VCU fuels new and emerging research endeavors and cross-campus collaboration with 2026 Quest Fund awards

By Emily Komornik
Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation

Often a breakthrough is sparked when a compelling idea is given the resources and room to grow. From launching pilot studies that lay the groundwork for major national grants to reviving vital research programs, internal funding is often the catalyst that transforms an ambitious theory into real-world impact.

The VCU Quest Fund has announced its latest round of award recipients. This internal funding opportunity provides critical backing to faculty across all disciplines, with special emphasis on projects that champion transdisciplinary research, cross-campus collaboration and innovation with the potential to translate directly into the marketplace or a healthcare setting.

"The Quest Fund is a vital pipeline for VCU's research enterprise," said P. Srirama Rao, Ph.D., vice president for research and innovation. "By investing in our faculty at these critical early stages, we are enabling them to push the boundaries of their research. This fund ensures that new, emerging and continuing research programs have the institutional backing needed to scale into major, externally funded initiatives.

"By leveraging these internal funding mechanisms, the university remains deeply committed to supporting our research community and advancing the research and innovation enterprise especially as the extramural funding landscape continues to evolve. I look forward to seeing these researchers' work grow and the future of all of the 2026 Quest Fund awarded projects."

To qualify for funding, Quest applicants must demonstrate how their proposed work advances their discipline while aligning with the VCU Strategic Research Priorities Plan. Lydia Klinger, director for collaborative strategies, and Gianna DeMarco, project administrator, work with the award recipients throughout the funding term, tracking their progress and supporting their impact as an important part of the internal funding strategy.

The 2026 awardees of the VCU Quest Fund and their faculty recipients are as follows:

"Assessing Transdermal Naloxone Oleogel Formulations for Fentanyl Overdose Reversal in Mice"

Matthew Walentiny, Ph.D., School of Medicine

Alaina Holt, Ph.D., College of Humanities and Sciences

"Building Calibrated Reliance: A Longitudinal Study of AI Enabled Capability Formation During System Wide Oracle Health AI Rollout"

Shingirai Kwaramba, Ph.D., School of Business

Shannon Harris, Ph.D., School of Business

"Development of a Chimeric Subunit Vaccine for Broad Protection Against Ehrlichiosis"

Richard Marconi, Ph.D., School of Medicine

"Early Childhood Service System Navigation and Family Resilience in Developmental Disability: A Mixed-Methods Study"

Chin-Chih Chen, Ph.D., School of Education

Yaoying Xu, Ph.D., School of Education

"Eliciting Patient Preferences for Artificial Intelligence in Primary Care"

Erin Britton, Ph.D., School of Public Health

"The Impacts of Environmental Governance in the U.S. Territories"

Andrea Simonelli, Ph.D., College of Humanities and Sciences

"Integrating Spiritual Care at Massey (iSAM)"

Kelsey White, Ph.D., College of Health Professions

Keri Maher, Ph.D., School of Medicine

"Intraoperative ECG-Guided Decision Support for Precision Conduction System Pacing to Restore Cardiac Synchrony"

Ajay Pillai, M.D., School of Medicine

Ilija Uzelac, Ph.D., School of Medicine

"My Voice, My Choice: Virtual Reality Avatar Life Review Intervention to Improve Goal-of-Care Conversations in Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment"

Yifan Lou, Ph.D., School of Social Work

Semi Ryu, Ph.D., School of the Arts

"A Novel Target for Enhancing Immunotherapy Sensitivity in HNSCC"

Yue Sun, Ph.D., School of Dentistry

"Nourish for Two: A Community-Partnered Food Is Medicine Program for Pregnant Women Experiencing Food Insecurity"

Michelle Graf, Ph.D., School of Nursing

"Optimization of Single-Extracellular Vesicle Transcriptomic Profiling of Brain-Derived Extracellular Vesicles"

Nasibeh Karimi, Ph.D., School of Pharmacy

"Protein-based Biosensors for Critical Mineral Recovery"

Leah Spangler, Ph.D., College of Engineering

Xuewei Wang, Ph.D., College of Humanities and Sciences

"Real-Time Sensor-Verified Vibrotactile E-Textile Wearables for Mobility Rehabilitation in Parkinson's Disease"

Daeha Joung, Ph.D., College of Humanities and Sciences

Christina Tang, Ph.D., College of Engineering

"Sensor-Integrated Laser Additive Manufacturing for Smart Processing of Critical Materials"

Radhika Barua, Ph.D., College of Engineering

Jayasimha Atulasimha, Ph.D., College of Engineering

"Sports Betting and Wellness Behaviors of College Students"

Carolyn Hawley, Ph.D., College of Health Professions

"Targeting NAD Biosynthesis in Malaria Parasites: A Novel Antiparasitic Strategy"

Yana Cen, Ph.D., School of Pharmacy

"Venetoclax Sensitizes Tarlatamab in Small Cell Lung Cancer"

Anthony Faber, Ph.D., School of Dentistry

"WonderHall"

Sterling Hundley, School of the Arts

Jason Bennett, School of the Arts

To learn more about the VCU Quest Fund, eligibility criteria and upcoming funding opportunities, visit the VCU internal funding page or contact [email protected].

This story was originally published on the website of the Office of the Vice President of Research and Innovation.