DOR Newsletter
Key Updates and Highlights from Across the Division of Research
Message from the Interim Vice President for Research
Dr. Costas N. Georghiades
Interim Vice President for Research
Colleagues,
Over the past year, we have worked together to adapt to the many changes in the federal funding landscape and to advance the efforts of Texas A&M’s research faculty and staff. As we prepare for the arrival of our new Vice President for Research, it is a privilege to reflect on some of our division’s accomplishments during that time. In doing so, I want to acknowledge the many staff who worked in the background to keep us being compliant with federal and state rules and laws, and others who worked tirelessly assisting researchers in proposal preparation, submission and ultimately project management.
We launched and awarded the inaugural Frontiers in Research Summits internal grants program, a new initiative aimed at showcasing Texas A&M’s leadership in strategic and emerging research areas. The first three awarded proposals focused on improving the safety, sustainability and reliability of everyday chemical products; new ways to recover valuable rare earth elements from old electronics; and developing 3D-printed materials that can survive harsh environments.
In addition, we are seeing significant funding success through our investment in programs like the Targeted Proposal Teams initiative, which awarded more than $2.6 million in seed funding to 57 interdisciplinary teams; the Advancing Discovery to Market grants, which exceeded $3.85 million across 22 research teams between fiscal year 2025 round two and fiscal year 2026 round one; and the Panther Research and Innovation for Scholarly Excellence grant program, a collaborative effort between Prairie View A&M University and Texas A&M.
Significant strides were made in coordinating our efforts in quantum research, highlighted by the inaugural Texas Quantum Summit, which brought together research universities, industry leaders and government policymakers at Texas A&M to accelerate Texas’ leadership in quantum research and development.
Artificial intelligence (AI) continued to shape research worldwide, and Texas A&M remains at the forefront. Last spring, the DOR sponsored the inaugural Research in AI for Science and Engineering (RAISE) workshop, followed by the AI Bridge Summit in January 2026. Both events focused on how AI can accelerate scientific discovery, collaboration and innovation.
Another key development this year was Texas Sea Grant’s successful federal site review under the leadership of its new director, Laura Picariello. The program was recertified with high marks, with the reviewing team noting particularly strong performance in sustainable fisheries and aquaculture.
Building on this momentum, we are entering an exciting new phase defined by bold, forward-looking initiatives. We are on the cusp of launching the new NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD, a powerful computing system designed to accelerate computing research and train AI models. Investments like this will continue to connect AI capabilities with researchers looking to advance science and engineering, and position Texas A&M as one of the premier AI research hubs in North America.
I appreciate the role each member of the DOR has played in sustaining momentum across our research enterprise. As we welcome our new VPR, Dr. Angela Wilson, in April, I am confident that the division will build on this strong foundation and achieve success in the years ahead.
Thank you, all. I very much appreciated your professionalism and dedication to your work! And I have enjoyed working with you.
All the best,
Costas
Staff Accomplishments
Sankar Prasad Chaki
Dr. Sankar Prasad Chaki, a senior research scientist at the Texas A&M Global Health Research Complex (GHRC), was lead author on three peer-reviewed research publications outlining the significant biosafety-related impacts contributed by the GHRC and its partners during the global COVID-19 pandemic response. These papers, co-authored with the GHRC’s Melissa M. Kahl-McDonagh and Kurt A. Zuelke, include, “A Comprehensive Biosafety-Driven Workflow for Saliva-Based SARS-CoV-2 Diagnostics,” published in Safety (2026); “Validating the Inactivation of Viral Pathogens With a Focus on SARS-CoV-2 to Safely Transfer Samples From High-Containment Laboratories,” published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology (2024); and “Receptor-Binding-Motif-Targeted Sanger Sequencing: a Quick and Cost-Effective Strategy for Molecular Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 Variants,” published in Microbiology Spectrum (2022). Chaki contributed 2,500-plus SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequences to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) for more than four years.
Tennille Lamon
Dr. Tennille Lamon published the final paper from her Ph.D. research, “A Comparative Analysis of the Cat Stress Score and the Novel Psychological Quality of Life Assessment Tool for Cats in a Shelter Setting,” and collaborated with the Texas A&M Department of Animal Science to publish, “Participation in a Short-Term Socialization and Training Program Improved Kennel-Raised Dog Welfare.”
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News Roundup
Awards support high-impact summits that advance collaborative research, strategic roadmaps and solutions to real-world challenges.
The week-long event united AI experts and domain researchers to define future challenges and solutions, with a call for community-driven ideas to shape the next phase of AI research.
Division Unit Updates
Economic Policy Boot Camp
The Private Enterprise Research Center sponsored an inaugural version of its Economic Policy Boot Camp Jan. 5–9. This boot camp introduced select students from Arts and Sciences and from the Bush School to economic policy analysis and to applied economic research on tariffs, health policy, environmental and energy policy, and social security and pensions.
The Private Enterprise Research Center will sponsor an energy economics capstone course in Fall 2026 and will also sponsor the second year of the Economic Policy Boot Camp in January 2027. These events are all made possible by a generous donation from Dr. Jim Griffin.
2026 Natural Language Processing Symposium
The Texas A&M Institute of Data Science (TAMIDS) will sponsor the 2026 Natural Language Processing (NLP) Symposium on April 3. This one-day workshop will feature invited speakers, oral presentations and poster sessions to bring together NLP researchers and share their ongoing or published research.
Division Incentive Program
The Division Incentive Program will wrap up April 1, and self-reporting forms are due April 15. Prizes are available based on the number of points earned. Distribution of items will take place during April.
2026 Brazos County Walk Across Texas Team Challenge
The Walk Across Texas Challenge began Jan. 24 and ended March 20. This year, the DOR had 17 teams and 128 colleagues participating.
Several drawings took place during this time. Jan. 26th’s prize, an under-desk foot sling, was open to all participants that signed up by Jan. 24. The winner was Linda Thurman.
On Feb. 25, 16 prizes were given away to participants that had achieved 50% of their personal goal by Feb. 21. The winners were Andre Riberio, Tiffany Sodalak, Alex Sabine, Denise Puga, Julie Pineda, Megan Shoff, Beth Novak, Allison McColloch, Rachelle Dudley, Nicola Benning, Gerianne Alexander, Jared Kotch, Kim Daniel, Brenda Schroeder, Lesa Feldhousen and Aaron Mechler.
The final drawings will take place March 25. The first drawing is open to any participant that achieved at least 104 miles by March 20, and 16 prizes will be given away at random. For the second giveaway, the three participants with the highest mileage will be awarded a prize. The final drawing is open to team captains, and three prizes will be given away at random.
DOR Apparel Store
The DOR apparel store is live! Staff and faculty can now purchase branded shirts, vests and jackets at their own expense. Visit the store to view available styles, sizes and ordering details. Orders must be picked up from M&M Apparel.
- Visit the REBS website to order
Scroll down to “Shirt Order Forms” at the bottom of the page.