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Office of the Vice President for Research

New Monthly Grant Awards Report: January 2026

The Office of the Vice President for Research is pleased to share our monthly report listing new grant awards USC faculty researchers across the university system received between January 1 and January 31. Please note that some awards received toward the end of that period might have missed the reporting cut-off. In such cases, the award will be listed in the next monthly report. Our office is proud to share these successes with the university research community. Please join us in congratulating our excellent researchers on their new grant awards.

 

Summary of Large January 2026 New Grant Awards

PI Name
PI College/Dept.
Award Title
Sponsor
Total
Rose, Chad

College of Education

Educational & Developmental Science

Impact of Disability Anti-bullying Training for Elementary Special and General Education Teachers (PROJECT DIAL): Impact on Teacher Awareness and Self-Efficacy and Student Outcomes US Department of Education (USDE) $3,368,877
Rose, Chad

College of Education

Educational & Developmental Science

Evaluation of the K-5 Second Step Social-Emotional Learning Program and Bully Prevention Unit: Impact on Youth Violence and School Climate Among Students With and at Risk for Disability Identification US Department of Education (USDE) $3,081,538
Yell, Mitchell

College of Education

Educational & Developmental Science

PASE Preparing Administrators of Special Education Rutgers University/USDE $1,246,707
Gowdy, Elizabeth (Ann)

College of Social Work

Social Work - Dean's Office

YEA! (Youth Engagement Advocates) Model Development USC Educational Foundation/The Duke Endowment $1,071,000
Whitworth, Brooke

College of Education

Teacher Education

Examining the Role of District Science Coordinator Professional Learning in Supporting and Retaining Science Teachers (SPLENDIT) National Science Foundation (NSF) $999,995
Leung, Ka Ho

McCausland College of Arts and Sciences

Chemistry & Biochemistry

Development and Application of Organelle Chemotype Fingerprinting for the Functional Investigation of Organellar Chloride National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)/NIH $718,520
Goel, Varun

McCausland College of Arts and Sciences 

Geography

Predicting the spread of antimalarial drug resistance using deep learning surrogates UNC Chapel Hill/NIH $565,332
Jilling, Andrea

Arnold School of Public Health

Environmental Health Sciences

Assessing the vulnerability of particulate and mineral-associated organic matter formed under variable moisture National Institute of Food & Agriculture (NIFA)/USDA $295,598
Pate, Russ

Arnold School of Public Health

Exercise Science

South Carolina FitnessGram Data Analyses - Contract with SC Department of Public Health SC Department of Public Health (DPH) $248,000
Downey, Austin

Molinaroli College of Engineering & Computing

Mechanical Engineering

Convergence in High-rate Structural Health Monitoring and Prognostics for Millisecond Decisions HII Mission Technologies Corporation/DOD $218,401

 

January Grants by College

PI Name
PI Dept.
Award Title
Sponsor
Total

Workman, Lauren

Applied Research & Evaluation (CARE)

Work.Harmony.You. Evaluation

SC Hospital Association Foundation

$22,744

Holderby-Fox, Lisa Renee

Center for Community Health Alignment

Strengthening Public Health Systems and Services through National Partnerships to Improve and Protect the Nation’s Health; CDC-RFA-PW-24-00800101SUPP24

Category B, Strategy 2

State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services/HHS

$45,000

Jilling, Andrea

Environmental Health Sciences

Assessing the vulnerability of particulate and mineral-associated organic matter formed under variable moisture

National Institute of Food & Agriculture (NIFA)/USDA

$295,598

Pate, Russ

Exercise Science

South Carolina FitnessGram Data Analyses - Contract with SC Department of Public Health

SC Department of Public Health (DPH)

$248,000

Ostermann, Jan

Health Services Policy & Mgmt

Differences in Mental Health In Lesbian, Gay and Bi-Attracted Persons (SMILE)

Duke University/NIMH/NIH

$40,761

Ostermann, Jan

Health Services Policy & Mgmt

(Resub) National Implementation of an Evidence-Based HIV Prevention Program: Multilevel Scale-up Strategies and Precision Prevention

University of Massachusetts/NIH

$18,087

PI Name
PI Dept.
Award Title
Sponsor
Total

Rose, Chad

Educational & Developmental Science

Impact of Disability Anti-bullying Training for Elementary Special and General Education Teachers (PROJECT DIAL): Impact on Teacher Awareness and Self-Efficacy and Student Outcomes

US Department of Education (USDE)

$3,368,877

Rose, Chad

Educational & Developmental Science

Evaluation of the K-5 Second Step Social-Emotional Learning Program and Bully Prevention Unit: Impact on Youth Violence and School Climate Among Students With and at Risk for Disability Identification

US Department of Education (USDE)

$3,081,538

Yell, Mitchell

Educational & Developmental Science

PASE Preparing Administrators of Special Education

Rutgers University/USDE

$1,246,707

Whitworth, Brooke

Teacher Education

Examining the Role of District Science Coordinator Professional Learning in Supporting and Retaining Science Teachers (SPLENDIT)

National Science Foundation (NSF)

$999,995

PI Name
PI Dept.
Award Title
Sponsor
Total

Xiao, Anli

Journalism & Mass Comm.

Mapping the World of Contention:

Extending Corporate Social Advocacy Across National Boundaries

Arthur W. Page Center

$5,000

Tu-Keefner, Feili

School of Information Sciences

Translating Disaster Research to Action: Empowering Library Leaders with Evidence and Strategies for Community Resiliency

Florida State University (FSU)/IMLS

$49,516

PI Name
PI Dept.
Award Title
Sponsor
Total

Gowdy, Elizabeth (Ann)

Social Work - Dean's Office

YEA! (Youth Engagement Advocates) Model Development

USC Educational Foundation/The Duke Endowment

$1,071,000

PI Name
PI Dept.
Award Title
Sponsor
Total

Von Nessen, Joseph

Moore Sch - Div. of Research

South Carolina Captive Insurance Association: Economic Impact Analysis

SC Captive Insurance Association (SCCIA)

$22,500

Von Nessen, Joseph

Moore Sch - Div. of Research

S.C. Dept. of Environmental Services: Economic Impact and ROI Analysis

SC Department of Environmental Services (DES)

$96,550

Von Nessen, Joseph

Moore Sch - Div. of Research

S.C. Dept. of Veterans' Affairs: Economic Impact Analysis (2025)

SC Department of Veterans' Affairs (SCDVA)

$115,250

PI Name
PI Dept.
Award Title
Sponsor
Total

Lidge, Cody

Children's Law Center

FY26 CIP Basic

SC Judicial Branch - SC Court Administration/HHS

$186,891

Lidge, Cody

Children's Law Center

FY26 CIP Data

SC Court Administration/HHS

$149,524

Lidge, Cody

Children's Law Center

FY26 CIP Training

SC Judicial Branch - SC Court Administration/HHS

$159,500

PI Name
PI Dept.
Award Title
Sponsor
Total

Leung, Ka Ho

Chemistry & Biochemistry

Development and Application of Organelle Chemotype Fingerprinting for the Functional Investigation of Organellar Chloride

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)/NIH

$718,520

Goel, Varun

Geography

Predicting the spread of antimalarial drug resistance using deep learning surrogates

UNC Chapel Hill/NIH

$565,332

Lopez Rodriguez, Enrique

Physics & Astronomy

Dust in shocks: The missing link in AGN feedback

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)/NASA

$128,887

Harrison, Sayward

Psychology

(PI - Sarah Miller - PhD Student in Psychology) - Development of an Intervention to Address Internalized Stigma among Emerging Adults with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)

Collaborative Hub for Emerging Adult Recovery Research (CHEARR)/NIH

$9,950

McCary, Lindsay

Psychology

Neurodivergent Student Initiative: Learning What Columbia’s Campus of Neurodivergent Students Want and Need to Enhance Support on Campus.

Power:Ed

$4,000

Hitchcock, David

Statistics

Student Project for Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina

Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of SC/HHS

$20,671

PI Name
PI Dept.
Award Title
Sponsor
Total

White, Ralph

Chemical Engineering

Advanced Sodium Technologies for Robust Aerospace Structures A.S.T.R.A. (Student PI: Giulio Siciliano)

National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)

$58,550

Rizos, Dimitris

Civil & Environmental Eng.

Mobile, Non-Contact System for RNT and Rail Stress Measurements

Insight Rail LLC/(SBIR)USDOT

$46,263

Nasiri, Adel

Electrical Engineering

Study and Develop a Path to 500kVA 13.8kV and 34.5kV Solid State Transformer

University of Arkansas/Research Center on GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems (GRAPES)

$150,498

Downey, Austin

Mechanical Engineering

Convergence in High-rate Structural Health Monitoring and Prognostics for Millisecond Decisions

HII Mission Technologies Corporation/DOD

$218,401

PI Name
PI Dept.
Award Title
Sponsor
Total

Dos Anjos Moraes, Raiana

Cardiovascular Translational Research Center

Endothelial Mechanosignaling via Piezo1: Linking ATP, Adrenomedullin, and Acetylcholine to Vascular Tone and Hypertension

American Heart Association (AHA)

$159,160

Rahemtullah, Omme-Salma

Internal Medicine

Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Summer Meals Campaign

Sharing our Strength

$50,000

Rotholz, David

MDC Ctr Disability Resources

2026 Assistive Technology Exp

SC Developmental Disabilities Council (SCDDC)/HHS

$20,000

Rotholz, David

MDC Ctr Disability Resources

South Carolina Assistive Technology Program

Administration for Community Living/HHS

$200,936

 

To request a PDF copy of this report, please contact Elizabeth Renedo at renedoe@mailbox.sc.edu


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