AY24-25 MMRI UM Faculty Proposal Team Awards
The Michigan Materials Research Institute (MMRI) is pleased to announce the AY24–25 cohort of six internally funded faculty teams. These awards were made following a competitive call for proposals in Fall 2024, open to MMRI Faculty Affiliates.
The MMRI internal funding initiative aims to build interdisciplinary teams across departments and colleges to pursue large-scale, externally sponsored research grants and centers of excellence in engineered materials.
- 16 proposals were submitted by over 40 faculty affiliates from 14 departments across 3 colleges.
- Each proposal underwent peer review by two or more UM faculty.
- Finalists were invited for oral presentations and Q&A with MMRI Directors.
- Six teams were selected for funding, involving 14 faculty from 13 departments and 3 colleges.
Awards range from $60K to $100K (including required cost sharing), and several funded projects included unfunded collaborators.
Funded Proposal Teams
| Proposal Title | PI / co-PIs |
|---|---|
| Designing Efficiency into Optimization Networks with Oxide Superparaelectrics | John Heron (MSE/CoE), PIWei Lu (ECE/CoE), co-PILu Li (Physics/LS&A), co-PI |
| Large Area Growth of 2D Materials for Optoexcitonics | Parag Deotare (ECE/CoE), PIAgeeth Bol (Chem/LS&A), co-PI |
| Towards a Center of Excellence in Optimal Co-Design of Material and Manufacturing Guided by Collaborative Machine Learning | Chinedum Okwudire (ME/CoE), PIWenda Tan (ME/CoE), co-PIRaed Al Kontar (IOE/CoE), co-PI |
| Innovating Double-Network Hydrogel Electrodes: Scalable, Self-Adhesive, and Efficient Solutions for Transcranial Electrical Stimulation | Xiwen Gong (ChE/CoE), PIBenjamin Hampstead (Psychiatry, Neurology/Med School), co-PI |
| Molecular-Level Understanding of Buried Interfaces in Situ for Developing Plastic/Metal Interfaces Capable of Joining, Unjoining, and Rejoining | Zhan Chen (Chem/LS&A), PIPingsha Dong (NAME/CoE), co-PI |
| Advancing Materials and Reactor Designs for Low-Cost Photocatalytic Solar Hydrogen Production | Rohini Balachandran (ME/CoE), PIBart Bartlett (Chem/LS&A), co-PI |
— Amit Misra, Director, MMRI and (MC)²
— Max Shtein, Associate Director, MMRI
AY23-24 MMRI UM Faculty Proposal Team Awards
The Michigan Materials Research Institute (MMRI) is also pleased to highlight the AY23–24 cohort of eight internally funded faculty teams, awarded through a Fall 2023 proposal cycle.
The program supports faculty teams pursuing major external research opportunities across engineered materials and related fields.
- 19 proposals from 50+ faculty affiliates across 15 departments and 4 colleges
- Each proposal peer-reviewed by at least two UM faculty
- 11 finalists were invited to present to MMRI leadership
- 8 projects funded, engaging 18 faculty from 13 departments in 5 colleges
Funding ranged from $60K (incubator teams) to $100K (multi-faculty proposals).
Funded Proposal Teams
| Proposal Title | Investigators |
|---|---|
| EMERGE: Eutectic Materials Design through Rational Generative Engineering | Venkat Viswanathan (Aerospace Engineering)Tim Cernak (Medicinal Chemistry–Pharmacy; Chemistry–LS&A)Vikram Gavini (Mechanical Engineering) |
| Early-Stage Evolution of Implanted Helium in Laser-Processed Metastable Grain Boundaries in Alloys | Yue Fan (Mechanical Engineering)Kevin Field (Nuclear Eng. & Radiological Sciences)Yang Zhang (Nuclear Eng. & Radiological Sciences) |
| Mycelium Bonding to Fibers for Stronger, Stiffer, and Integrated Biomaterials | Evgueni T. Filipov (Civil & Environmental Engineering)Glenn Wilcox (Architecture and Urban Planning) |
| Control of Lung Cancer by Magnesium Alloy Implants | Claudia Loebel (Materials Science & Engineering)Kiran Lagisetty (Surgery, Medical School) |
| Generative AI for Materials and 3D Printing Co-Design: Toward a Center for Additive Manufacturing and Material Advancements in Construction (CAMMAC) | Mania Aghaei Meibodi (Architecture and Urban Planning)Kira Barton (Robotics Engineering) |
| Organoid Digital Twins for Personalized Drug Responses | Geeta Mehta (Materials Science & Engineering)Analisa Difeo (Pathology, Medical School) |
| Integrating Intermetallic CoPc-PtZn Electrocatalysts with Colloidal Graphene Quantum Dots for Highly Selective CO₂ Upgrading into Methanol | Joshua Jack (Civil & Environmental Engineering)Albert Liu (Chemical Engineering) |
| Hybrid Photonic Integration: Enabling Nonlinear Molecular Crystals On-Chip | Chris Giebink (Electrical Engineering & Computer Science)Di Liang (Electrical Engineering & Computer Science) |