Grants Awarded to FDU

FDU has secured more than $2 million in grant funding to support faculty and administrators driving interdisciplinary research, healthcare and teacher education, K–12 workforce development and University-wide student development. The following detailed overviews of these recent awards underscore the University’s commitment to fostering innovative academic and research endeavors.

“These awards are an important reflection of the breadth and strength of the work taking place across FDU. More importantly, they create opportunities for our students to learn alongside faculty, participate in meaningful research and applied experiences and develop skills that will prepare them for their careers and their communities,” said Carolynn Julien, associate provost for research and sponsored projects, grants/sponsored projects (Metro). “Each grant is distinct, but together they demonstrate how external funding can advance faculty innovation while enriching the student experience and strengthening the University as a whole. We are incredibly proud of our faculty and staff whose ideas, expertise and commitment continue to bring these opportunities to FDU.”

National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) — HEAL Initiative: Pain Enhancement Research Program

Benjamin Johnson

The NIH and the NCCIH has awarded funding amounting to $560,491 to a project on “Phenotyping and Validating Central Sensitization in Painful and Non-painful Benign Urologic Disease Using Machine Learning.” Benjamin Johnson, psychology and deputy director, clinical forensic psychology MA program (Metro), is its principal investigator.

Johnson and his collaborators at Vanderbilt University Medical Center will use existing NIH-funded data and machine-learning approaches to examine how central nervous system sensitization contributes to pain sensitivity, persistent symptoms and differences in treatment response.

The research has the potential to improve understanding of chronic pain mechanisms and contribute to the development of more individualized, non-opioid approaches to pain assessment and treatment.

The award will also significantly expand opportunities for FDU students to participate in biomedical research. Headed by Johnson, a team of graduate student mentors and six to nine undergraduate research assistants will receive structured training and hands-on experience working with NIH-funded data, biomedical data analysis, pain-science research, interdisciplinary collaboration and research dissemination.

New Jersey Department of Education
Paraprofessional Alternate Route Education Program

FDU has been awarded a $234,765 grant from the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) to fund the second consecutive round of its pioneering Paraprofessional Alternate Route Education (PARE) Program.

Kathryn Spence, left, and Melissa Smith.

The one-year initiative, which officially launched on June 1, aims to combat critical educator shortages in local public schools — specifically within the Teaneck, Bogota and Paterson Public Schools — by creating a streamlined, fully funded pathway for school support staff to become fully certified teachers. It is being led by Kathryn Spence, education and director, education, and Melissa Smith, education and director, QUEST and MAT program (both Metro).

Under the PARE Program, 15 local paraprofessionals will receive full tuition coverage for all required graduate-level coursework, preparation for teacher certification exams, mentorship and professional development while continuing to work in their current school positions. The program, which includes wellness resources and career support, is delivered entirely online during evening hours.

National Science Foundation (NSF)
ERI: A Systematic Approach to Investigating Thigmomorphogenesis

Christopher Stubbs

A two-year grant totaling $199,844 will be funding a project on “ERI: A Systematic Approach to Understanding How Mechanical Stimuli Shape Plant Growth and Lodging Resistance.” It is being led by Christopher Stubbs, mechanical engineering/mechanical engineering technology and director, Center for Artificial Intelligence (Metro).

The project advances cross-disciplinary research — integrating engineering, plant biology and computational biomechanics — to look at how animal bones grow stronger under stress and applies those rules to plants. This will help breeders create tougher, climate-resilient crops that can stand upright against high winds and storms. By discovering how environmental forces shape physical traits, this project will deliver a breakthrough for plant research that empowers scientists to engineer tougher, climate-resilient crops for global food security.

Stubbs, who is a contributing faculty member to FDU’s Technical Enrichment and Outreach Program (TEOP), will use the project to engage upper-level high school students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds in hands-on engineering and science activities.

National Security Agency
Establishing a Cyber AI K–12 Curriculum: AI Literacy, AI in Cybersecurity and Long-term Workforce Development

The National Security Agency (NSA) awarded FDU a grant amounting to $490,938 for a two-year project on “Establishing a Cyber AI K-12 Curriculum: AI Literacy, AI in Cybersecurity and Long-Term Workforce Development.”

Yaoqing Liu, left, and Erdal Kose.

Launched in August, the project is being led by Yaoqing Liu, cybersecurity and information assurance, and Erdal Kose, computer science (both Metro). It aims to build a robust pipeline for the future technology workforce by creating a comprehensive 20-module curriculum that integrates artificial intelligence with essential cybersecurity concepts. By introducing these advanced topics early, FDU seeks to equip K–12 students with the foundational skills needed to thrive in upcoming academic and professional landscapes.

To maximize community impact, the FDU team is partnering directly with Dwight Morrow High School, Englewood, N.J., and the Freehold Regional High School District, Englishtown, N.J., to develop and implement these innovative educational tools. Beyond classroom learning, the initiative will feature Cyber AI summer camps for students, professional development workshops for K–12 educators and family engagement nights to cultivate broader AI and cybersecurity awareness in local communities. Ultimately, all curriculum modules and instructional resources will be published nationally through the NCAE-C CLARK repository, extending FDU’s contributions to cyber education to schools across the entire United States.

To read more go to “FDU Faculty to Lead NSA-Funded NCAE-C Initiative Bringing AI and Cybersecurity Education to K–12 Students and Teachers.”

Wake Forest University – Educating Character Initiative
Creating a Culture of Character Across the University

Robert McGrath, left, and Scott Parsons.

FDU has been awarded a $247,628 Institutional Impact Grant from the Educating Character Initiative (ECI), part of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University, for the three-year project “Creating a Culture of Character Across the University.” The project is being led by Robert McGrath, psychology; deputy director of clinical training, PhD in clinical psychology program; director of the Center for Character Development, Institute for Character and Leadership (Metro), as principal investigator; and Scott Parsons, founding executive director, Institute for Character and Leadership (Metro), as co-principal investigator.

The University-wide initiative will make character development an increasingly intentional part of the undergraduate experience by integrating character-focused learning across both curricular and co-curricular settings. Building on work supported through an earlier ECI Capacity-Building Grant, the project will expand character development throughout FDU’s core curriculum and courses across multiple academic disciplines, as well as through athletics, residence life, student affairs and other areas of the University.

Organized around a research-based model of heart, mind and will, the initiative will help students develop moral character, practical wisdom, perseverance, resilience and self-regulation. The project will also introduce practical-wisdom coaching using evidence-based character assessments, provide professional development for faculty and staff and support campus-wide efforts to recognize and celebrate character. The long-term goal is to establish a sustainable model in which character formation becomes an intentional and distinctive part of the FDU educational experience.

To read more go to “FDU Receives Grant to Create a Culture of Character.”

National Institutes of Health (NIH) – Support for Research Excellence – First Independent Research (SuRE-First) Award
Polymeric Micelles for Targeted Delivery of Contrast Agents Through the Nose-to-Brain Route in Image-Guided Brain Cancer Surgery

Hyunah Cho

FDU received an award amounting to $289,540 over the next two years ($144,770 per year) in support of a study on “Polymeric Micelles for Targeted Delivery of Contrast Agents Through the Nose-to-Brain Route in Image-Guided Brain Cancer Surgery.” Hyunah Cho, pharmaceutical science and executive director of health innovation and strategy, pharmacy/health sciences (Flor), serves as principal investigator of the project, which will run through June 30, 2028.

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive form of primary brain cancer, and successful treatment depends on removing as much tumor tissue as possible while preserving healthy brain tissue. This project will develop a noninvasive, intranasal imaging technology that selectively highlights brain tumors to improve their visualization during surgery. Using advanced human-based laboratory models, the research may lead to safer, more effective brain tumor surgery, reduced tumor recurrence, and improved patient survival and quality of life.

Originally made to St. John’s University, this NIH SuRE-First R16 award has been transferred to Fairleigh Dickinson University following Cho’s move to FDU.