University Of New Mexico

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-09

Project Summary Historically, women's health has been significantly under-researched and underfunded, contributing to a profound health gap that equates to 75 million years of life lost globally. Nanomedicine presents a promising solution to addressing this gap, with its ability to precisely target tissues, bypass biological barriers, and control therapeutic release while minimizing toxicity. However, like much of medicine, nanomedicine design has been approached through a one-size-fits-all lens, failing to address variations in biology and nanoparticle (NP) efficacy across diverse patient populations. This absence of tailored design likely contributes to the limited clinical translation of nanomedicines, despite its potential to revolutionize medicine. The proposed research seeks to address critical gaps in our understanding of sex and female life stages in nanomedicine delivery. While previous research has shown that NPs function differently in males and females, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Key Question 1 aims to uncover these mechanisms and identify the key factors that impact NP delivery and efficacy by systematically evaluating NP performance across cellular (NP uptake), microenvironmental (protein corona and mucus transport), and systemic (circulation, stability, immune response, biodistribution) levels. For each of these levels, mechanisms driving sex-dependent differences will be investigated. Additionally, this research will go beyond treating sex as binary, considering it as a spectrum that intersects with age and hormone levels in the female body, marking one of the first studies to examine how menstrual cycle phase, hysterectomy, and menopause affect NP protein corona formation, transport, and biodistribution. Importantly, our work will utilize a library of clinically relevant lipid- and polymer-based NPs with precisely controlled size and charge properties, addressing a key gap in limited studies that have explored sex differences in NP delivery but overlooked the importance of these tailored NP characteristics. Moreover, vaginal delivery, which offers transformative potential for localized and systemic treatment, remains underexplored in nanomedicine despite its advantages for women-specific diseases. Key Question 2 will investigate the use of thermo- and enzyme-responsive hydrogels to optimize vaginal NP delivery systems, enhancing precise and effective drug targeting. Vaginal delivery has primarily been evaluated in the context of sexual and reproductive health conditions, but its broader applications, particularly with clinically relevant NPs, remain largely unexplored. This research will compare vaginal delivery of NPs with traditional administration routes such as intraperitoneal and intravenous delivery, seeking to uncover its potential for targeting both reproductive and non-reproductive organs. Ultimately, this research aims to shift drug delivery from one-size-fits- all therapies to personalized nanomedicines that address the diverse needs of patient populations, ultimately advancing more equitable healthcare outcomes.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-09

This project will convene a national community of engineering workforce development researchers to grow capacity in responding to ongoing disruptions from the emergence of GenAI and other shifting technology-policy landscapes. A virtual workshop approach will ensure that early career scholars and those located at institutions with limited infrastructure for adaptation will receive coordinated support for maintaining the coherence and relevance of their work amid rapid change. This work will advance understanding of how research communities adapt to uncertainty, technological disruptions, and policy fluctuations. Building capacity for responsiveness will produce a nimbler engineering workforce, strengthening national security and economic prosperity now and in the future. Through a virtual workshop series and conference, this project will (1) Convene a national Community of Transformation (CoT) of Engineering Education Research (EER) scholars and key stakeholders to assess and address the impacts of recent policy changes on research design, funding, and framing; (2) Co-design a suite of open-access protocols and toolkit to facilitate reframing, managing uncertainty, and perspective-taking for field-wide adaptation; (3) Provide structured, networked mentorship for early-career scholars and graduate students, using the protocols/toolkit to cultivate strategies for adaptive scholarship. (4) Investigate the impact of the tools and protocols in a virtual conference, with attention to framing agency, policy-responsiveness, and adaptability. Participants will develop a suite of pivoted research agendas with support from peer mentoring, example materials, and real-time review. This research will extend CoT theory to co-design sustainable responses, adaptive strategies, and practices that promote creativity, advancing scholarship on responsive research ecosystems and characterizing sustainable adaptation in early career stages and varied institutional contexts. The project will answer the following research questions: (1) In what ways do members adapt their research agendas with problem framing supports? (2) To what extent do EER scholars frame their research as policy-responsive? How does this develop through participation in a CoT? (3) In what ways do members display framing agency as they reframe their research agendas? By answering these research questions, this project will grow national capacity to continue EER work in alignment with current federal guidance, expand participation in EER, and ensure that promising innovations are not lost due to misalignment or lack of institutional navigation capacity. This project will build enduring capacity to respond constructively and creatively to a volatile policy landscape and rapid technological change. Through a structured series of virtual events and the formation of a national mentoring network, the project will foster the professional growth of researchers—especially those early in their careers or at institutions with fewer resources—who might otherwise struggle to navigate abrupt changes in funding guidance and public expectations. The project will lower barriers to participation by supporting a distributed CoT, offering multiple points of engagement and modes of contribution. By equipping participants with strategies for framing policy-responsive research problems, the project helps sustain scholarly integrity, creativity, and openness. Publicly shared tools and protocols, including worked examples of reframed research agendas, will extend these benefits to the broader EER community. The inclusion of voices from Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) and rural institutions ensures that this shared infrastructure offers a model for expanding access to strategic guidance. The project will contribute to the stability and adaptability of the U.S. STEM education ecosystem by enabling researchers to prepare future professionals in ways that remain aligned with evolving national goals. Through iterative peer review, mentoring, and dissemination of tangible resources, this work will enhance the field’s ability to remain flexible and impactful over time—ultimately preserving a varied and dynamic research landscape that will support workforce development and public trust in science and engineering. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-09

Data from the ATLAS Experiment at the Large Hadron Collider are being collected and analyzed in a search for phenomena that have not been observed before; this is a Search for New Physics Beyond the Standard Model. The new phenomena may revolve around characteristics of the bottom quark, one of the fundamental building blocks of nature, and cast light on the question of why antimatter is virtually absent from our universe. The ATLAS data are applied to a measurement of the branching ratios of B0 and Bs0 decays to two muons in the full Run 2 LHC dataset to explore a tension with Standard Model predictions that earlier data suggested. The ATLAS data are also applied to a measurement of CP-violation parameters in decays of the Bs0 meson to the J/psi phi state. A first ATLAS measurement of the partial branching fraction of B0 mesons to Kshort and two muons is also underway, as the high statistics available can bring clarity to the realm of b-quark to s-quark transitions where a variety of tensions with the Standard Model have been reported. Analysis of these data is supported by performance studies that ensure optimal alignment of the ATLAS tracking system and optimal operation of the Pixel detector. Studies to improve data collection and analysis strategy in future experimental runs are also underway, as are activities such as technical reviews of manuscripts and presentations and service as an analysis group convener. Parts of the effort involves development of machine learning strategies that, if migrated into the wider world, can contribute to prosperity and security in accordance with the NSF mission. Graduate students and postdocs are being trained in advanced technical and analytical skills, and results are being shared with teachers, school groups, and the wider community. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-09

Quantum Information Science and Engineering promises to accelerate information processing far beyond classical limits, enabled by the differences in the foundational natural laws of classical and quantum physics. This project is dedicated to developing integrated hardware and software solutions that overcome current limitations in scalability and reliability. It provides a comprehensive technical approach to overcoming the intrinsic challenges of current quantum photonic devices. It is supported by a collaborative network of academic institutions and national laboratories, including the University of New Mexico as lead, along with New Mexico State University, University of Virginia, and University of Maryland, with additional technical expertise from Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory, and National Institute of Standards and Technology. The project is designed to yield significant broader impacts across multiple disciplines. While initially benefiting academic research communities, the project is strategically positioned to expand collaborations with government agencies, national laboratories, and industry partners, thereby addressing critical technology gaps in security, energy, and defense. In addition to advancing quantum research, the project places a strong emphasis on workforce development, creation of a new Quantum Science and Engineering graduate degree program, and educational outreach. Current quantum devices suffer from noise, insufficient fault tolerance and error correction, and operational constraints such as cryogenic temperatures and small-scale prototypes. This project aims to address these deficiencies by prototyping photonic architectures that include both a non-universal Gaussian boson sampling (GBS) approach that can show speedup beyond classical methods, and a universal, continuous-variable measurement-based quantum computing (CV-MBQC) strategy. The latter leverages high-squeezing parametric amplifier light sources for generating the photonic substrate needed for computation, high efficiency quantum dot light sources for boson sampling, and high efficiency detectors, moving toward universal applicability. This project integrates the development of novel light sources, reconfigurable interferometric processing units, and high-performance photodetectors with near-unity efficiency and low noise, all designed for on-chip integration. By employing co-design algorithms and realistic error models, the team will optimize computing speedup even in the early prototypes. In particular, quantum simulations of quantum field theory and of disorder in condensed matter physics will be performed. The collaboration between universities, national laboratories, and industry partners will leverage SNL's unique quantum foundry capabilities, enabling the design and large-scale manufacturing of the proposed GBS and CV-MBQC implementations of quantum photonic integrated circuits on a single chip. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-09

With support from the Chemical Structure and Dynamics (CSD) program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Terefe Habteyes at the University of New Mexico is investigating how gases interact with the surfaces of ionic liquid droplets (ILDs) at the nanoscale. Ionic liquids are special types of salts that are liquid at room temperature and have attracted attention for their ability to capture gases without evaporating. However, understanding how gas molecules behave at the surface of ILDs is particularly challenging due to the complex and varied nature of their interfaces at the nanoscale. Professor Habteyes and his students will tackle this challenge by using near-field optical methods to resolve chemical heterogeneity across individual droplets and understand how the interaction of gas molecules with ILDs can be manipulated and optimized. Their discoveries could provide a fundamental understanding of how ionic liquids adsorb gases, which is key to designing more efficient materials for gas separation and catalysis. In addition to advancing science, the project offers hands-on research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students, helping to build a skilled scientific workforce through collaborations with the Air Force Research Laboratory and access to advanced nanotechnology facilities. This project aims to investigate the molecular-scale mechanisms of gas adsorption on ILDs supported on solid substrates, with a particular focus on understanding interfacial heterogeneity of gas adsorption. The research employs nano-FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy to identify chemical species based on the vibrational resonance of chemical bonds, and scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy to map the spatial distribution of the chemical species with about 10 nm spatial resolution. These near-field optical techniques will be used to examine the stability and dynamic response of ILDs under external stimuli, such as thermal or gas exposure. By integrating the near-field measurements with atomic force microscopy, the project will enable real-space, spatio-spectral mapping of adsorption events at nanometer resolution. This approach provides the ability to identify and map chemical heterogeneity across individual ILDs, allowing for the resolution of localized interactions and adsorbate-induced changes in composition or structure. The research will provide mechanistic insights into how droplet size, morphology, and molecular structure influence gas capture efficiency and selectivity. The broader goal is to establish design principles for IL-based adsorbents by correlating nanoscopic interfacial phenomena with macroscopic gas sorption behavior, potentially informing applications in catalysis, gas separation, and the development of sustainable materials. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-09

The Eastern Hemisphere tropics and subtropics are highly sensitive to variations in regional monsoon precipitation, which provides the majority of freshwater for the ~40% of the world population who reside there. Understanding interannual to multidecadal variations in the monsoon is critical for managing water resources. This project will compile data from cave deposits, corals and tree rings, as well as develop new records from caves in the Philippines and northern Australia, to produce a reconstruction of the behavior of the Austral-Asian monsoon for the last 1000 years. This reconstruction will guide a set of climate model simulations to identify the drivers of monsoon variability. The results will improve decadal prediction the Austral-Asian monsoon. The project will support the participation of a postdoc and undergraduate students in the research, an art-science collaboration, K-12 education, and public outreach to primary and secondary students in Iowa, California, New Mexico and Northern Australia. The goal of this project is to synthesize existing data from stalagmites, corals and tree rings with new cave records from the Philippines and northern Australia to reconstruct the Austral-Asian monsoon for the last 1000 years. The resulting multi-proxy reconstruction will guide a suite of climate model simulations, including large ensembles and isotope-enabled models, to identify drivers of monsoon variability and quantify the relative contributions of external (solar, aerosol, greenhouse gas) and internal (tropical basin interactions) forcings. The results will improve decadal prediction the Austral-Asian monsoon. The project will support the participation of a postdoc and undergraduate students in the research, an art-science collaboration, K-12 education, and public outreach to primary and secondary students in Iowa, California, New Mexico and Northern Australia. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-08

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The aim of this S15 proposal entitled “Modernization and Expansion of Recirculating Zebrafish Tanks and Monitoring Equipment at UNM Main Campus Castetter Hall Animal Resource Facility” at the University of New Mexico Castetter Hall Animal Resource Facility is a request for $180,679 to expand the existing zebrafish facility. Specifically, the following items purchased 1) six recirculating zebrafish single sided standalone racks with tanks/accessories with upgraded pumps and web-based off site monitoring capabilities 2) upgrading existing three recirculating zebrafish single sided standalone racks with upgraded pumps and web-based off site monitoring capabilities 3) three e-racks for flexible and temporary fish holding/housing and 4) an additional chemical dosing systems, water storage tanks, and rack to rack connections for water quality in the new racks. The total space affected by this project is 812 sf including space where equipment is sited at the University of New Mexico (UNM) Castetter Hall (CH) Animal Resource Facility (ARF). This project is located in dedicated and existing zebrafish housing space within the Main Campus, which also houses laboratory mice, deer mice, hamsters, and opossums. This facility was renovated in 2015 for rodent space, 2019 for aquatics, and the cagewasher and autoclave are being upgraded, the installation is slated for completion in September 2024. These renovations were all made with institutional funding. Past renovations upgraded floors, finishes, light timers, a pass-through rack washer, a pass-through cage and equipment autoclave, and renovated mouse housing rooms to accommodate individually ventilated rodent racks in mouse housing areas. This proposal will expand and address aquatic housing recommended under the 8th edition NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, specifically having adequate monitoring such that off-site personnel are able to monitor and respond to any necessary emergency. The current zebrafish facility is currently at capacity and this proposal will enable a 132% expansion of the existing zebrafish facility, which currently houses up to 4000 fish and 150 tanks. These proposed recirculating racks are single sided units with capacity of 75 tanks per rack. This zebrafish research suite currently supports 4 PI laboratories. These rooms are currently near capacity and 1 new faculty with a zebrafish breeding and research program has been hired with numerous faculty recruits discussing this important and emerging animal model.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-08

Each generation of emerging supercomputers advances available compute power, enabling new scientific discoveries. However, parallel solvers and simulations often achieve only a small fraction of peak performance of the underlying supercomputer system because of inter-process communication overheads and complexities. In these applications, communication is handled by the Message Passing Interface (MPI) application programmer interface, provided through-standards-based implementations (via libraries and header files). The achieved performance associated with the numerous possible types of inter-process communication vary greatly, depending not only on the underlying architecture but also the version of MPI that has been hand-tuned for the given system. Typically, a proprietary vendor-dependent implementation is available on the largest systems, with open-source versions available on cluster systems. While multiple open-source versions of MPI exist, installing an appropriately tuned version requires significant expertise in both the MPI framework and the hardware of the system. The gap between both the performance and modern feature coverage of production MPI's on large-scale systems can present challenges for application developers seeking to reach higher achievable performance and manage the complexities of modern architectures. This project will therefore develop an open-source cyberinfrastructure, MPI Advance, which utilizes low-level communication routines, such as send and receive methods, from the hand-tuned system MPI installation to publish new and improved application programmer interfaces (APIs) to drive higher achievable performance without the need to supplant the built-in MPI implementations on large-scale systems. MPI Advance uses the MPI-eXtension framework to provide optimizations within existing MPI APIs, extensions to these standard APIs, and entirely new routines that do not conform to the current standard but can lead to significant performance optimizations within existing parallel applications. This cyberinfrastructure will be integrated within widely used solver frameworks, such as PETSc, hypre, and Trilinos, enabling straightforward integration into any application relying on these code bases. Further, MPI Advance will provide a framework for research within MPI, allowing researchers to test new extensions across a range of applications and achieve new community best practices before these new features and APIs are proposed adoption within future editions of the MPI standard. MPI Advance will be made broadly available under BSD-3 license and be published via GitHub, in addition to documentation and supporting infrastructure on web pages dedicated to its user base. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-08

This doctoral dissertation research project addresses questions about megafaunal extinction at the end of the last ice age using new data on one species. The project models the extinction timing in two regions using new radiocarbon dates on bone collagen. Using radiocarbon dates and associated stable isotope values, this research also addresses changes to the animal’s diet leading up to extinction. This allows the research to assess how differences in bone collagen prep techniques affect radiocarbon and stable isotope models. The outcome of this research has implications for the use of molecular data modelling in the archaeological record, helping archaeologists and other users of radiocarbon dating better assess the results of radiocarbon dating. This provide a higher reliability estimation of Pleistocene extinction date that can be compared to human and environmental events in the past while providing an assessment of radiocarbon modelling. These results will be relevant to the megafaunal extinction debate and to radiocarbon dating, the most used absolute dating technique in archaeology. The research’s specific questions are ‘when did this Pleistocene species go extinct in North America?’ ‘Do we have evidence of environmental change before extinction?’ and ‘How does our extinction estimate change based on the quality of the data input into the model?’ Using the highest standard of collagen purification, the project generates much needed radiocarbon dates on this Pleistocene species and model extinction timing using this new data. The model generated using this high standard of data is compared to models using lower quality standards of data to assess the importance of bone collagen preparation technique. Conclusions about the role of humans in Pleistocene extinction is assessed based on the temporal overlap between them and evidence for the contribution of environmental change. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-08

An award is made to the University of New Mexico (UNM) to enable pioneering research in large-volume optical microscopy using pupil-matched remote focusing (pmRF) techniques. This effort will develop advanced microscope systems that allow fast, high-resolution, and label-free imaging of large biological samples. Broader impacts include educational and outreach activities such as an intensive summer training program, an interdisciplinary microscopy course, and a regional undergraduate research event, UNM Physics Day. These efforts will involve undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers, equipping them with practical skills in imaging and scientific computing. The project also emphasizes open hardware dissemination and community-centered technology sharing to broaden participation and promote transparency in scientific tool development. In doing so, the research supports workforce development, environmental health applications, and public scientific literacy. The intellectual merit of this research lies in its novel re-engineering of pmRF optics to overcome longstanding barriers in optical microscopy, such as limited imaging depth, mechanical instability, and slow acquisition speeds. Most microscopes struggle to image deeply or capture fast events in 3D because they rely on mechanically moving the sample. This research advances pupil-matched remote focusing (pmRF), a technique that instantly refocuses light within a sample using precisely aligned optics, eliminating the need for physical movement. The result is fast, minimally disruptive, and high-quality 3D imaging of intact biological systems. Building on this foundation, the project will explore label-free detection, deep-tissue imaging, and efficient strategies for large-scale volumetric scans. These next-generation tools will help researchers study complex biological systems with unprecedented detail and speed. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-08

This project explores the role of parasitoid wasp venom in manipulating insect hosts. Parasitoid wasps are vital to ecosystems, controlling agricultural pests and preserving biodiversity, yet their venom—a complex cocktail of proteins—remains largely understudied. Venom does not kill the host but induces changes in lipids, sugars, respiration, and the immune response, creating an ideal environment for development of wasp offspring. By investigating how venom affects host metabolism and development across multiple wasp and host species, this research will provide critical insights into the function of hundreds of venom proteins. These discoveries have the potential for the development of new pest control methods and could also lead to breakthroughs in drug development and biotechnology by revealing novel bioactive compounds on a diversity of different metabolic pathways. This project also prioritizes education, through a newly developed course in venom bioinformatics, which aims to enhance students' understanding and excitement for research. Moreover, undergraduate students from this course will take the lead in conducting a venom activity at local high schools to enhance awareness and reduce barriers to STEM research opportunities for incoming undergraduate populations. This project addresses critical gaps in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying host manipulation by ectoparasitoid wasps, focusing on the functional roles of venom proteins. Despite the immense diversity of parasitoid wasps, with over one million estimated species, venom phenotypes and their underlying mechanisms have been characterized in only a few systems. The central hypothesis for this project is that individual venom proteins perform distinct, task-specific roles, and that the extended phenotype in the host is determined by the unique composition of the venom repertoire for each wasp-host system. This hypothesis will be tested using a comparative framework involving six ectoparasitoid wasp species with varying ecological strategies (specialists vs. generalists). The study integrates proteomics, genomics, and functional assays to elucidate venom-induced changes in host physiology. First, we will focus on identifying conserved and species-specific effects of venom from multiple wasp species on a shared host, Sarcophaga bullata. Functional hypotheses generated from these analyses will be tested through functional validation using recombinant venom proteins and RNA interference. We will incorporate these findings into a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE), where students will develop and test hypotheses on venom function and evolution. By leveraging natural variation in venom composition, this study will advance our understanding of parasitoid-host interactions, generate novel insights into venom biology, and lay the groundwork for translational applications in pest control and pharmaceuticals. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

This project develops new methods to help computers automatically verify that certain mathematical statements involving polynomial inequalities are true. Polynomials are widely used to model real-world systems including many scientific and engineering applications. Polynomial optimization under constraints plays a foundational role in a wide range of domains, including robotics, aerospace systems, cyber-physical systems, control theory, quantum information, and machine learning. The research will create tools that not only test these mathematical statements about polynomials but also produce clear, trustworthy evidence—called certificates—to explain why they are correct. These advances will improve the safety and reliability of complex systems such as autonomous vehicles and intelligent controllers. This project investigates the problem of certifying the nonnegativity of a polynomial inequality over the real values defined by a finite basis of polynomial inequalities — a core question in real algebraic geometry with significant implications for verification, stability analysis, and systems modeling – and, if so, produce nonnegative multipliers for the basis elements exhibiting a proof. The research develops two complementary approaches to generate certificates of nonnegativity: (i) Algebraic approach – Leveraging Groebner basis methods and introducing a novel N-basis framework, the project explores nonnegativity-preserving rewriting techniques and generation of N-polynomials from finite sets of polynomials (N-completion) to construct finite bases that certify implication between polynomial inequalities. A degree-bound strategy will ensure termination and tractability. (ii) Geometric approach – Building on Positivstellensatz theory, the project aims to construct certificates via membership in quadratic modules and preorderings. Even though the membership for a finitely generated quadratic module can be decided using general methods including cylindrical algebraic decomposition with its various extensions including critical point methods, generating certificates showing evidence about correct reasoning is elusive. A compositional method for generating certificates from factored polynomials will be extended from univariate to multivariate cases. The project will identify structural properties of basis elements and associated semi-algebraic sets to construct equivalent intermediate bases to enable efficient certificate computation. The anticipated outcomes of this project include new symbolic-numeric algorithms and formal guarantees for reasoning about polynomial inequalities, with potential applications in software verification, neural network certification, and optimization in engineering and physical sciences. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

This project supports seven PIs, one postdoctoral fellow, five graduate students, and two undergraduate students from the five U.S. universities to study how the availability of marine nutrients such as nitrate and phosphate may have fueled the expansion of eukaryotes (organisms with nuclei in their cells), transformed their ecological roles, and eventually revolutionized the marine ecosystem during the Tonian Period (1000–720 million years ago). This research will help scientists to better understand the ecological resilience of the marine ecosystem in the present and future. The project takes advantage of unique and complementary geologic records from two continents, leverages available collections and resources, and brings together an array of research expertise. It offers opportunities for the training of a globally engaged STEM workforce, as well as public outreach activities engaging national (geo)parks. This project will test the hypothesis that increasing nutrient availability in Tonian oceans drove the diversification and ecological rise of eukaryotes, which in turn transformed the scope of biodiversity from a prokaryote-dominated world to one teeming with eukaryotes. The researchers will systematically collect and integrate paleontological, geochemical, sedimentological, and stratigraphic data from early Tonian strata in North China and late Tonian strata in the Grand Canyon of Arizona. The data will be integrated with global compilations and an Earth system model to reconstruct nutrient availability, eukaryote taxonomic and functional biodiversity, and marine geochemical cycles to test the hypothesis stated above. The intellectual merit of the project lies in its potential to illuminate the complex feedbacks among nutrient availability, functional biodiversity, and biodiversity dynamics in a major transition in Earth history. The broader impacts of the project will catalyze multidisciplinary research, create synergies between the National Park System and research institutions, foster informal geoscience education, and prepare the next-generation of STEM workforce. This project is funded by the BIO/DEB Biodiversity of a Changing Planet (BoCP) Program and the GEO/EAR Life and Environments through Time (LET) Program. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

The National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR Graduate Fellowship Program (EGFP) supports EGFP designated institutions and programs in EPSCoR jurisdictions by providing funding for graduate fellowships for new or continuing EGFP-eligible applicants. EPSCoR jurisdictions support a total of three years of stipend and associated cost-of-education (COE) allowance for each NSF EPSCoR Graduate Fellow. This award at the University of New Mexico proposes to support 10 EPSCoR Graduate Fellows whose research will align with the unique goals and programs supported by the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), and Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE). In this project, Fellows will participate in graduate studies in several fields, including biology, earth and planetary science, geography and environmental studies, civil and environmental engineering, electric and computer engineering, chemical and biological engineering, economics, physics and astronomy. Robust mechanisms are in place to support student success, ensuring personalized mentoring and encouraging professional development. In addition to the research experience, Fellows will have opportunities to participate various science symposia and seminars. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

This project will bring together researchers, land managers, and local communities to improve understanding and management of New Mexico's forests and woodland watersheds. Current knowledge about how forest management and disturbance affect water resources, carbon storage, and forest health on watershed scales is limited. This project integrates expertise in ecology, hydrology, community engagement, and rural economics to create management solutions, spur economic development, and provide educational and job opportunities statewide. The research, education, and workforce development components of the project will enable collaborative engagement among New Mexico institutions and organizations. The project's collaborating institutions include the University of New Mexico (lead), New Mexico State University, Western New Mexico University, Asombro Institute for Science Education, the Bosque Environmental Monitoring Program, and New Mexico State Forestry. This collaboration will serve as a model for forest, water, and carbon management throughout the Southwestern U.S. and dryland forests globally. Effective watershed management, a critical issue facing New Mexico and the Southwestern U.S., is constrained by data gaps on how forest management impacts long-term forest health, water, and carbon dynamics, and provision of ecosystem services to local communities. The Forest Research for New Mexico Water and Carbon Management project (FOR-NM) will combine high-resolution, remotely sensed data, a state-of-the-art ecological observation network, and process-based and machine learning models to gather critical data on how management, disturbance, and climate alter watershed structure and function across temporal and spatial scales. Through a new integrative mechanism, specifically the Guided Transformation framework, FOR-NM will synthesize this information into actionable, scientifically- and economically-sound watershed planning strategies aligned with local community and State priorities. FOR-NM will also use artificial intelligence to to quantify watershed structure and function in New Mexico's 500 priority watersheds, while also advancing stakeholder priorities across the state through expanding the K-16 STEM pathway's capacity, improving workforce development opportunities, and increasing economic opportunities for rural communities. This project is supported by the EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: EPSCoR Research Incubators for STEM Excellence (E-RISE). E-RISE supports the development of sustainable research infrastructure and capacity in EPSCoR jurisdictions through collaborative, hypothesis-driven, or problem-driven research and workforce development to improve competitiveness in selected STEM fields. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

Fungi and bacteria often form partnerships with insects that help both organisms survive. These partnerships, called symbioses, are common and well-studied in bacteria, but surprisingly rare in fungi—especially when it comes to fungi that live inside insect cells. This project seeks to understand why these fungal-insect partnerships are so unusual. By studying the relationship between Deathwatch beetles and their fungal partners, researchers aim to uncover how and why these associations evolve and what prevents fungi from forming long-term beneficial partnerships like bacteria do. This knowledge could help scientists better understand how some fungi switch between being helpful partners to harmful pathogens, which has implications for health, agriculture, and biodiversity. In addition, the project will train graduate and undergraduate students and engage the local community through educational events in New Mexico, encouraging a deeper appreciation of the microbial world that affects everyday life. The research will investigate two lineages of intracellular fungal symbionts—Symbiotaphrina and Nakazawaea—associated with Deathwatch beetles. The project aims to uncover genomic and evolutionary factors that may influence the rarity of intracellular fungal mutualisms, particularly in comparison to more commonly studied bacterial systems. By examining patterns of genome structure and stability, the study seeks to explore how different evolutionary pressures may shape the long-term potential for symbiotic relationships in fungi. The study will pursue three main aims: (1) reconstruct the co-evolutionary history of Deathwatch beetles and their fungal symbionts using ultraconserved element (UCE) sequencing for beetles and ITS sequencing for fungi; (2) compare genome architecture, including synteny, pseudogene content, and mobile element activity, between intracellular fungi and closely related free-living species; and (3) assess phenotypic traits such as nutrient usage, heat tolerance, and cell morphology in lab-grown fungal strains. These analyses will provide foundational insights into the evolution and stability of fungal-insect mutualisms and the broader principles that govern symbiotic relationships. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving curricula in computer science education. Computing professionals need to understand the possibilities and limitations of computation in order to design efficient algorithms for problems that can be solved in practice, or to avoid large investments in attempts to implement solutions for problems which have been proven to require unreasonable amounts of time or other resources. Modeling computation is an important building block for this understanding, however, students often struggle with abstract modeling and visualization. A prior Level 1 Engaged Student Learning project resulted in a prototype tool which provides immediate feedback on the computational models designed by students. This Level 2 Engaged Student Learning project aims to add features to the tool, improve its usability and adaptability, and investigate its impact on student problem-solving at a larger scale, in different educational settings. The existing Automated Feedback for Computing Theory (AFCT) prototype tool was built on the widely used Java Formal Languages and Automata Package (JFLAP) visualization tool that aids students in learning the basic concepts of formal languages and automata theory. The enhanced tool developed in this project will initially be deployed and outcomes assessed in theoretical computer science courses at the five collaborating institutions. It will be made available under an opensource license to enable others to use and modify the software to suit their needs. The research questions are focused on understanding the impacts of the tool on students' behavior, performance, and learning of computing theory; whether students from different types of institutions are impacted in significantly different ways; and the effects of various types of feedback on students' learning. The tool's added functionality, improved usability, and availability as opensource software will encourage its adoption at other institutions and increase its educational benefits. The project, including the upgraded feedback tool and the associated research study, will provide new insights into pedagogical approaches for improving student learning and will help students to be better prepared to develop high-quality software. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

This project is jointly funded by the CBET Electrochemical Systems Program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). The goal of the project is to develop a new rechargeable battery based on an Aluminium (Al)-CO2 electrochemical cell. The project will address several challenges generally associated with metal-CO2 batteries, including the reversible formation and decomposition of solid discharge products. It will focus on the use of additives in the electrolyte to mitigate these challenges. The new battery will serve two important purposes by storing electrical energy and simultaneously capturing gaseous CO2 and converting it into solid minerals. The project will support an educational program about metal-CO2 batteries for students at all academic levels. The project will expand educational outreach at the University of New Mexico by providing hands-on energy and sustainability demonstrations for rural elementary K-12 schools. The goal is to stimulate interest in STEM and help develop a future science and engineering workforce. Leveraging a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach that includes material science, electrochemistry, engineering, and systems integration, this project is designed to address critical scientific challenges in the development of metal-gas battery technology. The research focuses on understanding the reversible formation and decomposition of solid discharge products within Al-CO2 batteries. Objectives include deciphering the intricate electrochemical redox reactions occurring within these batteries, delineating the pathways of CO2 reduction and evolution during discharge and charge cycles, and understanding the complex interfacial properties between the gas, electrode, and electrolyte that influence the battery’s overall stability and rechargeability. Employing a combination of electrochemical techniques, theoretical analyses, and microscopic and spectroscopic characterizations, the project will provide insights into the impacts of redox mediators and the dynamic gas-liquid-solid triple interphases on the battery’s functionality. This comprehensive analysis is expected to lead to the development of high-performance, cost-effective metal-CO2 batteries that will enhance grid storage applications and provide a viable solution for carbon capture. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

Jupiter’s early formation in the Solar System is thought to have influenced how the inner, rocky planets formed, particularly their complement of non-rocky materials like water and light gases. If we see sculpting effects of giant planets on their sibling planets in a statistical sample of planetary systems around other stars, it will teach us about planet formation in general and set the context for understanding our own place in the universe. This project will use spectroscopy to track the motions of stars known to host giant planets like Jupiter, to determine whether they have inner planets. Secondly, it will determine whether the compositions of the atmospheres of such inner planets depend on the presence and orbital properties of outer, giant planets. It includes an educational component designed to encourage persistence of physics and astrophysics majors. This research uses the Keck Planet Finder spectrograph to look for the radial velocity signatures of planets, to correlate the inner planets to the giants in the same systems. It will also take an inventory of volatiles via transmission spectra of transiting planets, using data from the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes. The atmospheric properties of sub-Neptunes with and without giant planets will be compared to determine the giants’ impact. At the University of New Mexico, research experiences will be tied to the curriculum, there will be a career paths website and alumni visits to help physics and astrophysics majors to network. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

Communities in dry regions increasingly depend on treated wastewater to sustain streams and rivers as traditional water sources such as snowmelt, reservoir storage, and groundwater become less reliable. In these arid environments, a significant portion of river flow may originate from wastewater treatment facilities, particularly during extended dry periods. This project aims to improve understanding of how long-term treated wastewater inputs affect the ecological functioning and health of river systems. The research focuses on how biochemical processes in rivers respond to continuous exposure to treated effluent and their capacity to recover from disturbances. The Rio Grande River, which flows through a densely populated urban area near Albuquerque, New Mexico, and receives substantial treated effluent from a major facility, is an exemplary case study due to its representative conditions and scale. This project also contributes to environmental education by enhancing training in collecting and analyzing large ecological data sets and preparing future scientists and engineers with critical analytical skills. This project examines the long-term impacts of wastewater treatment plant effluent discharge on stream metabolism, resilience, and ecological sustainability in arid river systems. It quantifies atmospheric, hydrological, biogeochemical, and biological variables over multiple temporal scales, from short-term events to multiyear patterns, using semi-continuous monitoring across five strategically placed study sites along the Rio Grande River. Two upstream sites reflect natural, intermittent flow regimes, while three downstream sites capture the metabolic effects of chronic treated effluent exposure. The shared flow and atmospheric conditions across all sites establish a robust comparative framework for assessing the ecological consequences of anthropogenic loading. This research will identify patterns and ecological thresholds that signify resilience and vulnerability, informing the development of a mechanistic model that integrates terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem dynamics. This model aims to enhance predictive capabilities regarding the responses of watersheds to shifts in flow regimes and land use. Additionally, the project incorporates an educational component through a data-driven, problem-based hydrology course designed to equip students with foundational programming, modeling, and environmental data analysis skills, directly contributing to broader educational and societal benefits. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-06

SUMMARY The control and treatment of schistosomiasis currently rely solely on praziquantel, a drug that has been in use for over 40 years. However, praziquantel is imperfect because it cannot kill juvenile schistosomes and does not prevent reinfection. Additionally, there is no effective vaccine against schistosome parasites. Therefore, alternative tools are urgently needed to fight schistosomiasis. One alternative strategy is the genetics-based biocontrol of snails by disrupting the intramolluscan life cycle of schistosomes before the release of cercariae (the infectious stage of schistosomes), thus preventing human infection. To support this strategy, we have developed advanced intercross lines of Biomphalaria glabrata, an important snail vector of the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni and a well-studied model for schistosomiasis research. These advanced intercross lines have been developed through our long-term efforts to develop genetic and genomic resources in B. glabrata aimed at understanding compatibility between snails and schistosomes. These AI snails possess four different resistance phenotypes: extreme susceptibility, moderate susceptibility, moderate resistance, and extreme resistance. These phenotypes enable us to explore the mechanisms that regulate the number of cercariae shed by individual snails, referred to as per capita cercarial production. Per capita cercarial production largely determines the total number of cercariae present in the water, thereby affecting schistosomiasis transmission in endemic areas. In this project, we propose to use double digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) and pooled sample sequencing (Pool-seq) to genotype the AI snails. We will employ genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and quantitative trait loci (QTL) analyses to investigate the genomic regions and genes in those regions that control schistosome resistance, specifically per capita cercarial production. Completing this study will enhance our understanding of snail resistance to schistosomes, thus facilitating the development of innovative snail-targeted biocontrol programs for schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease that affects 251 million people worldwide.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-06

Detailed cosmological observations suggest invisible substances dominate the energy budget of the Universe and play an outsized role in its growth from the Big Bang to today. Theories put forward to explain the fundamental nature of these “dark” components require time-consuming numerical computations to test their predictions against observations from state-of-the-art telescopes. Recent advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) dramatically speed up such computation, making it possible to explore efficiently a broader range of plausible theories. This project develops AI/ML-based computational tools enabling novel searches for the physical origin and properties of the invisible elements making up the cosmos. These tools leverage complementarity between astronomical observations and laboratory-based experiments in determining the physics governing the growth of the Universe. In parallel, a pilot program is established to mentor and engage students early-on in research. This program focuses on acquisition of transferable skills broadly applicable to careers in STEM, while providing students with a support community informing their sense of relevance within physics. The project aims to determine whether neutrinos have nonstandard interactions that drive cosmic expansion and the growth of large-scale structure. To do so, this project incorporates the latest advances in AI/ML to develop a fully differentiable cosmological pipeline that dramatically speeds up searches for new physics with cosmological data. This approach enables the exploration of a much broader range of cosmological scenarios than previously possible. It also provides efficient sensitivity forecasts for cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure data from CMB-S4 and Rubin Observatory, probing potential synergies among the next decade’s major experimental progress in particle physics and cosmology. The approach enables complementarity studies between ground-based neutrino experiments and observations. In parallel, a new seminar, focusing on important skills, includes software development and AI/ML, time management, written and oral communication, and career planning will be established. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-05

Severe drought is causing trees to die around the world, including in the piñon-juniper woodlands that occupy hundreds of millions of hectares of the western US. Unfortunately, new seedlings are not replacing the trees that have died. These seedlings may need beneficial soil microbes, which have also declined under drought. This project tests this idea by adding beneficial microbes to piñon seedlings planted into areas of experimental severe drought and nearby areas with normal conditions. DNA sequencing will identify the important microbes. Greenhouse experiments will expand this across the range of piñon pine by comparing seedling growth in soils from sites with different severities of drought. This project will develop new methods to restore piñon trees in areas devastated by drought. The seedlings of most tree species rely on beneficial microbes to survive and grow. Thus, results will also inform management of other forests across the US. This project trains graduate, undergraduate, high school students, and local school teachers to allow the research to reach additional participants. Drought is common in the western US and other parts of the world and can lead to tipping points at which ecosystems lose resilience – the capacity to withstand disruption without a change in function. This research investigates plant-soil feedback as a general mechanism to promote the resilience of terrestrial ecosystems to drought. Experiments leverage a large-scale, historical forest drought experiment to evaluate the hypothesis that positive species-specific plant-soil feedbacks between trees (piñon pine) and specialist soil microbes (ectomycorrhizal fungi) increase resilience by benefiting seedling recruitment. Field inoculations and laboratory assays will determine the degree to which recovery hinges on keystone fungi and their functional traits. This project achieves generalization across the geographic range of piñon pine with a greenhouse experiment to detect the threshold level of drought that degrades the resilience conferred by plant-soil feedback. This research integrates theory and experiments to promote synthesis across spatial scales that advances understanding of how environmental change disrupts biological interactions and how these interactions influence resilience to environmental change. This project has high potential to broaden understanding of how soil microbes sustain terrestrial ecosystem resilience and to advance use-inspired research through the discovery of practical solutions (soil inoculants) to maximize the resilience of woodlands to drought. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2026 · 2025-05

Chondrocytes derived from cranial neural crest cells give rise to cartilaginous structures that form the craniofacial skeleton. These cells must undergo numerous cellular processes including condensation, orientation, intercalation, proliferation, differentiation, and maturation before forming a template that will serve as a scaffold for subsequent bone formation. The gene regulatory networks (GRNs) and signaling pathways, controlling these processes need to be tightly regulated. Any alteration to the GRNs or signaling modules during chondrocyte maturation and differentiation can compromise the skeletal integrity of the developing craniofacial tissues and contribute to the etiology of congenital defects including but not limited to cleft lip with or without cleft palate, mandibular hypoplasia, craniosynostosis. I am interested in understanding how the chromatin modifiers, Prdm3 and Prdm16, epigenetically control spatial and temporal gene expression during craniofacial development. The aims outlined in this proposal utilize molecular, genetic and epigenetic tools in both zebrafish and mice to test the hypothesis that Prdm3 and Prdm16 act upstream of Wn/β-catenin to properly balance chondrocyte functionality during the formation of the craniofacial complex. In Aim 1, the molecular mechanisms controlling Wnt/β-catenin transcriptional activity in chondrocytes during zebrafish craniofacial development will be defined. The conserved functions of chondrocyte polarity and differentiation through regulation of Wnt/β-catenin will be identified in the mammalian craniofacial complex (Aim 2), and lastly, the functions of conserved Prdm3- and Prdm16-regulated canonical Wnt/β-catenin enhancers across vertebrates in the craniofacial mesenchyme will be assessed (Aim 3). Completion of these aims will provide insight on how these epigenetic modifiers control specific GRNs and signaling modules (Wnt/β-catenin) to facilitate proper chondrogenesis in formation of the craniofacial skeleton. Importantly, this project will also provide mechanistic insight behind how loss of these factors contributes to the development of craniofacial disorders. The research training plan along with the career development and mentorship plan outlined in this proposal are designed to provide the foundation for my career goal of becoming an independent investigator at a top research institution. During the K99 phase, I will receive mentorship in zebrafish biology from Kristin Artinger, as well as guidance from members on my advisory committee for mouse craniofacial biology and bioinformatics analysis. An extensive career development plan with activities promoting grant writing, scientific communication, and leadership and mentoring skills, in alignment with the MOSAIC program, will facilitate my transition to an independent faculty position during the R00 phase. The Craniofacial Department at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus offers an exceptional environment with countless resources to conduct this research and training plan that will guide my success toward reaching my career goals.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-04

This research will develop an advanced optical microscopy system with an unprecedented combined spatial and temporal precision that will dramatically improve our ability to study how proteins cluster and interact on the membranes of living cells. This work has the potential to significantly advance our understanding of cell signaling, which plays a crucial role in biological processes such as wound healing and development. Moreover, it will further provide insights into how dysregulation of cell signaling relates to diseases such as cancer. The highly interdisciplinary nature of the project will provide unique opportunities for students’ training across biology, microscopy, and quantum information science. Students will be in a unique research environment at the University of New Mexico (UNM) across multiple departments and will take advantage of many professional and training activities including workshops, seminars, and networking, within and outside UNM. The undergraduate and graduate students involved in this project will participate in the newly established Quantum Photonics and Quantum Technology (QPAQT) graduate program (an NRT program from NSF), and the “Quantum Undergraduate Research Experience'' (QU-REACH), which creates inclusive research experiences in STEM. The project will design and construct a state-of-the-art microscope that combines two recent breakthroughs in imaging techniques: MINFLUX, which allows high-speed (kHz rates) tracking of fluorophore-tagged proteins, and Modal Imaging, which enables near quantum optimal measurements of the separation between two-point emitters. This combined system will allow for the observation of fast protein interactions and dimerization kinetic rates in the full context and complexity of the living cell membrane at time scales not previously reachable through any other method. The system will be applied to investigate dimerization kinetics related to the oligomer induced signaling from cell membranes, in particular the quantification of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). RTKs play critical roles in normal cell processes such as development and wound healing, and dysregulated RTK signaling drives multiple diseases including cancer. The combination of MINFLUX and modal imaging will allow us to probe RTK diffusional dynamics, oligomer formation and dimer kinetics at unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution on living cells. The study will focus on two RTKs: the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a widely studied RTK providing a well stablished signaling model, and the less-studied RON receptor. Furthermore, this system will enable future studies of other proteins and membrane architectures, such as cytoskeleton corrals and protein condensates, and their effects on oligomerization and signaling. This project was jointly funded by the Molecular Biophysics Cluster in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.