See who won the 4th round of Research Council grants with Peng Tian, Assistant Professor, Plant Science and Technology, sitting by a large microscope.

Peng Tian, assistant extension professor and director of the MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic, plans to use his grant to study novel virus strains in Missouri elderberries.

June 2, 2025

In May, the University of Missouri Division of Research, Innovation and Impact awarded the final round of Research Council grants for the 2024-25 academic year.

Funded researchers received these internal grants of up to $15,000 for projects and activities leading to book contracts, juried performances, art exhibits, peer-reviewed articles, the generation of pilot data for grant proposals and more. In the last five years, Mizzou has awarded $2.27 million to faculty leading 197 projects. 

M. Michelle Morris
M. Michelle Morris

M. Michelle Morris, associate professor of history, received a grant earlier this year to study the Hartford, Connecticut, witchcraft trials of the 1660s. She plans to use the funds to support a research trip to Massachusetts and completion of a book proposal for Oxford University Press.

Morris says older models of university funding supported historical research with a traditional sabbatical coupled with periodic small grants that allowed historians to travel to archives and set aside time for sustained research and writing.  

"The newer model, which eliminates predictable research leave, is more challenging for those in disciplines, like history, that require research travel, significant time devoted to writing and relatively few outside grant opportunities," Morris says. "In this environment, internal grant programs like the one funded by the Research Council are key resources."

Research Council grant applications will be accepted again during the fall semester. More details will be available soon. For more information, email Internal Funding staff.

Below are investigators with newly awarded Research Council grants and a list of those who won grants earlier in the 2024-25 academic year. 
 

ARTS, HUMANITIES, SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
Beiyin Deng
Beiyin-Deng


Assistant Professor, Religious Studies 
Principal investigator

Department of Classics, Archaeology and Religion — College of Arts and Science

Jennie Ikuta
Jennie Ikuta


Associate Professor, Political Science
Principal investigator
 
Truman School of Government and Public Affairs — College of Arts and Science

Michael Marlo
Michael Marlo


Associate Professor, English
Principal investigator     

Department of English — College of Arts and Science

Dominic Meng-Hsuan Yang
Dominic Meng-Hsuan Yang


Associate Professor, History
Principal investigator        

Department of History — College of Arts and Science

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS
Rex Cocroft
Rex Cocroft


Professor, Biological Sciences
Principal investigator     

Department of Biological Sciences — College of Arts and Science

Rebecca North
Rebecca North


Associate Professor, Natural Resources
Principal investigator

School of Natural Resources — College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources

Cheryl Rosenfeld
Cheryl Rosenfeld


Professor, Biomedical Sciences
Principal investigator 

Department of Biomedical Sciences — College of Veterinary Medicine

R. Michael Roberts   
R. Michael Roberts


Chancellor’s Professor Emeritus, Animal Sciences and Biochemistry 
Co-investigator  

College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources

Peng Tian
Peng Tian


Assistant Extension Professor; Director, MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic 
Principal investigator
   
Division of Plant Science and Technology — College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources

Binbin Wang
Binbin Wang


Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering 
Principal investigator      

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering — College of Engineering

Additional funded researchers in 2024-25

ARTS, HUMANITIES, SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
Principal investigatorsCollege/School
Kristy Wilson Bowers, Associate Professor, HistoryCollege of Arts and Science
Amy Braddock, Associate Professor, Family and Community Medicine (co-investigator)School of Medicine
Sarah Buchanan, Associate Professor, Information Science and Learning TechnologiesCollege of Education and Human Development
Signe Cohen, Associate Professor, Religious Studies College of Arts and Science
Merve Fejzula, Assistant Professor, HistoryCollege of Arts and Science
John Frymire, Associate Professor, History     College of Arts and Science
Noah Glaser, Assistant Professor, Information Science and Learning Technologies     College of Education and Human Development
Seth Howes, Associate Chair and Associate Professor, School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures College of Arts and Science
Jennifer Hulett, Assistant Professor, NursingSinclair School of Nursing
Ilyana Karthas, Associate Professor, History    College of Arts and Science
Kimberly Kimchi, Associate Clinical Professor, Health Psychology (co-investigator)    College of Health Sciences
Suhwon Lee, Teaching Professor, Statistics; Director, Center for Applied Statistics and Data Analysis (co-investigator)College of Arts and Science  
Crystal Lim, Chair and Associate Professor, Health PsychologyCollege of Health Sciences
Willie Mack, Assistant Professor, Black Studies    College of Arts and Science
Desireé Moore, Assistant Professor, Visual Studies   College of Arts and Science
M. Michelle Morris, Associate Professor, History    College of Arts and Science
Anne Myers, Associate Professor, English College of Arts and Science
Joseph Pintz, Professor, School of Visual Studies; Director, Graduate Studies   College of Arts and Science
Russell Ravert, Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Science College of Education and Human Development
Linda Reeder, Professor, History    College of Arts and Science
Susan Scott, Nurse Scientist, Office of Professional Nursing (co-investigator)    Sinclair School of Nursing
Brian Silvey, Professor, Music Education and Director of Bands, School of Music    College of Arts and Science
James van Dyke, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Visual Studies     College of Arts and Science
Robert Walker, Associate Professor, Anthropology  College of Arts and Science
Sonja Winter, Assistant Professor, Educational, School and Counseling Psychology (co-investigator) College of Education and Human Development

 

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS
Principal investigatorsCollege/School
Ridwan Adesola, Graduate Student, Biomedical Sciences (co-investigator) College of Veterinary Medicine
Pamela Adkins, Associate Professor, Food Animal Medicine and Surgery College of Veterinary Medicine
Talissa Altes, Chair and Gwilym S. and Maria Antonia Lodwick Distinguished Professor in Radiology (co-investigator)School of Medicine
Shawn Bender, Associate Professor, Biomedical SciencesCollege of Veterinary Medicine
David Beversdorf, Professor, Radiology, Neurology and Psychology; William and Nancy Thompson Endowed Chair, Radiology School of Medicine
Chandrasekar Bysani, Margaret Proctor Mulligan Endowed Professor, Medical Research (co-investigator)  School of Medicine
Kevin Cummings, Associate Professor, Biomedical Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine
Daniel Davis, Assistant Research Professor, Veterinary Pathobiology (co-investigator)College of Veterinary Medicine
Hesham El-Emam, Assistant Research Professor, Civil and Environmental EngineeringCollege of Engineering
Ahmed Elkilani, Postdoctoral Fellow, Civil and Environmental Engineering (co-investigator) College of Engineering
Aaron Ericsson, Associate Professor, Veterinary Pathobiology (co-investigator)College of Veterinary Medicine
Jorge Gomez-Gutierrez, Associate Professor, PediatricsSchool of Medicine
Neha Goyal, Assistant Professor, Cardiovascular Medicine (co-investigator)    School of Medicine
Tamara Gull, Associate Clinical Professor, Veterinary Pathobiology (co-investigator)  College of Veterinary Medicine
Sarah Jacquet, Assistant Professor, Geological Sciences College of Arts and Science
Maddie Mueller, Graduate Student, Biomedical Sciences (co-investigator) College of Veterinary Medicine
Julia Nuelle, Assistant Professor, Orthopaedic SurgerySchool of Medicine
Md Saidur Rahman, Assistant Research Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health     School of Medicine
Hani Salim, Chair Engineering and Information Technology; Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering (co-investigator) College of Engineering
Tara Selly, Research Assistant Professor, Geological Sciences (co-investigator)College of Arts and Science
Chi-Ren Shyu, Paul K. and Dianne Shumaker Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (co-investigator)College of Engineering
Changyu Sun, Assistant Professor, Radiology, Biological and Biomedical EngineeringCollege of Engineering
Lydia Tackett, Visiting Associate Professor, Geological Sciences (co-investigator)    College of Arts and Science
Carlos Wexler, Professor, Physics  College of Arts and Science
Esma Yolcu, Professor, Pediatrics (co-investigator)    School of Medicine
Peifen Zhu, Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science   College of Engineering