{"id":175575,"date":"2021-08-13T07:00:46","date_gmt":"2021-08-13T11:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=175575"},"modified":"2021-08-13T14:51:56","modified_gmt":"2021-08-13T18:51:56","slug":"8-uconn-faculty-receive-nsf-career-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2021\/08\/8-uconn-faculty-receive-nsf-career-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"8 UConn Faculty Receive NSF CAREER Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eight UConn researchers across\u00a0six\u00a0disciplines\u00a0have received CAREER awards for 2021.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The National Science Foundation<\/span>\u00a0Faculty Early Career Development\u00a0(NSF CAREER)<\/span>\u00a0Program awards\u00a0competitive grants\u00a0to support the\u00a0research programs\u00a0of early-career faculty\u00a0who demonstrate remarkable\u00a0potential to become leaders in their field.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to advancing research, these projects work to actively\u00a0engage\u00a0students and the community. This broadens the impact of\u00a0the\u00a0research and encourages students on all levels and community members to take an interest in\u00a0STEM researcher.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2021 is\u00a0the second-highest number of\u00a0CAREER\u00a0awards for the university, second only to when UConn faculty received nine\u00a0in 2019.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alix\u00a0Deymier, assistant professor,\u00a0Department of\u00a0Biomedical Engineering<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Deymier\u00a0will work to elucidate the relationship between skeletal composition,\u00a0structure, and physiological pH\u00a0in terms of how it releases ions to regulate the body\u2019s\u00a0pH.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bone plays\u00a0an important role in regulating\u00a0the body\u2019s pH\u00a0by releasing ions as it dissolves.\u00a0Cases of bone loss and osteoporosis caused by pH balances are increasing.\u00a0This phenomenon is also responsible for conditions like acidosis, which occurs when there is an excess of acid in bodily fluids.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The mechanism\u00a0through which bones release ions and regulate pH\u00a0is poorly understood due to a lack of transdisciplinary approaches to this complex problem.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Deymier\u00a0will develop a laboratory that can apply transdisciplinary tools and investigative methods to address this question.\u00a0This project will support\u00a0Deymier\u2019s\u00a0long-term career goal of integrating materials science, biology, and chemistry.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This grant will also allow\u00a0Deymier\u00a0to support and mentor\u00a0female-identifying\u00a0students in her lab through the self-efficacy education program (SEEP)\u00a0and through a K-12 outreach program.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Clay Tabor,\u00a0assistant professor, Department of Geosciences<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tabor will increase understanding of what prehistoric data can tell us about the earth\u2019s climate millions of years ago, and how we can expect it to change. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tabor will utilize the most widely used data set of ocean temperature, circulation, and sea level from the past five million years to model marine isotopic response (which refers to alternating warming and cooling periods) to a number of long-term phenomena. This will help illuminate what mechanisms drive regional and global variations in marine oxygen isotopic records.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The mid-Piacenzian period Tabor is studying is an analogue to our current trend of global warming.\u00a0This research will help us understand how increasing greenhouse gas concentrations are contributing to sea level rise and ice volume loss.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Through this grant,\u00a0Tabor will develop an accessible community database and online data visualizer so that others can utilize these models and data. He will also develop workshops for graduate students and early career scientists at UConn,\u00a0and a high school-level module on the ice ages.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Xinyu\u00a0Zhao, assistant professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Zhao\u00a0will advance understanding of flame extinction\u00a0by looking at how droplets impact the extinction limit of any given mixture.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This project will address a critical knowledge gap in flame extinction research which has, to date, largely neglected the role droplets play in complicating this process. It will have implications for energy security, environmental sustainability, air travel safety, and fire suppression.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Droplets\u00a0are ubiquitous. They are found in engines, combustors, and fire extinguishers. Droplets complicate the careful balance that\u00a0determines flame extinction points.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Zhao will produce\u00a0a model that will quantify the interactions between turbulence, chemistry, multiphase transport, and radiation in droplet-laded flames.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The model Zhao develops will be available as an open-source resource.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Using the data generated from this grant, Zhao will develop a new UConn course and book. She will also develop a high school curriculum to inspire students to pursue careers in STEM. Zhao is partnering with the New England Air Museum to expand the impact of this work to the broader community, including under-represented groups in STEM.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ying Li, assistant professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Li will develop a machine learning\u00a0model to better understand the properties of a promising sustainable material.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Biodegradable thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are a class of recyclable, sustainable polymers. TPE could be used to dampen sound or vibrations in products such as soft robotics or batteries. Unfortunately, TPEs are not yet widely used because scientists lack a solid understanding of the interplay between the synthesis, structure, and mechanical properties of TPEs. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Li\u2019s machine learning model will unravel this secret, opening promising avenues for understanding the mechanics of TPEs and bringing them closer to real-world application.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The fundamental knowledge base Li\u2019s work will create may have broad impacts for the study of soft matter in disciplines such as physics, materials science, and bioengineering.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Li will also develop a series of free educational movies to help the public understand the mechanics of materials as it relates to the pressing need for the development of sustainable materials.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fei Miao, assistant professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Miao will\u00a0work to\u00a0improve algorithms for\u00a0autonomous vehicles.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Connected autonomous vehicles\u00a0(CAVs), like self-driving cars, are becoming increasingly popular. The advancement of this technology demonstrates the strength of algorithms\u00a0that can operate in uncertain environments, like roads filled with human drivers.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers lack an understanding of the relationship between communication, learning, and control for\u00a0CAVs. Miao will address several key challenges through this CAREER grant.\u00a0She will improve understanding of how to model dynamic states and uncertainties using shared information, how to make learning and control decisions, how to integrate learning and control to ensure safety in\u00a0systems that multiple intelligent agents, whether human or AI, and quantify and validate the benefits of communication.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This work will help make CAVs\u00a0safer and more efficient.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Miao will leverage UConn\u2019s connections to industry and utilize its resources, including full-sized autonomous vehicles and the autonomous vehicle testing ground the University is developing at the Depot Campus. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Miao\u2019s project will also develop a K-12 learning platform based on the experimental results. Her outreach will devote special attention to involving underrepresented groups in research.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jasna\u00a0Jankovic, assistant professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jankovic\u00a0is working to increase the durability of electrodes in zero-emission energy systems. These systems include fuel cells,\u00a0electrolyzers, batteries, and supercapacitors.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jankovic will pioneer a never-before-tested\u00a0comprehensive\u00a0method to study and test these systems on a micro- and nano-level.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Historically, scientists have lacked advanced characterization methods, meaning degradation mechanisms were misinterpreted or simply not understood.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Jankovic will investigate what undiscovered mechanisms and changes occur on the nano-\u00a0and micro-level when an electrode degrades and how they impact how the device performs. She will also look at distinguishing the effects of each electrode component on the degradation process.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Better understanding the degradation process will allow engineers to develop better, more durable sustainable energy systems.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jankovic will develop an educational\u00a0virtual reality\u00a0program to attract young people to STEM and careers in clean energy.\u00a0She will also develop an entrepreneurship and research training program for undergraduate and graduate students.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Julie Fosdick, assistant professor, Department of Geoscience <\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fosdick will investigate thermochronological signature of sediment recycling and weathering during continental growth. Sediment recycling occurs when sedimentary rocks are buried, exhumed, weathered, eroded, or transported. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She\u00a0will test the hypothesis that recycling leaves trackable signatures\u00a0that reflect their multi-cycle\u00a0histories.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fosdick will collect samples in the Sierras Pampeanas province of Argentina, which has well-preserved evidence of continental growth and other geological changes in earth\u2019s history. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She will identify and characterize relevant markers in these samples to advance scientific understanding of sediment recycling when the continental crust was forming. This work will have broad implications for geoscience, as it presents new ways of quantifying continental weathering and erosion rates, source-to-sink sediment budgets, and rock deformational histories. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fosdick will develop educational activities for high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and will pair them with aspiring UConn geoscience students. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ga\u00ebl Ung, assistant professor, Department of Chemistry <\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ung\u00a0will develop molecules that\u00a0can aid in the development of next-generation light sources.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) is\u00a0a form of light emission\u00a0that\u00a0has potential applications for optical displays, bioimaging, and security features on banknotes and documents.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Currently, there are only three examples of molecular complexes demonstrating near-infrared luminescence\u00a0needed for bioimaging applications.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ung will develop molecules that can be used readily. Additionally, his work will illuminate important\u00a0information for continuing to improve the design of these molecules\u00a0by developing new tools for the field.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ung\u2019s project will include educational programs with the goal of encouraging students from low-income areas to pursue studies in chemistry. Ung will work with high school students in Ung\u2019s own community and\u00a0low-income,\u00a0first-generation\u00a0college students who typically work to support themselves during the semester.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Follow UConn Research on<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>Twitter<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u00a0&<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>LinkedIn<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NSF CAREER Awards support early-career faculty in establishing their research programs while also reaching out to students and community members<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":175577,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2275,1866,2226,2076,2166,1868,2235],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2277],"class_list":["post-175575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-affairs","category-engr","category-clas","category-research","category-sdm","category-meds","category-today-homepage"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-13 19:41:55","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/147"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175575"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175575\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":176049,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175575\/revisions\/176049"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/175577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175575"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=175575"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=175575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}