Research Revealed: New Research Funding, Researching the Ethics of AI and More

Spotlight

Ignition Awards Accelerate Promising New Research

BU Technology Development’s Ignition Awards help researchers transform their ideas into life-changing products and services. This year’s eight winners include an enamel-mimicking formula that can repair damaged teeth, an AI-based tool that improves elementary students’ reading skills, and a process for supercharging cancer-fighting immune cells.

Find Collaborators Researching the Ethics of AI and More

This semester, the University’s popular Research on Tap event series will address gun violence, ethical considerations around automated decision-making, the environmental impact of doing business, and data science in healthcare. Events are open to all faculty, staff, and graduate students, and feature lightning talks from researchers across BU schools and colleges. Find details and register on the Office of Research website.

Research Funding

Campus Climate Lab

The Campus Climate Lab, led by the BU Institute for Global Sustainability in collaboration with BU Sustainability and the Office of Research, invites research proposals from student and mentor teams that generate new knowledge on climate change impacts, adaptation, and mitigation to implement just and equitable solutions at BU and beyond. Apply by Friday, September 29.

Meet the American Association for Cancer Research

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the first and largest research organization dedicated to accelerating the cure and eradication of the disease. On Wednesday, October 11, BU researchers are invited to learn about AACR programs in a virtual workshop featuring AACR staff and BU’s Dennis Jones, recent grantee and assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.

Guide to the AI Funding Landscape

BU Federal Relations has posted a comprehensive overview of the federal artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) landscape compiled by Lewis-Burke Associates (Kerberos log-in required). This compendium provides detailed information on AI/ML priorities for the Biden Administration and Congress, as well as research priorities and major funding opportunities at federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy.

Life Sciences Research

The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) supports innovation, research and development, commercialization, and manufacturing in the fields of biopharma, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health. MLSC is now accepting applications for this year’s Capital & Women’s Health Programs with a deadline of 5 pm on Friday, November 17.

Health Data Science Projects

Faculty, research staff, and students with a research interest in health data science are invited to apply for a $5K seed funding opportunity designed to catalyze new collaborations between the many scholars working in this area around BU. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, December 13. Applicants are required to attend a health data science-focused Research on Tap on Wednesday, November 29.

Sustainable Investing Practices

BU’s Impact Measurement & Allocation Program (IMAP) seeks proposals from BU investigators that aim to explore how sustainable investing practices can contribute to a more sustainable future, with a focus on ESG (environmental, social, and governance) metrics within the financial industry. IMAP is currently prioritizing work focusing on climate risk, carbon accounting, and human capital. Proposals are reviewed year-round.

Grant Management

Department Administrator Forum

The next Department Administrator Forum, scheduled for Wednesday, October 11, is an opportunity for department administrators and central research support staff to convene virtually and discuss the Procure-to-Pay reorganization, the new travel management company, and export awareness.

Guidance on Grants

Grant administrator Chris Chiofolo of the BU Center for Innovation in Social Science provides answers to investigator questions in his “Ask Chris….” column, weekly virtual office hours, and now in a new “lunch and learn” series on timely grant issues. Upcoming sessions will cover BU’s proposal summary form and traveling on a research grant.

Ethics & Compliance

New Leadership in Research Security

We are pleased to announce Sarah Porter, JD, MS, as BU’s new Research Security Director. In her newly expanded role, Sarah is responsible for coordinating the University’s compliance with research security regulatory requirements under the National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 (NSPM-33). NSPM-33 research security encompasses disclosure of conflicts of interest, funding or other support, and relationships (e.g., appointments at other institutions) that could impact research and development or the research enterprise. Learn more in the Research Compliance blog.

New BU Guidelines for Research with Potential Pandemic Pathogens Published

In March 2023, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, a federal advisory committee addressing biosecurity- and dual use research-related issues, provided recommendations for developing more comprehensive and integrated oversight of research with pathogens and toxins that may pose significant biosafety or biosecurity risks, also known as potential pandemic pathogens. BU’s Institutional Biosafety Committee, with Research Compliance, has developed guidelines for this research ahead of upcoming revisions to current federal policies.

Medical Campus Power Shut-down

There will be a planned electrical shutdown taking place October 7-9 on the BU Medical Campus. Buildings L, R, A, B, K, E, C, and D will be powered solely on emergency/generator power. BU Facilities Management & Operations has been coordinating with departments and teams housed in affected buildings to take proactive steps to safeguard the integrity of valuable research, ensure continuity of essential services, and minimize potential inconvenience caused by the scheduled electrical shutdown. Learn more about how this will affect BUMC research teams, or contact Joe Kajunski or Christopher Fernald with questions.

Collaboration & Partnership

Nominate the BU Innovator of the Year

The BU Innovator of the Year Award recognizes an outstanding faculty member who has translated world-class research into an invention or innovation that benefits humankind. BU Technology Development invites nominations from faculty and staff by Friday, October 27.

Apply for an Ignition Award

Technology Development is seeking pre-proposals for its Ignition Award program by Wednesday, November 1. The awards support research projects with commercial potential with education, coaching, and funding of up to $75K per project.

Opportunities for Industry Collaboration

Industry Engagement offers dynamic, curated lists of external industry funding opportunities, powered by Pivot-RP. If you have a general question about finding industry funding, or if you need help finding funding for a project that does not match the opportunity criteria here, please contact Industry Engagement at EngageBU@bu.edu.

Notes & News

Assistant Professor Michael Albro, Mechanical Engineering (ENG) and affiliated researcher at the BU Photonics Center, received $3M from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a groundbreaking, non-invasive technique for diagnosing osteoarthritis early.

Professor Rhoda Au, Anatomy & Neurobiology (Chobanian & Avedisian), received the Melvin R. Goodes Prize for Excellence in Alzheimer’s Drug Development from the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation for her pioneering work with digital biomarkers.

Professor Tereasa Brainerd, Astronomy (CAS), was named a fellow of the American Astronomical Society.

Professor Mark Crovella, Computer Science (CAS) and chair of academic affairs for the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, received a $525K National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to analyze configurations and management practices in the Domain Name System.

Distinguished Professor Lindsay Farrer, Biomedical Genetics (Chobanian & Avedisian), and Assistant Professor Richard Sherva, Medicine and Biomedical Genetics (Chobanian & Avedisian), received $13.7M from the NIH National Institute on Aging for research using whole genome sequencing and other approaches to identify genetic factors for Alzheimer’s disease.

NASA awarded funding to a BU-led team headed by Associate Professor Sheryl Grace, Mechanical Engineering (ENG), to help develop safe, affordable, and quiet vertical lift air vehicles. The University Leadership Initiative grant—one of four awarded with a combined total of up to $25.1M over four years—will support research into the technical and environmental challenges of flying in urban environments.

Assistant Professor Alyssa Pierson, Mechanical Engineering (ENG), received the inaugural Rising Star in Robotics Medal from MassRobotics for her key contributions to the cooperative, distributed control of multi-agent teams.

Findings from a July 2023 paper in Cell Chemical Biology from the lab of Assistant Professor Mohsan Saeed, Biochemistry & Cell Biology (Chobanian & Avedisian) and a virologist at BU’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, highlight the utility of ViraMap, a powerful platform for studying entry mechanisms of a number of medically important viruses for which receptors have not yet been identified.

Associate Professor Kamal Sen, Biomedical Engineering (ENG), was recently granted an NSF award of $2.96M to further his study of complex scene analysis, work aimed at improving upon modern hearing aids and similar medical technology.

Associate Professor Alex Sushkov, Physics (CAS), was named a 2023 Experimental Physics Investigator by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Sushkov will receive $1.25M over five years to support his work on an imaging technique used to study the nuclei of atoms.

Assistant Professor Christine Slaughter, Political Science (CAS), was awarded a Pipeline Grant from the Russell Sage Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for her project “‘Abandoned By Everyone Else’: Intergenerational Poverty and Black Political Engagement.”

Professor Cara Stepp, Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences (Sargent), and colleagues have received a five-year $3.5M grant from the NIH for a comprehensive, large population sample study that examines and compares changes in speech in individuals with Parkinson’s disease.

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