Division of Research & Innovation
News & Impact
This page serves as an archive of announcements, press releases, and news coverage
highlighting research and innovation at the University of Memphis. It reflects the
work of faculty, researchers, and partners whose efforts advance discovery, strengthen
industry and community connections, and elevate the University’s national profile.
For a comprehensive listing of official University communications, including institution-wide
announcements and press releases, visit the University of Memphis Press Releases page.
Media Contact
Dr. Cody Behles
Executive Director, Research Development and Innovation
cbehles@memphis.edu
901.678.2648
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events at the University of Memphis Division of Research and Innovation.
Press
November 2025
October 2025
- University of Memphis Honored with National Economic Development Leadership Award
- Independent Research Study Leads to Discovery Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration
- CCFA Dean Joins Global Network to Advance the Healing Power of the Arts
September 2025
- University of Memphis Receives $1.1 Million to Support TRIO Programs
- UofM Art Professor Heads to the Arctic Circle for Expedition Residency
- University of Memphis Generates Billions for Tenn. Economy; Impact Report States
August 2025
- UofM Launches Ultrasonic Powder Dispersion Technology Company
- University of Memphis FedEx Institute of Technology AI + Cybersecurity Conference Explores Future of Secure Innovation
June 2025
May 2025
April 2025
March 2025
February 2025
January 2025
December 2024
- UofM Communities of Research Scholars Funds Record 40 Projects
- UofM Joins NSF's Mid-South I-Corps Hub, Stretching Tennessee's Innovation Corridor Westward
October 2024
September 2024
- UofM School of Public Health Convenes Summit
- UofM Symposium Finds Fertile Ground in Ag Economy
- UofM Named 2024 Finalist for APLU Innovation Award
- ERIC Officially Opens at the University of Memphis
- UofM Faculty Cross $100M Threshold in Research Awards
August 2024
- FedEx Institute of Technology Hosts AI Cybersecurity Conference
- Leading Innovator, Academic Tapped as New Civil Engineering Chair
- UofM Researcher Awarded $500K for Transit System Study
- UofM Secures $9.2M Navy Contract to Design Drone Facility
July 2024
- Drone Research Earns CAESER Scientist $3.4 Million Grant
- UofM School of Public Health Amplifies its Reach
June 2024
- UofM’s FedEx Institute of Technology and NUS-ISS Forge Strategic Partnership to Advance AI and Data Science Education
- University of Memphis Making $1M Investment to Further Enhance Technology Innovation Ecosystem: Boosting its academic and research capabilities in artificial intelligence in alignment with bringing xAI to Memphis
- UofM Makes Major Push Into Next Generation Supply Chain Research: Secures NSF Award for Electrified and Automated Trucking; Eight Winning Proposals at Inaugural Innovation Challenge by FedEx Institute of Technology
May 2024
- Table of Experts: AI and the Current State of Technology (pdf version) (MBJ)
April 2024
December 2023
- University of Memphis Receives Two Engineering Patents
- Communities of Research Scholars Program Funds Record Number of Awards
- Stanford-Elsevier Ranking of Top 2% Top-cited Researchers Includes 42 from University of Memphis
November 2023
- University of Memphis Partners witH TheraSyn Bio to Advance Synthetic Biology Research in Biomedical, Biscience, Cybersecurity Fields
- UofM, UTHSC Awarded $1 Million Collaborative Grant to Improve Behavior Health Care for Youth in Memphis and Mid-South
- UofM Center for Information Assurance Receives $1M as Part of Cybersecurity Research Award from FEMA, DHS
September 2023
- Experts Struggle to Identify Human Text from AI in Study Co-Authored by UofM’s Dr. J. Elliott Casal
- UofM Secures Institutional Record $86M in Awards for FY23
July 2023
- UofM’s CAESER Awarded 5-Year, $9.75 Million Contract to Continue Studying Memphis Aquifer
- UofM’s Dr. Dursun Peksen Receives Nearly $800K Grant From the National Science Foundation
May 2023
- Inno Spaces: UMRF Research Park seeks to create an 'ecosystem of innovation' (MBJ)
- UofM’s Dr. Lan Wang Receives Grant from the Mission-Integrated Network Control Program
- UofM’s School of Public Health to share $10 Million Grant from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and RTI International
- UofM Receives U.S. Department of Transportation Funding for Water Research
- UofM Honors 2023 Faculty Award Recipients
April 2023
- UofM’s Institute for Arts and Health to Host Symposium on Connecting Mind and Body to Bring Healing Through the Arts on Monday
- University of Memphis Receives Pair of Medical Patents
- UofM Biological Sciences Students Awarded Prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
January 2023
- UofM’s Kimbrough Oller and Irena Lasiecka Bestowed Lifetime AAAS Fellows Honor
- UofM’s Dr. Francisco Muller-Sanchez & ALMA Scientists Find Pair of Black Holes Dining Together in Nearby Galaxy Merger
- Inside U of M's quest to gain more Department of Defense research funding (MBJ)
December 2022
- The million-dollar club: U of M staff who earned $1M-plus in research awards in FY 2022 (MBJ)
- UofM faculty member Dipankar Dasgupta named a National Academy of Inventors Fellow (MBJ)
- UofM earned $49.3M in research awards in FY 2022. Which academic areas brought in the most funding (MBJ)
- Why Aren’t All Black Bears Black? Research by UofM Professor Emily Puckett, PhD, Helps Find Answers
- UofM’s Dipankar Dasgupta selected prestigious National Academy of Inventors Fellow
- Inno Fire Awards honoree: Jasbir Dhaliwal and the UofM
November 2022
October 2022
- University of Memphis and IAMPE Sign Academic Partnership Agreement
- $5.5M Gift by UofM Alum Billy Dunavant’s Estate Creates Endowed Chairs in Research Focus Areas
September 2022
June 2022
May 2022
- $25 Million Grant for GROWWTH Largest in UofM History
- Tech company expanding in Memphis (Live at 9:00)
- Deeper connections: Seattle-based tech company Ookla lands at UMRF Research Park (Memphis Business Journal)
- Ookla opening shop in U of M Research Park (The Daily Memphian)
- Tech company Ookla expanding in Memphis research park (News Channel 3)
- Global tech company Ookla opens office at University of Memphis research park (Commercial Appeal)
- Global Tech Company Ookla® Expands Operations in Tennessee in UofM Research Park
March 2022
February 2022
- UofM Receives $3.8M Cybersecurity Education Grant from National Science Foundation
- UofM professor looks to help solve dental problem, using material derived from shellfish
- Research roundup: UofM faculty members continue project, grant push after gaining R1 status
January 2022
December 2021
- University of Memphis attains highest level of research status after big push for R1
- University of Memphis reaches top tier research status. So what does that mean for the school?
- University of Memphis named top-tier research university
- University of Memphis reaches top tier research status. So what does that mean for the school?
- UofM research and innovation EVP on why gaining R1 status is important, and how the school can retain it
- University of Memphis attains highest level of research status after big push for R1
- U of M earns Carnegie R1 designation
- University of Memphis just scored top research classification, 'R1.' Here's what that means
- University of Memphis receives prestigious Carnegie R1 designation as a top tier research university
- The University of Memphis announced as Build Back Better finalist
- Digital Delta lands Memphis in finals for $100M grant
- UofM named finalist for $1B Build Back Better Regional Challenge
- U.S. Secretary of Commerce GINA M. Raimondo Announces Finalists for $1 BILLION “Build Back Better Regional Challenge”
- UofM chosen as finalist in EDA’s $1 Billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge
November 2021
- UofM secures $2.7M grant from the National Defense Authorization Act
September 2021
- $1.75 million grant awarded to researchers including UofM’s Jim Adelman to study host variation
- UofM Sets (Another) Research Grant Record: Faculty won a record-setting $50.2 million in research awards in the last fiscal year
August 2021
- University of Memphis receives $2M Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Grant
- UofM eclipses $50M in research awards for first time, bolstering its R1 push
- University of Memphis achieves record $50.2M in research awards in fiscal year 2021
- FedEx Institute of Technology & Fast Lane announce training partnership
July 2021
June 2021
- University Of Memphis And Meharry Launch Program Driving Research Collaboration (The Tennessee Tribune)
- University of Memphis and Meharry Medical College Launch PECIR Program, Driving Research Collaborations
- Program Identifies Early-Stage Lung Cancers More Frequently
May 2021
- UofM’s Sabri receives another patent featuring temperature sensing technology
- University of Memphis Biological Sciences Faculty Published in High-profile Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A.
- Le Bonheur, BRAIN Center offer free therapy for trauma patients and families
April 2021
- UofM's Dr. Maryam Salehi receives $453,144 NSF CAREER Award
March 2021
- University of Memphis Celebrates Patents Worldwide
- University of Memphis Researchers Awarded Key Patents
- UofM’s Dr. Ana Doblas receives $593,239 NSF CAREER Award
February 2021
- University of Memphis announces new Institute for Arts and Health
- UofM Receives In-Kind Donation from Yaskawa America, Inc., FedEx and Eaton
November 2020
- FedEx Institute of Technology Partners to Bring Crusonia 2020
- FedEx Institute of Technology Announces International Partnership to Provide Training in Asian Countries
- Skin care startup launches through U of M's FedEx Institute of Technology, Epicenter
- FedEx Institute of Technology and Epicenter launch first of six new deep science startups
October 2020
- University of Memphis Partners with U.S. Geological Survey to Expand Water Research
- The pandemic is changing the English language
- Raymond James builds talent pipeline with new University of Memphis partnership
- University of Memphis named regional award winner and national finalist for APLU Community Engagement Scholarship Award
- UofM Herff College of Engineering awarded $1 million grant to establish Mid-South Advanced Automation and Robotics Center
September 2020
- Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities: 2020 IEP "Innovation" Award Finalist Spotlight: The University of Memphis
- UofM Named Finalist for 2020 APLU Innovation & Economic Prosperity Universities Awards
- UMRF Research Park member MiCare Path acknowledged as a top patient monitoring solution of 2020
- UofM hires Dr. Christos Papadopoulos as Sparks Family Chair of Excellence
- UofM's Gopalakrishnan receives $363,782 DOE award for studying chemical recombination of gas-phase ions
- University of Memphis receives first world ranking by Times Higher Education
- UofM named finalist for 2020 APLU Innovation & Economic Prosperity Universities Awards
August 2020
- UofM expects to lose $15 million in state funding due to COVID losses
- Nearly $1M UofM Loewenberg College of Nursing HRSA Grant to Fund RNs LEAD Project
- UofM's Salehi Receives Nearly $330,000 NSF Environmental Engineering Award
- UofM Launches Center for Community Research and Evaluation
- $1.4 million grant awarded to UofM's AutoTutor for Adult Reading Comprehension
- UofM's CERI specialists traveling to North Carolina to monitor aftershocks of magnitude 5.1 earthquake
- Nine teams awarded UTHSC/UofM CORNET grant for COVID-19 research
- UofM, UTHSC collaboration selects COVID research projects to fund
- Nine UofM/UTHSC Teams Awarded in Collaborative Grant Competition for COVID-19 Research
- Jennings Receives Nearly $500,000 DOD Award to Develop Healing Technologies for Burn Wounds
July 2020
- Jennings Receives NSF Early CAREER Award to Create Materials Resistant to Biofilm
- UofM Research Aims at Tech Innovations in Health, Transportation
- UofM Receives $5.9 Million NIH Grant for a National Center in AI-based mHealth Research
- UofM Creates Center for Transportation Innovation, Education and Research
- UofM's Gopalakrishnan Receives $750,000 U.S. DOE EARLY CAREER Award
- News Medical Life Sciences: UofM/UTHSC grant competition yields 23 projects addressing COVID-19
- UofM/UTHSC grant competition yields 23 COVID-19 research proposals
- UofM/UTHSC Collaborative Grant Competition Yields 23 COVID-19 Research Proposals
June 2020
- Why U of M officials want R1 Carnegie status
- UofM awarded $9.4M in grants to fund hundreds of scholarships
- UofM receives $9.4 million from HRSA to advance Social Work, Nursing and College of Education
- UofM offers webinar series on supporting vulnerable populations through telehealth
May 2020
- University of Memphis doctoral student awarded NIH F31 fellowship
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders creates communication boards for ICU patients
April 2020
- UofM committed to reducing research innovation barriers during COVID-19 pandemic
- Memphis techies develop new community amid pandemic during virtual hackathon
- Techies among us invited to virtual hackathon, starting Monday
- FedEx Institute of Technology Holding Virtual Hackathon to Highlight Important Issues During Pandemic
- NIH-funded MD2K Center releases app that alerts user if close contact with COVID-19 cases
- Salehi Conducts Water Quality Research in Response to COVID-19 Building Closures
- New app for personal tracking of social distancing in the Memphis area (NSF)
- Researchers create free app tracking social distancing in Greater Memphis Area
- UofM team housed in the FedEx Institute of Technology creates social distancing app
- UofM research developers create first-of-its-kind app tracking crowding in Shelby County
- New app from University of Memphis tracks social distancing
- MD2K Researchers Launch New App for Personal Tracking of Social Distancing
- UofM 3D-Printing Face Shield Frames for Le Bonheur and State Hospitals
March 2020
- Three UofM Researchers Receive AAC Academic Consortium Grants
- Tinkerers unite, turn out face shields by the hundreds
- University of Memphis uses 3D lab to print face shields for healthcare workers
February 2020
- UofM professor all about the flow in blood vessel research
- UofM designing open, free program to teach data science
- Scientists report gains in treating kids suffering chronic trauma
- Carnegie Learning and The University of Memphis to Create a Learner Data Institute to Improve Educational Outcomes
January 2020
- UofM Receives $3.4 Million NSF Research Grant to Improve Training in Data Science
December 2019
- Patent expert at UofM carries flag for Carnegie Research status
- UofM licenses breakthrough cybersecurity patent
November 2019
- Silicon Valley Startup i2Chain Licenses Adaptive Multi-factor Authentication System Patent from UofM
- BBC Interview with Dr. Duane McKenna on PNAS published research The Evolution and Genomic Basis of Beetle Diversity (interview begins at 31:15)
- BBC Interview Study says beetles steal genes from bacteria and fungi - with Dr. Duane McKenna
- UofM Biology Professor Publishes Article on Genomic Basis of Insect Biodiversity in National Academy of Sciences Journal
October 2019
- Rapid success drives UofM Research Foundation plans for major office expansion
- UofM awarded millions in funding to develop cyber-learning institute
- UofM Receives $2.58 Million To Begin Data Science Learner Data Institute
- Preterm Infants Produce Language-like Sounds As Soon As They Can Breathe Independently: Groundbreaking Research on the Origin of Language: Precursors to Language in Preterm Infants Still in Neonatal Intensive Care
- DEVCON to expand, put HQ in Memphis with $2.4M Investment
- UofM and UTHSC Researchers Receive 2019 CORNET Award for Studies on Brain Exploration in Adolescents
September 2019
- UofM Research Park Propels Growth for Prospero Health
- Commercialization fellowships help get more innovations off the shelf
- Memphis wired for advanced exploration of trauma on young brains
August 2019
- UofM's Elswick Creates New App that Aims to Promote Green Living on UofM Campus
- UofM Licenses Four New Research Technologies
- UofM Receives $1.9 Million to Combat Opioid Crisis
- UofM and Porter-Leath to launch partnership for early childhood care behind $3.5 Million Urban Child Institute Grant
- International Paper hosting company leaders to help support UofM's CAESER
- Can honey heal wounds? Memphis startup SweetBio and Regional One team up to try
- UofM Math Professor is First Woman to Receive Bellman Award
July 2019
- Drone Mapping of Mississippi Quarry
- UofM Professor Bollobás Awarded Multi-Year, $405,000 Grant: Research focuses on Probabilistic Combinatorics
- Media Invited to Wolf River-Memphis Aquifer Research Day
- LCON Receives $2.7 Million Grant for Family Nurse Practitioner Program
- UMRF Research Park Joins Blockchain Consortium to Reclaim Medications and Prevent Prescription Waste
- UofM research arm joins life-saving partnership
June 2019
- UofM Research Foundation Announces Expansion of Student-Operated Call Center for UMRF Ventures
- CAESER Expanding to UofM Lambuth
- Biology Professor Publishes Article on Sundflower Diversity in PNAS
- CAESER to Host Second Public Meeting on Aquifer Study
- UofM and Epicenter collaborate to strengthen Deep Science Entrepreneurship
- UoM and Epicenter launch 'patented' program to create post docs and startups
- UofM Professor Thurston Selected to Receive Foremothers Mentorship Early Career Award
- UofM's Howell Will Receive Two Prestigious Awards from Society of Clinical Psychology
May 2019
- One Concern Partners with UofM's CERI on Resilience Research Collaboration
- UofM DeYonker Receives 5-year, $742K Research Grant: Awarded Prestigious NSF Early CAREER Award
April 2019
- UofM's Irena Lasiecka named SIAM Fellow as part of their 2019 Distinguished Class
- UofM Technology Spinoff Partners with AMS to Commercialize Water Safety Innovation
- University of Memphis begins five-year aquifer research project
- Study on state of Memphis drinking water to be discussed
- Poverty levels have decreased in Memphis but disparities remain, study shows
March 2019
- Memphis floats plan for Freshwater Institute, research center to study and protect resources
- One Concern Partners with UofM's CERI on Resilience Research Collaboration
- Academy News: University of Memphis Joins the National Academy of Inventors (NAI)
- University of Memphis Joins Prestigious National Academy of Inventors
- UofM Office of Technology Transfer Begins 2019 with Expanding Patent Portfolio
February 2019
- UofM's new research program could draw tech companies, jobs to area
- University of Memphis Launching New Research Cluster Focusing on Agriculture and Food Technologies
- Prof. Wang Awarded NIST Grant for City of Memphis Project
- NIST> PSCR Awards Over $750K for PSIAP Point Cloud City
January 2019
- UofM repurposes former library into first phase of research park
- Emerging companies find new home at new University of Memphis research park
- UofM to Open Tech Research Facilities
- UofM Initiates Research Park to Spur Research-Based Economic Development
December 2018
- Researchers Challenge Relationship Between Musical Training and Brain's Processing Function
- FedEx Institute of Technology Partners with XYO Network to explore opportunities in Location technology
- FedEx Institute of Technology Partners with XYO Network to Build Out Location-Based Technology Capabilities
November 2018
- UofM CAESER Lands Five-Year, $5 Million Contract to Study Water Quality Issues with Memphis Aquifer
October 2018
- UofM to Sign First-in-the Nation Research Agreement with Czech Academy of Sciences
- MD2K Awarded $2 Million in Grants from NSF and NIH
September 2018
- FedEx and UofM Offer Indianapolis Hub Employees Opportunity for Tuition-Free Education
- UofM Will Celebrate Opening of Metal Additive Manufacturing Lab Sept. 27
- UofM Receives $1.7 Million NSF Grant to Support Urban STEM Project
- Dr. Leory Hood, Pioneer in Systems Medicine, Will Speak at UofM Oct. 1
- UMRF Ventures Inc. Receives National Award for Regional and Economic Development
August 2018
- FedEx and UofM Offer Hub Employees Opportunity for Tuition-Free Degree
- Memphis Company Partners with FedEx Institute, Blockchain Nonprofit to Explore Pharmaceutical Solutions
- UofM Launches FedEx IT Command Center on Campus
- UofM Joins National Drone Testing Program
- Two UofM Students Receive Prestigious Fulbright Award