Research Awards

May 2025 

  

Dr. James Whelan, research professor (Clinical Health) in Psychology, was awarded $2,965,681 from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for his project “Change the odds: a multi-platform approach to gambling  treatment.”   

Dr. Emily Puckett, associate professor in Biological Sciences, was awarded $1,463,502 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for her project “Collaborative Proposal: Genetics of Polar Bear Hair, Skin Color: Adaptations to the Arctic Environment.”   

Dr. Subhash Jha, associate professor and George Johnson Research Fellow in Marketing in Marketing & Supply Chain Management, was awarded $500,000 from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development for his project “Leveraging Telematics Data for AI Driven Predictive Maintenance of Internal Combustion and Battery Electric Trucking Fleet for Logistics Companies in Tennessee (TDAI-FLEET).”   

Robert Hewitt, associate professor in Engineering Technology, was awarded $300,000 from Delta Regional Authority for his project “Delta Workforce Pathways.”   

Melvyn Harding, director in the TRIO Department, was awarded $286,109 from U.S. Department of Education (US DoEd) for his project “TRIO Student Support Service-Classic,” and $272,364 from U.S. Department of Education (US DoEd) for his project “TRIO Student Support Service-STEM .    

Dr. Marian Levy, associate dean of Public Health Practice & Community Engagement and professor in the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, was awarded $125,000 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for her project “University of Memphis: Transforming Academic for Equity.”  

Dr. Aaron Robinson, associate professor in the department of EECE-Electrical and Computer Engineering, was awarded 120,000 from the United States Army Research Laboratory (ARL) for his project, “Pilotage Program.” 

Dr. Shelby Peel, assistant professor in the College of Health Sciences, was awarded $65,380 from Nike Inc. for her project “The influence of different sports bra types on comfort, pressure, and motion during running.”  

Dr. Bradley Harrell, assistant dean for Community Partnerships and Practice in the Loewenberg College of Nursing Sciences, was awarded $50,000 from the Tennessee Hospital Association for his project “Allied Development of Enhanced Preceptor Training Program (ADEPT).”  

Dr. Meghan McDevitt Murphy, professor, Clinical (Psychotherapy) in Psychology, was awarded $48,146 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for her project “The effectiveness of text-based messaging strategies for preventing subsequent problematic alcohol use among technical trainees in the U.S. Air Force.”  

Dr. Bert Burraston, associate professor and department chair in Criminology and Criminal Justice, was awarded $43.234 from the U.S. Department of Justice (US DoJ) for his project “Evaluation of eSHIFT.”  

Dr. Meghan McDevitt Murphy, professor in Clinical (Psychotherapy) in Psychology, was awarded $28,229 from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for her project “Building the Memphis Opioid Workforce - Graduate Psychology Education II.”  

Dr. James McCutcheon associate professor and graduate coordinator in Criminology and Criminal Justice, was awarded $20,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice (US DoJ) for his project “Evaluation of Sexual Assault Kit Testing.”   

Dr. Xiaolei Huang assistant professor in Computer Science, was awarded $20,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for his project “NSF Student Travel Grant for 2025 IEEE International Conference on Healthcare Informatics (IEEE ICHI).”   

Dr. John Jefferies, research professor in the School of Public Health, was awarded $18,206 from National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his project “ECG-AI Based Prediction and Phenotyping of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction.”   

Dr. Mary Tucker, chief policy & compliance officer at the University School, was awarded $15,442 from U.S. Department of Education (US DoEd) for her project “FY25 CTE Perkins Basic.”  

Dr. Jessica Jennings, associate professor in Biomedical Engineering, was awarded $12,500 from The National Institutes of Health (NIH) for her project “Colorimetric sensor for on-device detection of infection.”   

Dr. Stephanie Ivey, professor in Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, was awarded $6,000 from Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis for her project “Girls Experiencing Engineering 2022-23.”  

Dr. Shawn Brown, associate professor in Biological Sciences was awarded $4,904 from ABB, Incorporated for his project “Contract Research for ABB.”  

Dr. Sheri Howard assistant professor in the Loewenberg College of Nursing, was awarded $2,500 from Labster, Inc (UbiSim) for her project “Using Virtual Reality ("VR") to Promoting Patient Empathy with Undergraduate Nursing Students.”   

Dr. John Sabatini, research professor in the Institute for Intelligent Systems (IIS), was awarded $2,250 from the International Association for the Evaluation of Education Achievement  College for his project “PIRLS26 Test Development.”  

Dr. Robin Lennon-Darling, professor in Social Work, was awarded $2,000 from The Regents of the Gilead Foundation for her project “Trans Sex Worker Project.”