Assistant Professor of Environmental Sciences Thomas Douthat (College of the Coast & Environment) will lead a team to establish the Louisiana Social, Environmental and Economic Resilience (LA-SEER) Center to advance science-driven risk and resilience management and planning. Louisiana's per-capita natural hazard losses continue to rise because of floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and more. LA-SEER will build and engage the public in using integrative models and decision tools, leading to the creation of an LSU Risk Engine. Collaborators on the project include Carol Friedland, associate professor of biological and agricultural engineering and director of LaHouse Research & Education Center (LSU AgCenter); Robert Rohli, professor of oceanic and atmospheric sciences (College of the Coast & Environment); Rubayet Mostafiz, assistant professor of research at LaHouse Research & Education Center (LSU AgCenter); Md Adil Rahim, assistant professor of research at LaHouse Research & Education Center (LSU AgCenter); Ayat Al Assi, post-doctoral associate at LaHouse Research & Education Center (LSU AgCenter). Agriculture, Coast, Defense, Energy

Associate Professor of Kinesiology Guillaume Spielmann (College of Human Sciences & Education) will lead a team to establish the first center for athletic research in Louisiana, the Center for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, to support the health and performance of student athletes as well as warfighters, astronauts and first responders. The effort expands on growing collaborations between the flagship, LSU Health New Orleans and LSU Athletics, and the historic partnership signed by LSU and Our Lady of the Lake Health in 2022. Collaborators on the project include Neil Johannsen, professor of kinesiology (College of Human Sciences & Education); Shelly Mullenix, senior associate athletic trainer (LSU Athletics); Dr. Hollis O'Neal, associate professor of medicine (LSU Health New Orleans); Dr. Robert Zura, professor of orthopedic surgery (LSU Health New Orleans); Tiffany Stewart, professor and director of the Behavior Technology Laboratory (Pennington Biomedical Research Center). Biomedicine, Defense

Assistant Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Qi Cai (College of Engineering) will lead a research team to develop an eyedrop delivery system for retinoblastoma treatment. Retinoblastoma is the most frequent intraocular tumor in children, while existing treatments can be difficult to access. In low- and medium-income countries, the mortality from retinoblastoma is therefore as high as 70 percent. The outcome of this project will be an effective and less invasive approach to treat retinoblastoma, including at home. Collaborators on the project include Cristina Sabliov, professor of biological and agricultural engineering (College of Engineering); Carlos Astete, research professor of biological and agricultural engineering (College of Engineering); Renee Carter, professor of veterinary clinical sciences (School of Veterinary Medicine). Biomedicine

Professor of Kinesiology Senlin Chen (College of Human Sciences & Education) will lead a team to map disparities of childhood health and health predictors in Louisiana communities. Louisiana is consistently ranked as one of the least healthy states in the United States. A major reason is significant health disparities across geographic areas (where we are) and socio-demographic groups (who we are). This project will conduct a statewide analysis of childhood obesity, asthma, diabetes and social and behavioral determinants of health in ages 5-11 to find elevated risk hotspots. It will also strengthen existing collaborations with the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Louisiana Healthcare Connections. Collaborators on the project include Fahui Wang, professor of geography and anthropology (College of Humanities and Social Sciences). Biomedicine

Assistant Professor of Construction Management Amirhosein Jafari (College of Engineering) will lead a research team to develop a center of human-robot collaboration for workforce development, focused on terrestrial and extraterrestrial construction. In the construction industry, there has been significant interest in automation and robotics as potential solutions to transform future construction frontiers. NASA’s Moon to Mars program, meanwhile, spurs global interest in sustained human missions. By building an immersive training environment for human-robot collaboration, the team will help create a future-ready interplanetary workforce. Collaborators on the project include Yimin Zhu, professor of construction management (College of Engineering); Andrew Webb, assistant professor of computer science (College of Engineering); Jennifer Qian, professor of education (College of Human Sciences & Education); Suniti Karunatillake, associate professor of geology and geophysics (College of Science); Jason Jamerson, assistant professor of virtual production and immersive media (College of Music & Dramatic Arts).

Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Amin Kargarian (College of Engineering) will lead a research team to develop an interconnected system-of-systems view of vital infrastructure in normal and adverse weather conditions, such as the power grid, water-sewer-stormwater systems, transportation networks and communication infrastructure—especially where low-income communities are disproportionately burdened by high energy costs. The goal of the research is to highlight hardships and develop cooperative strategies between communities and utilities to foster equitable resilience. Collaborators on the project include Celalettin Ozdemir, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering (College of Engineering); Sabarethinam Kameshwar, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering (College of Engineering); Paul Miller, assistant professor of oceanography and coastal science (College of the Coast & Environment); Frederick Weil, professor of sociology (College of Humanities & Social Sciences); Tim Slack, professor of sociology (College of Humanities & Social Sciences). Coast, Energy

Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Michael Khonsari (College of Engineering) will lead a team to establish a national center of excellence concentrated on the prediction, detection, mitigation and remediation of the degradation of materials critical to the energy transition, such as for pipes, valves and compressors used for hydrogen transport and storage. The proposed center will leverage LSU’s existing Center for Innovations in Structural Integrity Assurance, or CISIA, funded by the National Science Foundation. The project adds to recent LSU energy wins: H2TheFuture and Engines/FUEL. Collaborators on the project include Wenjin Meng, professor of mechanical and industrial engineering (College of Engineering); Les Butler, professor of chemistry (College of Science); Jyotsna Sharma, assistant professor of petroleum engineering (College of Engineering). Defense, Energy

Assistant Professor of Architecture Annicia Streete (College of Art & Design) will lead a research team to scan cultural landscapes, built environments and festivals on the Gulf Coast and in the Caribbean using drones, lidar and radiance fields. The goal of the project is to compile a rich dataset and create an immersive, high-fidelity record of coastal cultural heritage sites at risk because of natural disasters, land loss and sea level rise. Collaborators on the project include Brendan Harmon, assistant professor of landscape architecture (College of Art & Design); Brent Fortenberry, associate professor of landscape architecture (College of Art & Design); Hye Yeon Nam, associate professor of art (College of Art & Design); Farzaneh Oghazian, assistant professor of architecture (College of Art & Design). Coast

Associate Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering Chao Sun (College of Engineering) will lead a team to advance resilient, cost-competitive and environmentally sustainable offshore wind in the Gulf of Mexico where hurricanes are a major challenge. The work will improve the design, installation, operation and maintenance of offshore wind farms while determining their effects on nearby ecosystems. Collaborators on the project include Paul Miller, assistant professor of oceanography and coastal sciences (College of the Coast & Environment); Celalettin Ozdemir, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering (College of Engineering); Junhong Liang, associate professor of oceanography and coastal sciences (College of the Coast & Environment). Coast, Energy

Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy Rui Zhang (College of Science) will lead a research team to establish a research center for personalized radiotherapy to treat and cure cancer. About two-thirds of all cancer patients receive radiotherapy, while survivors sometimes develop acute and chronic problems based on these broadly prescribed treatments. The goal of this project is to combine radiological physics, oncology, imaging, radiomics, artificial intelligence, health economics, statistical modeling and clinical trial design to improve the safety, quality and cost-effectiveness of personalized radiotherapy. Collaborators on the project include Beibei Guo, associate professor of experimental statistics (College of Agriculture). Biomedicine

Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Aaron Bivins (College of Engineering) will lead a research team to establish a wetland observatory for the Mississippi River Delta Plain and the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, now under construction. The goal is to develop predictive models for high-precision and transformative restoration of global river deltas, which are endangered by the combined effects of sea-level rise, subsidence (sinking) and human efforts to control where rivers go and don’t go, often starving surrounding wetlands of land-building river sediment. The researchers aim to look beyond the potential of river diversions and dredging to soil-microbe-plant ecosystems, which can be leveraged to enhance land building and carbon sequestration via geomorphologic and geochemical mechanisms. Collaborators on the project include Matthew Hiatt, associate professor of oceanography and coastal sciences (College of the Coast & Environment); Giulio Mariotti, associate professor of oceanography and coastal sciences (College of the Coast & Environment); Tracy Quirk, associate professor of oceanography and coastal sciences (College of the Coast & Environment). Coast, Defense, Energy

Associate Professor of Music Kamile Geist (College of Music & Dramatic Arts) will lead a research team to launch the LSU Geaux-to Center for Music Research for Children Ages 0-4. The center will enable evidence-based music intervention in early childhood education classrooms to promote social, emotional, language, motor and cognitive development. Music can change brain structures, promote neural plasticity and counteract the release of harmful stress hormones. Collaborators on the project include Cynthia DiCarlo, professor of education (College of Human Sciences & Education); Eugene Geist, associate professor of education (College of Human Sciences & Education).

Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Todd Monroe will lead a research team to develop a prototype of a platform, Smartective, that seamlessly integrates wearable devices, custom phone apps and a web-based dashboard to improve human performance and safety in the workplace, military and athletics. Initial testing is planned in partnership with Louisiana petrochemical plants. The effort combines LSU expertise in bioengineering (wearable and environmental sensors), computer science (artificial intelligence) and psychology (cognitive assessment) to prevent injury and accidents. Collaborators on the project include Melissa Beck, professor of psychology (College of Humanities & Social Sciences); Alex Cohen, professor of psychology (College of Humanities & Social Sciences); Hao Wang, assistant professor of computer science (College of Engineering); Nicholas Totaro, senior instructor of biological and agricultural engineering (College of Engineering). Agriculture, Biomedicine, Coast, Defense, Energy

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Efthymios Papadopoulos (College of Human Sciences & Education) will lead a research team to conduct a 12-week research trial on how taurine and resistance training can combat frailty, or cumulative decline, in older African American adults. While the proportion of older adults in Louisiana has increased by 36 percent over the last decade, older African Americans—underrepresented in the biomedical literature—are four times more likely to be frail than their Caucasian counterparts. Collaborators on the project include Brian Irving, associate professor of kinesiology (College of Human Sciences & Education); Guillaume Spielmann, associate professor of kinesiology (College of Human Sciences & Education); Neil Johannsen, professor of kinesiology (College of Human Sciences & Education); Denise Holston, associate professor of nutrition and food sciences (LSU AgCenter); Matt Greene, assistant professor of nutrition and food sciences (LSU AgCenter). Biomedicine

Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Fatima Rivas (College of Science) will lead a research team to naturally target and inhibit TRAP-1, a mitochondrial chaperone that is upregulated in various drug-resistant human cancer types, particularly in acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients with poor response to treatment. Collaborators on the project include Marcia Newcomer, professor of biological sciences (College of Science). Biomedicine