Ten Ohio State research teams have been awarded up to $50,000 each in Accelerator grants through the President’s Research Excellence (PRE) program in the latest cycle. PRE Accelerator grants are reserved for small teams formed to pursue curiosity-driven, novel, high-risk and high-reward research.
The PRE program provides seed support to catalyze and accelerate multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary or convergent research teams pursuing external funding. Administered by the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge (ERIK), the program awards up to $2.5 million per year through two tiers of grants.
Bring superconducting qubit fabrication capability to Ohio State toward quantum computing hardware research
Lead PI: Youngseok Kim (College of Engineering)
Co-Investigator: Joe McGlone (Enterprise for Research, Innovation, and Knowledge)
Project description: This project establishes superconducting qubit fabrication at Ohio State, enabling quantum hardware research. It leverages existing infrastructure to build resonators, filters, and qubits, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and establish Ohio State’s presence in quantum technologies.
AI-powered wearable magnetocardiography: a pilot study for personalized cognitive workload assessment in pediatric concussion
Lead PI: Asimina Kiourti (College of Engineering)
Co-Investigators: Golrokh Mirzaei (College of Engineering) and Ginger Yang (College of Medicine)
Project description: This project proposes integrating sophisticated AI with a novel wearable magnetocardiography (MCG) sensor to empower the first-ever objective quantification of cognitive workload. This breakthrough is critical for managing pediatric concussion, establishing a new paradigm in AI-driven recovery monitoring.
Synthetic biology and precision fermentation with predictive modeling and control for biomanufacturing of industrial products
Lead PI: Shang-Tian Yang (College of Engineering)
Co-Investigator: Joseph Kwon (College of Engineering)
Project description: This project will develop a predictive multiscale model with AI that integrates gene-level dynamics with reactor-scale fermentation kinetics. The model will be used in accelerating the design and development of novel cell factories and processes for biomanufacturing of chemicals, fuels, and drugs.
Laboratory in an inch: high throughput determination of mission critical time-dependent properties for aerospace materials via a one sample/one test
Lead PI: Gopal Viswanathan (College of Engineering)
Co-Investigators: Calvin Stewart and Michael Mills (College of Engineering)
Project description: This project proposes an accelerated, high-throughput method to assess creep behavior of aerospace Titanium alloy by combining cantilever bending with digital image correlation (DIC).
CubeOh – CubeSat microwave intersatellite link mission in a ring formation: A preliminary design
Lead PI: Shin-Chan Han (College of Arts and Sciences)
Co-Investigators: Michael Bevis (College of Arts and Sciences), Joel Johnson and Chi-Chih Chen (College of Engineering)
Project description: This mission design study will develop a new concept for measuring changes in the Earth system (both natural and artificial) from nanosatellite constellation at an unprecedented scale. A microwave intersatellite link system will be designed to crosslink nanosatellites for sensing the atmosphere.
Satellite-UAV Digital Twins for Earth Observation Data Acquisition and Assimilation
Lead PI: Ting Zhu (College of Engineering)
Co-Investigators: Roger Williams (College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences) and Desheng Liu (College of Arts and Sciences)
Project description: The team’s Satellite-UAV Digital Twin project is engineered for maximum impact with federal sponsors, directly addressing the technical pillars of NSF's FIRE program while its advanced sensing capabilities offer clear pathways for funding through NASA and the Department of Defense.
A versatile tool for studying bacterial effectors secreted into human cells
Lead PI: Dmitri Kudryashov (College of Arts and Sciences)
Co-Investigator: John Gunn (College of Medicine)
Project description: Bacterial effector proteins are the key factors that distinguish pathogenic microbes from commensals. The team aims to develop an innovative tool to monitor the localization and function of bacterial effector proteins upon their secretion into mammalian cells establishing the priority of Ohio State in this area.
Radium in soil and teeth related to oilfield brine surface application in Ashtabula County, Ohio
Lead PI: Arbor Quist (College of Public Health)
Co-Investigator: Jeff Hattey (College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences)
Project description: Oilfield brine is used on Ohio roads as a dust suppressant and often contains radioactive radium. This pilot study will analyze soil and baby teeth from 30 families in Ashtabula County to understand if residents near oilfield brine application sites are exposed to elevated levels of radium.
Decoding Perspective: An Interdisciplinary Investigation of AI and Human Interpretability in Narrative Memory
Lead PI: Donald Williamson (College of Engineering)
Co-Investigator: Lisa Kuhns (College of Arts and Sciences)
Project description: This project will advance AI and XAI by analyzing psychological data on mental imagery and communication. It will improve multimodal modeling, enhance interpretability, uncover how imagery shapes communication, and introduce new XAI methods for psychological research.
Development and ultrasonic additive manufacturing of multi-material structures for energy absorption at high strain rates
Lead PI: Marcelo Dapino (College of Engineering)
Co-Investigator: Jeremy Seidt (College of Engineering)
Project description: High-energy impacts cause serious injury and economic loss. The team combines ultrasonic additive manufacturing to embed reinforcement fibers in metals and high-strain rate testing to create structures that absorb energy even after metal failure. Uses include vehicle safety, armor, and sports gear.