UofM Communities of Research Scholars Funds Record 40 Projects
Initiative Started in 2018 Spurs Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Dec. 11, 2024 — From music and nursing to earth sciences and mechanical engineering, a record 40 research projects at the University of Memphis have been selected to receive funding in the 2024-25 cycle thanks to the Communities of Research Scholars (CoRS) initiative.
Established in the fall of 2018, CoRS continues to drive interdisciplinary collaboration and research innovation at the UofM. United by a common research theme, CoRS teams are composed of faculty from diverse disciplines, perspectives and research approaches. These teams foster connections across departments, colleges and schools often reaching beyond campus to engage with external organizations.
For the 2024-2025 cycle, the Division of Research & Innovation received a record number of CoRS applications, resulting in the funding of 40 projects — the highest in the program’s history. This year’s cohort reflects the program’s commitment to interdisciplinarity and partnership, with nearly every team, including members from multiple academic units and/or external collaborators.
Principal Investigators (PIs) leading this year’s funded projects are:
Kayla Larkin (Instruction and Curriculum Leadership) | Ewelina Boczkowska (Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music) |
Alpha Ba (Mathematical Sciences) | Kibaek Kim (Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality & Resort Management) |
Diana Ruggiero (World Languages & Literatures) | Kola Brown (Counseling, Educational Psychology & Research) |
Maryam Karimi (School of Public Health) | Amanda Gaggioli (History) |
Rafael Rodriguez (Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music) | Yafang Li (Management Information Systems) |
Fatima Alzyoud (Loewenberg College of Nursing) | Sarah Leat (Social Work) |
Donal Harris (English) | Leigh Williams (Counseling, Educational Psychology & Research) |
Nikki Wright (Leadership) | Alexander Pratt (Marketing & Supply Chain Management) |
Doyun Koo (Criminology and Criminal Justice) | Xin Su (Center for Applied Earth Science and Engineering Research) |
Brenda Mathias (Social Work) | Shafi Bhuiyan (School of Public Health) |
Fanta Gutema (School of Public Health) | Yuan Zhang (Management Information Systems) |
Yong Yang (School of Public Health) | Marissa Gray (Loewenberg College of Nursing) |
Asma Ali (School of Public Health) | Rui Qi (Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality & Resort Management) |
Punya Chatterjee (Marketing & Supply Chain Management) | Thomas Hagen (Mathematical Sciences) |
Rachel Lombardi (Earth Sciences) | Sanaz Feizi Khankandi (Art & Design) |
Samantha Calhoun (Loewenberg College of Nursing) | Huan Gao (Instruction and Curriculum Leadership) |
Xiaofei Zhang (Computer Science) | Sofiyah Dahman (University Libraries) |
Yu Jiang (School of Public Health) | Thouraya Al-Nasser (Instruction and Curriculum Leadership) |
Vipin Agarwal (Mechanical Engineering) | Luiz Barboza (Institute for Intelligent Systems) |
Polina Durneva (Management Information Systems) | Shiva Mainaly (English) |
In addition to the 40 principal investigators, there are 134 total CoRS team members for this cycle, with many teams adding personnel from outside the University, partnering with other universities, the Shelby County Health Department and other local organizations and companies.
By the Numbers:
- Total number of companies and organizations involved: 7
- Total number of other universities involved: 6
This CoRS cycle also produced the largest number of projects submitted by junior faculty
at the UofM, with 31 out of the 40 funded projects being led by assistant professors.
Below is an account of each of the funded CoRS teams for each college and school:
By the Numbers:
- College of Arts & Sciences: 11
- College of Education: 6
- School of Public Health: 6
- Fogelman College of Business & Economics: 5
- College of Communication and Fine Arts: 3
- Loewenberg College of Nursing: 3
- Herff College of Engineering: 2
- Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality & Resort Management: 2
- Institute for Intelligent Systems: 1
- University Libraries: 1
The 2024-2025 CoRS cohort exemplifies the power of interdisciplinary research to address complex challenges, build meaningful partnerships and drive innovation. The University of Memphis proudly supports these teams as they continue to break down disciplinary silos and advance impactful scholarship.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Jennifer Godwin
Media and Public Relations
jennifer.godwin@memphis.edu
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