UofM Research

Advances in knowledge and understanding at the frontier of science cannot occur without a profound knowledge of the field. The UofM-Memphis program intends to facilitate participating students’ identification and understanding of the current limitations in current STEM-based research activities at the UofM. Spanish/Andorran students will be placed in active research laboratories at the University of Memphis as part of their personalized program. This program will immerse students into a culture where innovation is the norm, teaching them professional competencies that support their success in STEM.

UofM research laboratories participating in the UofM-Spain program:

Laboratory	Description
Memphis Galaxy Simulation (MGS) Group	Led by Dr. Ben Keller, MGS aims to understand how the galaxies we observe form and evolve over cosmic time using supercomputer simulations and analytic theory to. The MGS’ work mostly focuses on the “cosmic baryon cycle”, the process by which baryons (the normal matter that makes up everything we can see) fall into galaxies to form stars, which can then eject these baryons through processes called “feedback”.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Lab (MRISL)	Led by Dr. Aaryani Tipirneni-Sajja, MRISL develops and investigates innovative quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (NMR) techniques for various translational and clinical applications. They pursue meritorious biomedical research at the intersection of multiple disciplines including life sciences, physics, engineering and technology to advance science and benefit healthcare.
Optical Imaging Research Lab (OIRL)	Led by Dr. Ana Doblas, OIRL focuses on the integration of research and education to stimulated interest in Optical Engineering, providing students and Optics community with a unique set of skills for designing and building the next generation of technologies in Optics and Photonics. One of the main goals of OIRL is the transition of research outcomes to commercial products and systems.
Dr. Stephanie Ivey	Dr. Stephanie Ivey's research interests are: community livability, transportation operations/policy/planning, transportation workforce development, and STEM education.
Dr. Alexandr Headley	Dr. Alexander Headley’s research at Herff will focus on expanding the use of alternative energy sources by researching innovative ways of designing and controlling energy systems for the electric grid and beyond.
Dr. Muller Sanchez	Dr. Muller Sanchez’s research focuses on galaxy formation and evolution, with interests ranging from the physical properties of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and nuclear star clusters, to the role of supermassive black holes (SMBH) in galaxy evolution, galaxy mergers and the cosmic evolution of the relations between the central black hole and its host galaxy. Dr. Muller Sanchez uses multiwavelength analyses for these studies, with a focus on the optical/near-IR and radio regimes.
Dr. Claudio Meier	Dr. Claudio Meier’s research interests are centered on fluvial processes, environmental change in rivers, and rainfall analysis. Dr. Meier focuses on topics that are both scientifically relevant and applicable, always recognizing the scarcity and uncertainty of the available data. He truly stresses the observation of the natural systems and a sound qualitative understanding of the physical processes, before the application of complicated mathematical methods. Most typically, his work is a combination of theory, field observations and rigorous laboratory/outdoor experiments, which attempts to elucidate the interactions between hydraulics, vegetation, hydrology, sediment transport, hyporheic flows and river landforms, over a range of scales, but focusing at the bar scale. Particular Topics Fluvial processes in gravel-bed rivers: Early establishment of riparian trees Spatial variability of the surficial and subsurficial texture in bars Dynamics of the water table and piezometric gradients within bars Hyporheic exchange flows under river bars Effects of invasive plants in fluvial systems Methods for better describing the spatial variability in gravel-bed rivers Rainfall analysis: Interannual variability of rainfall with derived distributions Negative biases in extreme precipitation events
Dr. James Adelman	Dr. Adelman’s research focuses on two main themes: 1) How and why do physiological and behavioral responses to infection vary across individuals and populations?; and 2) What are the consequences of that variation for pathogen transmission and evolution? https://adelmanlab.wixsite.com/home
Dr. Hassan M. Ali	Dr. Ali’s research interests includes advanced power systems, smart-grid and micro-grid systems, cyber security issues and solutions to modern power grids, electric vehicle charging system and station, renewable energy systems, energy storage systems, and load forecasting in smart buildings.
Dr. Arleen Hill	Dr. Hill’s research interests focuses on managing/reducing the impacts of disruptions to our society and environment associated with hazards and vulnerability. She is chiefly concerned with identifying and addressing root causes of vulnerability and promoting community resilience. Her work is intentionally interdisciplinary, multi-hazard, and engaged with community partners. Recent projects have focused on gender, poverty, and youth as elements of both vulnerability and resilience and she is keen to concentrate that focus in rural places. Most recently, Dr. Hill has focused on west Tennessee and the Mississippi Embayment participating in local and regional emergency management and vulnerability assessment efforts.
Dr. Joel Bumgardner	Dr. Bumgardner’s research is in the dental/craniofacial and orthopaedic alloys, corrosion/degradation and surface modification/coatings, bone cell mechanics and in chitosan-based materials for implant coatings, bone tissue engineering/regenerative medicine engineering and drug delivery. Current active research is focused on design and development of chitosan-based materials and composites for; dental and orthopedic implant coatings, composites for bone grafts, injectable micro- and nano- particles for tissue scaffolds/templates and drug delivery, and wet-spinning, electrospinning and electrospraying of fibers/membranes/coatings. Research encompasses bulk and surface materials properties, in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility testing using wide range of cells including macrophage, fibroblast, osteoblast and endothelial cell cultures and rodent soft and hard tissue models.
Dr. Jessica Amber Jennings	Dr. Amber Jennings’s research laboratory has the overarching goal of engineering biomaterials that promote healing and regeneration. Research projects include local delivery of antimicrobials to target bacterial biofilm formation, the design of natural biopolymer systems for controlled release, and stimuli-responsive release.