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Supporting faculty exploration and impact

The Division of Research awards internal grants to 14 investigators.

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See who won the third round of Research Council grants with Diana Gil Pages

Mizzou researcher Diana Gil Pagés and her team are weaponizing the immune system against cancer. Photo by Ben Stewart

April 1, 2026

The University of Missouri’s Division of Research, Innovation and Impact awarded the third round of 2025-26 Research Council grants to faculty investigators who submitted proposals in January.

This internal funding of up to $15,000 supports research, scholarship and creative endeavors that lead to book contracts, juried theatre and music performances, art exhibits, peer-reviewed articles and the generation of pilot data to strengthen proposals for external funding.

Stefan Freund

Stefan Freund

Associate Professor Diana Gil Pagés, an investigator in the Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health building at the University of Missouri, conducts research focused on harnessing the power of a person's immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells. She is one of 14 faculty members who received Research Council grants last month.

I needed bridge funds to strengthen a future R01 grant application on the development of a novel anti-cancer immunotherapy in the shape of an antibody fragment that targets T cells to enhance their capacity to identify tumor cells and eliminate them, Gil Pagés said. 

Grammy winner Stefan Freund, professor of music composition and artistic director of the Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI), said his grant will cover the cost of recording music played by the Alarm Will Sound ensemble.

The recording of Instrumentation Variations will be the completion of a 10-year project to create an album of Alarm Will Sound recordings of my music, Freund said. This album will help disseminate my music through streaming services and will build the reputation of the Mizzou composition area and the MNMI.

Faculty who applied for this years final round of grants in March will receive notification of awards in mid-May. 

There will be more opportunities to apply for Research Grants during the 2026-27 academic year. 

Email Internal Funding staff for additional information.

Below are investigators with newly awarded Research Council grants. 

 

Arts, Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences

Shannon Canfield
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Shannon Canfield


Assistant Research Professor of Family and Community Medicine
Principal Investigator
 

School of Medicine

Merve Fejzula
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Merve Fejzula


Assistant Professor of History
Principal Investigator
 
 

College of Arts and Science

Marina Folescu
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Marina Folescu


Associate Professor of Philosophy
Principal Investigator


College of Arts and Science

Stefan Freund
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Stefan Freund


Professor of Music Composition; Artistic Director, Mizzou New Music Initiative
Principal Investigator

College of Arts and Science

Jennifer Hulett
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Jennifer Hulett


Associate Professor of Nursing    
Co-Investigator
 

School of Nursing

Cynthia Lombardo
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Cynthia Lombardo


Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine
Co-Investigator

School of Medicine

Cristina Mislán
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Associate Professor of Journalism Studies Principal Investigator School of Journalism


Associate Professor of Journalism Studies
Principal Investigator
 

School of Journalism

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

David Beversdorf
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David Beversdorf


Professor of Neurology and Psychology; William and Nancy Thompson Endowed Chair in Radiology
Co-Investigator

School of Medicine

Diana Gil Pagés
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Diana Gil Pages


Associate Professor of Surgical Research and Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
Principal Investigator
 

School of Medicine and College of Engineering

Lee, Knoo
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Lee Knoo


Assistant Professor of Nursing
Principal Investigator
 

School of Nursing

Thiago Martins
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Thiago Martins


Assistant Professor of Beef Reproduction, Extension and Research
Co-Investigator

College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources

Amanda Patterson
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Amanda Patterson


Assistant Professor of Reproductive Biology
Principal Investigator
 

School of Medicine

Praveen Rao
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Praveen Rao


Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Co-Investigator

College of Engineering

Cecilia Constantino Rocha
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Cecilia Constantino Rocha


Research Assistant Professor and State Extension Specialist in Livestock Systems
Principal Investigator
 

College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources