The National Strategic Research Institute at the University of Nebraska has welcomed 40 faculty members into its collaborative research network, the NSRI Fellows Program, to further expand its transdisciplinary research capabilities.
A total of 11 UNMC faculty members are included in NSRI’s latest cohort.
The cohort of faculty broadens the institute’s access to expertise and resources across the University of Nebraska System in the areas of biomedical sciences, engineering, chemistry, nanotechnology, leadership development, health sciences, journalism and more. The new faculty join more than 150 peers already in the program to receive public information related to NSRI that can help stimulate research teams for projects across the institute’s research portfolio.
“Each faculty member brings unique expertise and a fresh perspective that can catalyze innovation across disciplinary boundaries,” said Joshua Santarpia, PhD, NSRI science and technology advisor and a professor in the UNMC Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology. “Their collective contributions could accelerate our progress on addressing some of the nation’s most pressing challenges, from strategic deterrence within a multipolar environment to integrating emerging technologies such as AI to developing medical countermeasures for evolving threats.”
The new members from UNMC are:
- Arpan Acharya, PhD, UNMC Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience
- Pooheh Bagher, PhD, UNMC Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology
- Amanda Brinkworth, PhD, UNMC Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
- Subhash Chand, PhD, UNMC Department of Anesthesiology
- Heather Jensen-Smith, PhD, UNMC Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy
- Prabagaran Narayanasamy, PhD, UNMC Department of Internal Medicine; Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
- David Oupicky, PhD, UNMC Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Marat Sadykov, PhD, UNMC Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
- Mystera Samuelson, PhD, UNMC Department of Environment, Agriculture and Occupational Health
- Gwenn Skar, MD, UNMC Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases
- Dana Verhoeven, PhD, UNMC Department of Epidemiology
In addition to receiving regular communications from NSRI, the faculty are invited to attend an annual invitation-only conference and to join eight working groups that provide a venue and platform for technical conversations surrounding real-world defense challenges.
Said Dr. Jensen-Smith, director of the UNMC Advanced Microscopy Core Facility: “Leading a shared research facility for advanced light microscopy and imaging analyses, I see an excellent opportunity to serve as a force multiplier for several NSRI objectives. I will appreciate having access to a new cadre of collaborators and resources poised to conduct groundbreaking research in an environment that is fertile for establishing innovative and impactful responses to national security challenges. On a personal note, three generations of my family have supported the DOD — it is an honor to have the opportunity to do so, too.”
To see the full cohort, see this NSRI article. For more information on the NSRI and all of its fellows, visit the National Strategic Research Initiative website.