Syracuse University Secures $19.7 Million in NSF Funding for 2025

Funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for research projects at Syracuse University reached an impressive total of $19.7 million in fiscal year 2025. This figure marks a significant increase of $5.8 million compared to the previous year, underscoring the university’s commitment to innovative research initiatives.

The NSF also recognized four faculty members with the esteemed Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Awards, which are among the highest honors for early-career academic professionals. Duncan Brown, vice president for research at Syracuse University, highlighted that this funding increase and the recognition of faculty members reflect the strength and quality of research being conducted across the campus.

“Such positive outcomes show how important it is that our researchers continue to apply for federal grants. Doing so helps assure that continuing projects can maintain their momentum and that new research ideas receive the support they need to achieve societal impact,” Brown stated.

CAREER Awards Recognize Innovative Research

The CAREER Awards aim to assist recipients in establishing a foundation for a lifetime of leadership while integrating education and research. The faculty members awarded this year include:

– Xiaoran Hu, assistant professor of chemistry, focuses on developing materials that exhibit visible changes, like color shifts, when subjected to mechanical forces. His work aims to enable materials to self-report damage and to investigate how subtle forces interact within complex systems.

– Bryan Kim, assistant professor of electrical engineering, is working to enhance data storage performance and reliability by embedding implicit hints between software systems and hardware devices. His research addresses the evolving demands of modern businesses and technological frameworks, including artificial intelligence and big data analytics.

– Georgia Mansell, assistant professor of physics, is involved in constructing interferometric ground-based gravitational-wave detectors. These detectors capture minute ripples in space caused by significant cosmic events, such as the merging of black holes. She is also exploring the use of “squeezed light” to improve the precision of these detectors.

– Baobao Zhang, Maxwell Dean Associate Professor of the Politics of AI, utilizes quantitative methods to examine the interactions between citizen interests and technical expertise in shaping the governance of emerging technologies. Her research addresses the politics surrounding AI governance and the international political economy influenced by advanced automation.

Record Funding Highlights Research Success

The $19.7 million awarded represents the highest total since 2022, as noted by Chetna Chianese, senior director in the Office of Research Development. Chianese emphasized that this achievement showcases the faculty’s relentless pursuit of research success, even in the face of a fluctuating federal funding landscape.

The NSF funding supports a multitude of projects across various disciplines, including:

– An interdisciplinary training program for doctoral students in emergent intelligence biological and bio-inspired systems.
– Three collaborative initiatives within the Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy and Astrophysics.
– One new and two renewed Research Experiences for Undergraduates projects.
– A project investigating new physics at the LHCb experiment at CERN, Europe’s premier nuclear research center.
– A training program designed to enhance the skills of technicians in photonics, advanced optics, and quantum technologies.
– Research focused on understanding social-psychological processes and AI companionship.

Support for Proposal Development

The Office of Research at Syracuse University offers extensive support to faculty members seeking external funding. Staff members possess in-depth knowledge of various external funding sources and provide strategic consultations to assist faculty in crafting competitive proposals.

Additionally, the Office of Research runs the NSF CAREER Cohort Program, which aids faculty in planning, drafting, and finalizing their proposals. This program will resume in the upcoming spring semester in preparation for the summer 2026 deadline.

Chianese noted that faculty members can stay informed about changes in federal funding, new executive orders, and updated administrative policies and regulatory requirements. “We keep faculty updated via email and an internal SharePoint, but our team can provide project-specific guidance to principal investigators who reach out to us,” she commented.

Faculty interested in applying for NSF grants and other funding opportunities can contact the Office of Research at [email protected]. This proactive approach not only nurtures ongoing projects but also fosters an environment conducive to groundbreaking research that addresses pressing societal challenges.