More than $21 million in external research funding was secured by faculty in the University of Georgia's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences during May, June, and July 2026. 

The 31 awards from federal agencies, foundations, and industry partners underscore the breadth of Franklin's research enterprise and will support discoveries while providing new opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students. 

Among the largest awards, Shaying Zhao, professor of biochemistry, received a $3.2 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) award to advance a public neoantigen-based cancer prevention strategy. Jin Xie, professor of chemistry, secured a $3 million NIH award to develop calcium nanoparticles that enhance immuno-radiotherapy, while Silvia Moreno, professor of cellular biology, earned a $2.4 million NIH renewal supporting training in tropical and emerging global diseases. 

Federal agencies accounted for the majority of the summer awards, including support from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Additional funding came from organizations including the William T. Grant Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, Teagle Foundation, Georgia Research Alliance, the American Psychological Association, the American Sociological Association, and industry partners. 

The awards reflect Franklin’s commitment to advancing knowledge across the natural sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities while addressing challenges in health, technology, the environment, and society. 

Total awards: 31 | Total projected amount: $21,140,338 

• Shaying Zhao, Biochemistry: $3,204,941, Optimization of a Public Neoantigen-Based Cancer Prevention Strategy, National Institutes of Health 

• Jin Xie, Chemistry: $3,016,765, Calcium Nanoparticles to Enhance Immuno-Radiotherapy, National Institutes of Health 

• Silvia Moreno, Cellular Biology: $2,418,125, Training in Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases—Renewal Resubmission, National Institutes of Health 

• Erin Dolan, Biochemistry: $1,710,000, Enhancing Faculty Mentorship of Ph.D. Students in Biomedical Research, National Institutes of Health 

• Kelly Dyer, Genetics: $1,229,568, Investigating the Evolutionary Dynamics and Genetic Mechanisms of Wolbachia-Host Dynamics, National Science Foundation 

• Timothy Hoover, Microbiology: $1,051,487, Sheathed Flagellar Structures and Adaptations in Helicobacter pylori, Yale University 

• Andrea Sweigart, Genetics: $986,24, Collaborative Research: RUI: A Longitudinal Study of Hybridization in Mimulus: Revealing the Ecological, Phenotypic, and Genetic Determinants of Porous Species Boundaries, National Science Foundation 

• Douglas Menke, Genetics: $980,133, Genetic Basis of Gonad Determination in Anolis Lizards, National Science Foundation 

• Adrian Burd, School of Marine Programs, $945,355, Improved Assessment of Ocean Carbon Export by Combining Models, Remote Sensing, and EXPORTS Data, National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

• Benhui Yang, Physics and Astronomy: $842,725, Production of Rovibrational Collisional Rates of Phosphorus-Bearing Molecules for Analysis of Infrared and Submillimeter Observations, National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

• Avishek Dutta, Geology: $588,284, Exploring Microbial Life and Biogeochemical Function in Offshore Freshened Groundwater Systems Beneath the New England Shelf, National Science Foundation 

• Rongjie Liu, Statistics: $546,167, CAREER: AI-Driven Multimodal Feature Engineering for Personalized Biomedical System Design, National Science Foundation 

• Dennis Kyle, Cellular Biology: $436,750, Cellular and Molecular Profiling of Artemisinin-Induced Persister Phenotypes in P. falciparum, National Institutes of Health 

• Thania Galvan, Psychology: $425,000, Strengthening Parental Well-Being to Reduce Psychosocial Inequities Among Latinx Adolescents: A Family-Centered Approach to Equity, William T. Grant Foundation 

• Guowei Wei, Biochemistry: $360,000, Self-Assembly of Tunable Molecular Memristors with Long-Range Order for Resilient and Energy-Efficient Neuromorphic Computing, Battelle Memorial Institute 

• Holly Bik, School of Marine Programs: $307,423, Collaborative Research: Reassessing Deep-Sea Benthic Biogeography Using eDNA and Ecological Modelling Frameworks, National Science Foundation 

• Katherine Hummels, Microbiology: $306,000, Characterizing Neisseria Cell Envelope Synthesis, Pew Charitable Trusts 

• Mario Erasmo, Classics: $300,000, Cornerstone: Learning for Living Implementation at the University of Georgia, Teagle Foundation 

• Jian Liu, School of Computing: $270,786, Collaborative Research: CSR: Small: Sustainable Wearable Sensing System for Continuous Tree Health Monitoring, National Science Foundation 

• Stephen Hajduk, Biochemistry: $250,000, Harnessing Apolipoprotein L1 as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy for Multiple Myeloma, Georgia Research Alliance 

• Stephen Hajduk, Biochemistry: $249,999, Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Apolipoprotein L1 as a Treatment for Multiple Myeloma, International Myeloma Society 

• Tauras Vilgalys, Genetics: $248,943, Genomic Basis of Variation in the Transcriptional Response to Pathogens Among Primates, National Institutes of Health 

• Adam Milewski, Geology: $175,000, UNLP Fellowship—Jessica Brown, U.S. Department of Energy 

• Ting Zhang, Statistics: $150,000, Collaborative Research: Change Point Testing and Estimation with Irregular Signals, National Science Foundation 

• Weiming Hu, Geography: $75,646, High-Resolution Weather Risk Assessment for Seasonal to Decadal Planning—CIRCAD Subaward, Duke University 

• Victor Thompson, Anthropology: $16,500, Georgia 2026 CAPS Survey: Targeting Non-Native Bark and Ambrosia Beetles, Exotic Threats to North American Forestry and Horticulture, Georgia Department of Agriculture 

• Emily Tingle, Sociology: $16,000, Viable: Theorizing Investment in U.S. Electoral Campaigns, American Sociological Association 

• Jeffrey Rapp, Biochemistry: $10,000, Apprenticeship Framework for Pilot-Scale Bio-industrial Manufacturing Operator Training, Manus Bio Inc. 

• Sierra Carter, Psychology: $10,000, Integrating Psychological and Black Feminist Activism Principles to Address Obstetric Racism, American Psychological Association 

• Siva Kumar, History: $10,000, Archiving the Space Sciences, American Institute of Physics 

• Emma Chandler, Plant Biology: $2,500, Characterizing Petal Color Variation Across the Western North American Range of Silene acaulis (L.) Jacq., Brigham Young University