Brian Meckes, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at UNT, recently received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop an advanced method of printing complex three-dimensional biological tissues, with potentially far-reaching impacts in medical research.

Four UNT professors are addressing health disparities by training the next generation of counselors and social workers to offer trauma-informed, bilingual mental health services to minorities in both behavioral health and integrated care settings.

UNT physics professor Bibhudutta Rout from, alongside Saraju Mohanty from computer science and engineering and Elias Kougianos from electrical engineering are collaborating with a team from the Grambling State University on a half-million dollar NSF grant to advance medical security and broaden participation of historically underrepresented students in STEM education and research. 

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Assistant Professor Aidin Imandoust and University Distinguished Research Professor Rajiv Mishra are creating a tungsten-based alloy that could be used for protective linings in nuclear fusion reactors and other nuclear applications.

Ifana Mahbub, an assistant professor of electrical engineering, is the first UNT recipient of a prestigious Young Faculty Award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Dave Meder, assistant professor of jazz piano, received a Fulbright Visual and Performing Arts Award, to travel to Egypt to explore and refine his own teaching methodology of improvisation with students at the Cairo Conservatoire.

A new $2 million grant aimed at increasing participation and diversity in Ph.D. science and engineering programs focusing on research relevant to human health will be put into action at UNT this fall. G-RISE, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, will develop a diverse pool of Ph.D. students for careers in the biomedical research fields at UNT.

Mechanical Engineering Professor Haifeng Zhang is researching new and safer ways to store nuclear waste, thanks to a three-year $800,000 grant from the Department of Energy.

Brian Meckes has received a prestigious 2021 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from Oak Ridge Associated Universities for his research about subcellular targeting for nanotherapeutic delivery in order to better treat diseases.

Jincheng Du, a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, recently was elected Fellow of ASM International for significant contributions to the study of glasses, ceramics and other materials for functional and structural applications.

Kent Chapman, Regents Professor of biological sciences and director of UNT’s BioDiscovery Institute, was recently awarded the 2021 Fellow of ASPB Award by the American Society of Plant Biologists.

College of Music alumna Bree Nichols, who earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in voice performance in May, received a Fulbright Research Award to travel to the Czech Republic where she will focus on compiling the first anthology of Czech art songs.

UNT student Hillary Shah is a winner of the 2021 Harry S. Truman Scholarship, a premier graduate scholarship from the Truman Scholarship Foundation for college students pursuing careers in public service. Shah, a political science and economics major graduating this Spring is one of 62 students in the U.S. selected this year for the scholarship.

DeeAnna Oliveira , who has worked at UNT since 2011, recently began a new role as program director for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund at UNT. She’s the dedicated manager overseeing the growing and complex bucket of federal funds related to COVID-19 relief – the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020 and the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act.

Wonbong Choi is using integrated flexible energy systems and a grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) to study high ion transport behavior in two-dimensional nanomaterials that can provide a fundamental knowledge to create a way for UAVs to charge faster and store more energy.

National Geographic awarded a UNT research scientist a grant to support her work introducing middle school children to scientific research projects through citizen science. Kelly Albus will lead an interdisciplinary team of faculty from UNT’s Advanced Environmental Research Institute for a project that invites teachers and students to map air quality in their own communities.

Researchers in UNT’s College of Engineering were recently awarded a three-year grant by the National Science Foundation through its Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program to develop and operate 10-week intensive programs for students to learn about artificial intelligence.

Cheng Yu, professor of mechanical engineering, was named a Structural Engineering Institute Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Academic Associate Vice Provost and Academic Associate Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Joseph Oppong was recently awarded the 2021 American Association of Geographers Ronald F. Abler Distinguished Service Honors. The award recognizes Oppong’s service and commitment to the discipline of geography and geographers in the United States and abroad.

Three UNT researchers in the College of Engineering were awarded more than $1.4 million total in grant money through the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program. Diana Berman, Hua Sun and Hui Zhao have each received three-year awards to fund their innovative research into solving some very difficult problems facing industry today.