The Materials Research Institute (MRI) at Penn State has announced the recipients of the 2025 Interdisciplinary Seed Grants and Transdisciplinary Teaming Initiative awards, designed to support collaborative, high-risk research with the potential for significant societal and technological impact.
These programs aim to accelerate emerging research collaborations by providing early-stage funding for high-impact projects that span multiple disciplines. Each program supports teams that are working to address pressing global challenges through materials research.
"This year's seed grant awards reflect the spirit of bold, interdisciplinary research that lies at the heart of MRI's mission," said Clive Randall, Evan Pugh University Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and director of the Materials Research Institute. "These exceptional teams are pushing the boundaries of materials science, tackling critical societal challenges - from sustainable manufacturing and critical minerals to bioinspired healthcare solutions and carbon capture. By fostering new collaborations across disciplines and institutes, we aim to accelerate breakthroughs that position Penn State at the forefront of transformative materials research."
2025 award recipients
Interdisciplinary seed grants
Each funded project receives up to $50,000 to generate preliminary results and establish new collaborative research directions. The grants support high-risk, high-impact research across four strategic areas: materials sustainability and energy-efficient processing, digital/additive manufacturing for health care, critical materials innovation and living multifunctional materials.
Eight projects were selected for funding in 2025:
"Green Graphite from Biopolymers"
Primary Investigator: Randy Vander Wal, professor of energy and mineral engineering, of materials science and engineering, and of mechanical engineering
Co-Investigators: Margaret Kowalik, assistant research professor - theory/simulation; Adri van Duin, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering
"4D Bioprinting of Bioactive Self-actuation-enabled Microgel-based Vascularized Muscle"
Primary Investigator: Ibrahim Ozbolat, professor of engineering science and mechanics
Co-Investigators: Gustavo Nader, professor of kinesiology; Dino Ravnic, professor of surgery
"Rational Design of Ecofriendly Collectors for Efficient and Selective Flotation of Critical Minerals"
Primary Investigator: Nelson Yaw Dzade, assistant professor of energy and mineral engineering
Co-Investigators: Adri van Duin, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering; Olumide Ogunmodimu, assistant professor of energy and mineral engineering
"Enhancing Electrocatalytic Activity with Reaction Stable Metal Oxide Tunnel Layers"
Primary Investigator: Ezra Clark, Thomas K. Hepler Early Career Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering
Co-Investigator: Suzanne Mohney, professor of materials science and engineering
"On-chip Ultrasound Neuromodulation for Studying Synaptic Plasticity"
Primary Investigator: Sri-Rajasekhar Kothapalli, associate professor of biomedical engineering
"Insight into LDHs Performance and Stability for CO₂ Capture from Morphologically Defined Crystallites"
Primary Investigator: Jordan Meyet, assistant research professor, molecular spectroscopy
Co-Investigators: Shimin Liu, professor of energy and mineral engineering; Gina Noh, assistant professor of chemical engineering
"Towards Green Ironmaking: Unraveling the Nanostructural Origins of the Rate-Limiting Step in Hydrogen-Based Direct Reduction of Iron Ore"
Primary Investigator: Yang Yang, assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics
Co-Investigators: Ke Wang, associate research professor, TEM; Na Liu, post-doctoral researcher
"High-throughput Screening of Metal-binding Proteins for Efficient Bio-inspired Separation of Critical Rare Earth Elements"
Primary Investigator: Lauren Zarzar, professor of chemistry and of materials science and engineering
Co-Investigator: Joseph Cotruvo, professor of chemistry
Transdisciplinary Teaming Initiative
The MRI Transdisciplinary Teaming Initiative provides up to $20,000 to support visionary teams formed by connecting researchers across campuses and colleges to develop large-scale proposals to address grand societal challenges.
"The MRI Teaming Initiative is designed to ignite visionary collaborations that leverage Penn State's breadth of expertise to tackle urgent materials challenges," said Zoubeida Ounaies, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering, director of the Convergence Center for Living Multifunctional Material Systems and associate director of MRI. "By supporting teams that unite diverse disciplines and perspectives, we aim to catalyze research that not only attracts major external funding but also drives meaningful, sustainable solutions for our planet and communities."
The 2025 award was granted to:
"Center for Excellence in Directed Energy"
Primary Investigator: Douglas Werner, John L. and Genevieve H. McCain Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering
Co-Investigators: Bed Poudel, research professor of materials science and engineering
