Notre Dame announces awardees of the Science of Wellness Catalyst Seed Grant Program

Sixteen faculty members from the University of Notre Dame have been awarded funding from the University’s Science of Wellness Initiative’s (SWI) Catalyst Seed Grant (CSG) program. Nearly 100 pre-proposals were submitted and faculty from five different colleges and schools received awards. The sponsor of the initiative, Charles and Jill Fischer Provost Thomas G. Burish, said he is encouraged by the level of participation in this new effort. “The number of submissions for this inaugural round of grants suggests a high level of faculty interest in this initiative,” Burish said. “The range and quality of submissions also provides an early indication of the potential for Notre Dame to contribute significantly to improving wellness through better prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. I am enthusiastic about the projects being funded in this round and look forward to seeing the results.” Recipients of the SWI CSG program are:

• • Corey Angst, professor in the Department of IT, Analytics, and Operations, Chris Adkins, Rex and Alice Martin Director of the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership and associate teaching professor in the Department of Management and Organization, and Ann Tenbrunsel, David E. Gallo Professor of Business Ethics in the Department of Management and Organization, for their project titled, “Preliminaries in studying well-being: Identifying the blind spots involved in collection and consent of healthcare data.” Nathan Meikle, postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Management and Organization, will also contribute to the project.
  • Matthew Champion, research associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kyle Bibby, Wanzek Collegiate Chair and associate professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences, and Norman Dovichi, Grace Rupley Professor of Chemistry and Biochemstry, for their project entitled, “Isolation of specific microbiome components essential for drug-derived obesity and microbiome improvement.”
  • Ana Lidia Flores-Mireles, Hawk Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, Haifeng Gao, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Shaun Lee, Monahan Family Associate Professor of Rare and Neglected Diseases, for their research on the “Development of urinary catheters that reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections.”
  • Donny Hanjaya-Putra, assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Hsueh-Chia Chang, Bayer Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Richard Dahl, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Indiana University School of Medicine – South Bend and adjunct professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Biological Sciences, and David Go, Rooney Family Associate Professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, for their project called, “A framework for monitoring human wellness from infancy to adulthood: Analyzing of umbilical cord blood progenitor cells for predicting future health risk.”
  • Joshua Koen, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, Nathan Rose, William P. and Hazel B. White Collegiate Chair and assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, and Cindy Bergeman, associate vice president for research and professor in the Department of Psychology, for their research project entitled, “Linking longitudinal stress exposure and resilience with Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers.”

Additionally, the CSG program has funded a workshop award for Bibby and Kim Rollings, assistant professor in the School of Architecture, for their research called, “Microbiology of the built environment.” “Because of the significant interest in the SWI CSG program and the encouragement of potential partners in this initiative, we are looking forward to offering another round of catalyst seed grant funding this spring.” said Robert J. Bernhard, Vice President for Research and professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. “I encourage all interested faculty to begin thinking about potential new proposal ideas, especially those that engage potential partners in the health and wellness industry.” The SWI CSG program is funded by the Office of the Provost and administered by Notre Dame Research. Contact: Brandi R. Klingerman / Research Communications Specialist Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame bklinger@nd.edu / 574.631.8183 research.nd.edu / @UNDResearch About Notre Dame Research: The University of Notre Dame is a private research and teaching university inspired by its Catholic mission. Located in South Bend, Indiana, its researchers are advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education, and creative endeavor in order to be a repository for knowledge and a powerful means for doing good in the world. For more information, please see research.nd.edu or @UNDResearch.