. Wong
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Systems Engineering
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Total Anticipated:
$126,248
Sponsor:
United States Department of Agriculture
Production of Functional Dietary Fiber from Brewer's Spent Grain
Principal Investigator:
Haibo Huang
Associate Professor
Department of Food Science and Technology
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Total Anticipated:
$177,144
Sponsor:
United States Department of Agriculture
Effects of Altered Glycemic State During Heat Stress on the Intrafollicular Heat Shock Protein Response in Lactating Dairy Cattle
Principal Investigator:
Michelle Rhoads
Associate Professor
School of Animal Sciences
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Total Anticipated:
$180,000
Sponsor:
United States Department of Agriculture
Rest as Recovery: Evaluating Post-Stress Rest Duration on Immunity and Performance of Beef Calves
Principal Investigator:
Rodrigo da Silva Marques
Assistant Professor
School of Animal Sciences
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Total Anticipated:
$26,722
Sponsor:
Virginia Cattle Industry Board
On Track to Better Pastures: A Pilot Study Linking Equine Welfare and Novel Grazing Management Strategies
Principal Investigator:
John H. Fike
Professor
School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Total Anticipated:
$22,032
Sponsor:
Virginia Horse Industry Board
Comparing Annual and Perennial Legumes as Under-Vine Cover Crops in Virginia Vineyards
Principal Investigator:
Andrew D. Harner
Assistant Professor
Alson H. Smith, Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Agriculture Experiment Station
Total Anticipated:
$43,000
Sponsor:
Virginia Wine Board
Cover Crop Termination Timing for Nutrient Cycling, Reduced Slug Damage, and Improved Yields
Principal Investigator:
Mark S. Reiter
Director and Professor
Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Agriculture Experiment Station
Total Anticipated:
$38,373
Sponsor:
Virginia Soybean Board
Aerial Imagery and Remote Sensing Data Collection and Analysis
Principal Investigator:
Kevin B. Kochersberger
Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering
Total Anticipated:
$800,000
Sponsor:
Environmental Protection Agency
Debris Flow Risk Analysis in Wise County
Principal Investigator:
Kevin B. Kochersberger
Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering
Total Anticipated:
$79,510
Sponsor:
Wise County
Antivirulence Inhibitors of Bacterial Type IV Pilus: A Strategy Against Antibiotic Resistance
Principal Investigator:
Zhaomin Yang
Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
College of Science
Total Anticipated:
$413,542
Sponsor:
United States Department of Health and Human Services
Collaborative Research: Rational Design of Nickel/Gallium Intermetallic Compounds for Efficient Light Alkane Conversion Through Ammonia Reforming
Principal Investigator:
Tao Li
Professor
Department of Chemistry
College of Science
Total Anticipated:
$282,721
Sponsor:
National Science Foundation
Seyfert Outflows and Their Connection to Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback: A New Paradigm
Principal Investigator:
Nahum Arav
Professor AY
Department of Physics
College of Science
Total Anticipated:
$29,000
Sponsor:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Quasar Outflows in the Hubble Space Telescope Ultraviolet Archive: Measuring Major Contributors to Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback
Principal Investigator:
Nahum Arav
Professor AY
Department of Physics
College of Science
Total Anticipated:
$29,000
Sponsor:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Insights into the Coupling Between Protein Collective Dynamics and Hydration Water
Principal Investigator:
Vinh Nguyen
Non-Instructional Temporary Faculty/Summer Research
Department of Physics
College of Science
Total Anticipated:
$250,165
Sponsor:
United States Department of Defense/War
Decoding the Temperature and Moisture Sensory Mechanisms in Insects
Principal Investigator:
Lina Ni
Associate Professor
Department of School of Neuroscience
College of Science
Total Anticipated:
$2,157,573
Sponsor:
United States Department of Health and Human Services
Characterizing an Alternative Genetic Pathway Critical for the Virulence of Brucella
Principal Investigator:
Clayton C. Caswell
Associate Professor
Veterinary Medical Research and Graduate Studies
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine
Total Anticipated:
$421,560
Sponsor:
United States Department of Health and Human Services
Examining the Efficacy of Acupuncture, Dynamic Mobilization Exercises, and Combined Therapy on Equine Back Pain
Principal Investigator:
Rebecca A. Funk
Clinical Assistant Professor
Veterinary Medical Research and Graduate Studies
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine
Total Anticipated:
$7,778
Sponsor:
Virginia Horse Industry Board
Repurposing Neurokinin 1 Inhibitors for Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Invasive Fungal Infections
Principal Investigator:
Mohamed N. Seleem
Professor ES CY
Veterinary Medical Research and Graduate Studies
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine
Total Anticipated:
$432,801
Sponsor:
United States Department of Health and Human Services
Grandparents and Other Kin Raising a Child of a Relative
Principal Investigator:
LaWanda V. Wright
Extension Agent
Northeast District Cooperative Extension
Director of Cooperative Extension
Total Anticipated:
$10,000
Sponsor:
The Brookdale Foundation Group
International Student Exchange Programs Study Abroad Marketing Grant
Principal Investigator:
Virginia A. Ford
Program Manager
Global Education Office
College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
Total Anticipated:
$1,000
Sponsor:
International Student Exchange Program
Student Support and Access Grant
Principal Investigator:
Matthew P. Cowley
Associate Vice Provost for Career and Professional Development
Department of Career and Professional Development
Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Total Anticipated:
$100,000
Sponsor:
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
ECLIPSE—Efficient Variable Conductivity Lunar Insulator for Passive Surveyor Environmental Control
Principal Investigator:
Austin A. Phoenix
Director, Mission Systems Division
Virginia Tech National Security Institute
Total Anticipated:
$175,000
Sponsor:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Unmanned Undersea Platforms: Advanced Systems and Capabilities
Principal Investigator:
Daniel J. Stilwell
Professor
Virginia Tech National Security Institute
Total Anticipated:
$3,000,000
Sponsor:
United States Department of Defense/War