Division of Research & Innovation

Research Awards

This page highlights recent research awards received by faculty and staff across the University of Memphis, showcasing the scope, scale, and impact of their work. These awards support innovative research, creative activity, and community-engaged projects spanning transportation, public safety, health, education, the arts, and workforce development.

Collectively, they reflect strong partnerships with federal, state, industry, and nonprofit funders and underscore the University’s commitment to advancing knowledge, addressing real-world challenges, and creating lasting impact locally and beyond.

Ladonnal Curry, Assistant Director of Business and Finance Operations, was awarded $5,400,000 from the State of Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs for “VCIF Direct Appropriation Grant.”

 

Dr. Stephanie Ivey, Professor of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering was awarded $1,605,125 by the Federal Railroad Association for “Developing a Home-grown Multidisciplinary Rail Workforce through Engagement with the Corridor Systems Planning Process,” and $45,000 from the Transportation Research Board (TRB) for “TFPE 09: Evaluation of FHWA’s Focus on Reducing Rural Roadway Departures (FoRRRwD) Program>.

 

Kathryn Ramsey, Associate Professor of Law, was awarded $300,000 from the Urban Child Institute for “Memphis Children’s Health Law Directive (Memphis CHiLD).”

 

Dr. Sabayasachee Mishra, Professor of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering was awarded $179,999 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for “Impaired Driving,” and $50,000 each from StartCo, Tennessee Valley Authority, and FedEx Corporation for membership fees to the Center for Electrified and Automated Trucking (CEAT) Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC).

Dr. Randolph Dupont, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, was awarded $132,000 by the City of Memphis for “Memphis Fire Services Critical Incident Services Program.”

 

Dr. Michael Brown, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, was awarded $37,173 from National Institutes of Health (NIH) for “SBIR Phase I Sub-contract.”

 

Dr. Carolyn Kaldon, Research Associate Professor, Center for Research in Educational Policy (CREP), was awarded $33,320 by National Institutes of Health (NIH) for “From High School to Health Care: Lab and Data Science Pathways for Success.”

 

Dr. Leslie Luebbers, Director of the Art Museum of the University of Memphis, was awarded $10,800 from the Tennessee Arts Commission for “Paul R. Williams Exhibition Education Project.”

Dr. Raghav Jha, Assistant Professor, School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, was awarded $10,000 from the American Speech Language Hearing Foundation (ASHF) for “Effects of age on the frequency tuning of bone-conduction vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs).”

 

Dr. Jani Johnson, Associate Professor, School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, was awarded $1,750 by Samsung Research America, Inc. for “Clinical validation of the Samsung OTC self-fitting hearing aid feature.”

 

Dr. Keith Bowers, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, was awarded $1,450 from the American Ornithological Society for “Egg coloration and brood parasite discrimination in a host with unreported rejection behavior.”

 

Dr. LaSheba Hilliard, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Instruction and Curriculum Leadership, was awarded $1,000 from the Tennessee Council for Exceptional Children for “Adapting Classroom Books for Learners with Intellectual Disabilities in Elementary Schools.”

Edmond McDavis III, Director of the Tennessee Delta Alliance (TDA), was awarded $321,118 by the Tennessee Department of Transportation for “Tennessee Delta Alliance.”

Mary Tucker, Chief Policy & Compliance Officer of University Schools, was awarded $5,000 by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for “University Middle” Robotics Program.”