Winning projects—chosen from 324 proposals—will accelerate the research of 132 individuals from across the university
Hub staff report / Published Jun 16
Is there a way to detect severe cases of malaria using artificial intelligence-assisted ultrasound tools? Can scientists uncover a record of age-related functional decline in the human genome? Can researchers develop decision-making frameworks that prevent violence in humanitarian settings?
These are just three of the questions researchers are tackling with the help of the Discovery Awards, Johns Hopkins’ internal funding program designed to spark new interactions among investigators from across the university and harness their collective knowledge to advance discovery. This year, 40 multidisciplinary endeavors have been selected to receive support through the Discovery Awards program, now in its 11th round of funding.
For more than a decade, each winning project team has included members from at least two JHU entities who aim to use interdisciplinary expertise to solve complex problems and expand the horizons of knowledge. The winning project teams, chosen from 324 proposals, include 132 individuals representing 11 Johns Hopkins entities.
“Interdisciplinary solutions are necessary to address the most complex challenges of our time,” Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels said. “This year’s Discovery Award recipients reflect the very best of Johns Hopkins’ innately innovative and collaborative spirit, bringing together expertise across fields and schools to pursue research, scholarship, and creativity that has the potential to shape a healthier, stronger, more vibrant world.”
The Discovery Awards and Catalyst Awards programs were announced in early 2015. Together, the two programs represent an $85 million commitment by university leadership, in tandem with the deans and directors of JHU’s divisions, to this institution’s founding promise of faculty-led research. Teams can apply for up to $150,000 to explore a new area of collaborative work with special emphasis on preparing for an externally funded large-scale grant or cooperative agreement.
“Some of the most compelling questions emerge at the intersection of disciplines,” said Interim Provost Lainie Rutkow. “For more than a decade, the Discovery Awards have helped researchers from across Johns Hopkins come together to pursue those questions in new ways. I am thrilled to celebrate this year’s recipients and the discoveries their collaborations will make possible.”
This year, the Discovery Awards Program partnered with the OneNeuro Initiative, the Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute, and the Institute for Planetary Health to award additional seed funding to related projects. Awarded teams include faculty in chemistry, neuroscience, earth and planetary sciences, biostatistics, and international health.
The Discovery-funded project “Living Antibiotics: Precision-Engineered Assaults on Pathogenic Bacteria by Synthetic Predator Cells” brings together experts in engineering, cell biology, and microbiology to reimagine how bacterial infections are treated in an era of rising antibiotic resistance. The team is developing a novel, cell-based therapy that enhances the natural abilities of immune cells—particularly neutrophils—to rapidly detect, pursue, and eliminate pathogens.
Experts in Earth and planetary sciences, biostatistics, epidemiology, and international health teamed up for the project “Baltimore Heat Maps for Public Health and Urban Planning Studies,” which aims to understand how extreme heat varies across Baltimore neighborhoods and how those variations affect community health. Using data from a network of nearly 60 community-hosted weather stations, the team is developing heat maps that will enable new research on the impact of extreme heat on violence and pregnancy outcomes. This work will also provide city officials with tools to guide cooling center placement, worker safety policies, and other heat readiness strategies.
“The Discovery Awards demonstrate the power of collaboration at Johns Hopkins,” said Denis Wirtz, vice provost for research. “I am incredibly proud of the amazing work being done by our interdisciplinary teams. This year’s awardees have crafted visionary proposals that bring together diverse expertise in exciting ways, forging connections that will lead to meaningful advances.”
The full list of recipients and their projects is available on the Office of the Vice Provost for Research website.
OneNeuro Co-sponsored Awardees:
“Investigating the Development of the Social Brain in Autism with fMRI Movie Viewing Paradigms” – Leyla Isik (Arts & Sciences) & Stewart Mostofsky (Medicine) *Co-Funded with the OneNeuro Initiative*
“Unraveling the Maturation of Sociability: Neural Circuit Development During Adolescence” – Xingde Li (Medicine), Tomomi Karigo (Medicine) & Adam Charles (Engineering) *Co-Funded with the OneNeuro Initiative*
“Unraveling the Specificity of Interareal Connections in Visual Cortex” – Kristina Nielsen (Arts & Sciences) & Justus Kebschull (Engineering) *Co-Funded with the OneNeuro Initiative*