Research Breakthrough Award
The John Martinson Honors College’s Research Breakthrough Award aims to support Purdue faculty conducting high-impact research or creative projects with a team of 8-10 JMHC students. We welcome proposals related to Health and Well-being that offer immersive undergraduate research or creative experiences.
Application Materials and Webinar Overview
Applications for the 2025-26 Research Breakthrough Award are now closed. Please return next year to learn about the 2026-27 application.
Research Theme for 2025-2026 Funding Cycle: Health and Well-being
For 2025-2026, the research theme is Health and Well-being. This is based on the survey of JMHC faculty, students and staff of issues facing the world that they are most interested in researching. Figure on right shows some of the themes identified in the survey. This is not a comprehensive list, but can be used to illustrate the breadth, depth and interconnected nature of these issues. We welcome proposals related to research topics that range from physical and mental health, healthcare for all individuals, and healing and revitalization of local and global communities.
2025-26 Award Winners
Breakthrough Award Winner
Principal Investigator: Dr. Brett Meyers
Project Title: Next Generation Biopharmaceuticals
Co-PIs: Dr. Pavlos Vlachos, Dr. Chris Rochet, Dr. Arezoo Ardekani, Dr. Kurt Ristroph, Dr. Tonglei Li, Dr. Julie C. Liu, Dr. Severin Schneebeli
Breakthrough Award Winner
Principal Investigator: Dr. Jiyeon Lee
Project Title: Developing self-managed story-based treatment for aphasia and AI-assisted predictors for language recovery
Co-PIs: Dr. Catherine Pham, Dr. Yan Cong
Breakthrough Award Winner
Principal Investigator: Dr. Kwonsik Song
Project Title: Learning from Error in AI-Augmented Safety Training
Co-PIs: N/A
Seed Award Winner
Principal Investigator: Dr. Haocen Wang
Project Title: Voices in Rural Maternal Health: Understanding and Supporting Prenatal Genetic Testing Decision-Making through a Chatbot Prototype
Co-PIs: Dr. Yadira Santiago Banuelos, Dr. Evan Perrault
Seed Award Winner
Principal Investigator: Dr. Shih-Chuh (Alvin) Kao
Project Title: Affect, Cognition, Exercise, and Menstruation (ACME)
Co-PIs: Dr. Brandon Kistler, Dr. Christos Mousas, Dr. Shirley Rietdyk, Dr. Li-Shan Chou
Seed Award Winner
Principal Investigator: Dr. Yu She
Project Title: Low-Cost and High-Impact: Portable AI-Empowered Tactile Sensing for Real-Time Healthcare Palpation
Co-PIs: N/A
Seed Award Winner
Principal Investigator: Dr. Alan Zillich
Project Title: An Artificial Intelligence Tool for Patients and Clinicians to Improve Utilization of Medication Access Programs
Co-PIs: Dr. Alex Psomas, Dr. Jasmine Gonzalvo, Dr. Rakhi Karwa, Dr. Faria Chaudhry
Seed Award Winner
Principal Investigator: Dr. Daniel Schiff
Project Title: Deepfakes and Digital Harm: Understanding Impacts and Testing Solutions to Safeguard Well-Being
Co-PIs: Dr. Kaylyn Jackson Schiff, Dr. J.P. Messina, Christina P. Walker
Seed Award Winner
Principal Investigator: Dr. Satyajit Ambike
Project Title: Beyond the Clinic: Identifying Early Mobility Risk in Middle Age through Ecologically Valid Sensor-Based Assessments
Co-PIs: Dr. Jeffrey Haddad
Seed Award Winner
Principal Investigator: Dr. Yihang Zeng
Project Title: Electrophysiological Imaging with 2D Materials for Biomedical Innovation
Co-PIs: Dr. Jing Liu
Seed Award Winner
Principal Investigator: Dr. Temitope F. Adeoye Olenloa
Project Title: Community-Based Afterschool Program Co-Design and Evaluation
Co-PIs: N/A
Research Application Information
The following information is for the 2025-26 award cycle.
Important Dates
- Call for Applications Opens: May 15, 2025
- Informational Webinar: May 17, 2025
- Application Deadline: July 15, 2025
Faculty (tenure-track, clinical, lecturer) from all disciplines at Purdue University - West Lafayette and Indianapolis should consider applying to fund your high-quality research/ scholarship/ creative inquiry with undergraduates, to prepare for larger research grants, to expand the scope of your research and experiment with non-traditional and translational research outcomes.
Awards will range from $50,000 - $75,000. We anticipate funding up to three awards open to all eligible investigators in the present funding cycle. In 2025-2026, we expect to fund an additional award open only to our Indianapolis faculty.
For more information, contact Dr. Megha Anwer, Associate Dean for Research, JMHC at manwer@purdue.edu or Sarah Vaugn, Program Administrator for Research, JMHC at svaughn@purdue.edu.
2025 Research Breakthrough Award Recipients
- Dr. Hu (Purdue Polytechnic Institute)
- Dr. Johnson-Sheehan, Dr. Rickert (College of Liberal Arts)
- Dr. Nieforth (College of Veterinary Medicine)
- Dr. Roseguini, Dr. Gavin, Dr. Fernandes, Dr. Hirai (Health and Kinesiology), Dr. Song (Statistics)
- Dr. Vlachos, Dr. Bilionis, Dr. Ardekani, Dr. Wagner, Dr. Ristroph, Dr. Ladisch, Dr. Meyers, Dr. da Cunha (College of Engineering), Dr. Schneebeli (College of Science, College of Pharmacy), Dr. Li, Dr. Matosevic (College of Pharmacy)
- Dr. Wilson (College of Health and Human Sciences), Julius Keller, Debra Henneberry, Sudip Vhaduri (Aviation Technology)
2024 Research Breakthrough Award Recipients
- Dr. DeMaria (College of Health & Human Sciences) and Dr. Seigfried-Spellar (Purdue Polytechnic Institute)
- Dr. Jarriel (John Martinson Honors College)
- Dr. Wilhelm, Dr. Enders and Dr. Iyer-Pascuzzi (College of Agriculture)
2024 Breakthrough Seed Award Recipients
- Dr. Bellisario (John Martinson Honors College)
- Dr. Diaz (College of Engineering)
- Dr. Williams (Purdue Polytechnic Institute)
- Dr. Fortin (College of Veterinary Medicine)