UNC Greensboro proudly announces the recipients of the 2025 Chancellor’s Initiative for Transformative Research (CITR) award. The selective seed funding program supports high-impact research initiatives with the potential to attract significant external funding and deliver benefits to communities locally, nationally, and globally.
“At UNCG, we believe that great universities don’t just reflect the world, they shape it,” said Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr. “The CITR program invests in the kind of bold, forward-thinking research that drives progress and changes lives.”
Building on University strengths, CITR champions projects that address pressing societal challenges, revolutionize creative scholarship, advance health and wellness, and foster emerging technologies.
Four 2025 CITR awardees were chosen through a rigorous peer-reviewed process from a competitive pool of 35 proposals submitted by UNCG faculty and researchers.
Through this initiative, UNCG is embarking on a bold research strategy that integrates expertise across disciplines to tackle complex problems that cannot be solved by a single field or by the university alone. Each selected project is built on strong partnerships with the community or industry partners to ensure that the work remains relevant, responsive, and impactful. This convergence-driven approach reflects UNCG’s deep commitment to addressing some of the most pressing challenges in health care, technology, and humanity, positioning our University as a leader in innovation with purpose.
“These projects represent the bold and innovative research directions that reflect the very heart of UNCG’s mission. Each project moves us toward the goals of our strategic plan, advancing knowledge, and solving real-world challenges that transform our state, our nation, and the world,” said Dr. Sherine O. Obare, Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement. “These projects will drive innovation and strengthen our competitive position in North Carolina and beyond.”
Category I Awardee: Addressing pressing societal challenges
Promise and Perils of Pre-Adolescent Technology Engagement: Scaffolding Self-Regulation in Service of Health and Well-being in the Digital Age. Dr. Michaeline Jensen, Psychology; Dr. Jessica Dollar, Psychology; and Dr. Laurie Wideman Gold, Kinesiology
This project will examine how digital technology use affects self-regulation, health, and well-being in pre-adolescents, aiming to provide evidence-based strategies for parents, schools, and policymakers to support healthy digital habits. Award amount: $74,608.
Category II Awardee: Revolutionizing creative scholarship to bring awareness to a problem
Threading Innovation: An Interdisciplinary Evidence-Based Research Initiative Empowering Workforce Development through VR/AI in Cybersecurity and Apparel Supply Chain. Dr. Lakshmi Iyer, Information Systems and Supply Chain Management; Dr. Melanie Carrico, Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies; Dr. Motahareh Pourbehzadi, Information Systems and Supply Chain Management; Dr. Jin Su, Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies
This interdisciplinary initiative will leverage VR and AI to create immersive, evidence-based training tools that prepare students and professionals for the evolving cybersecurity and apparel supply chain workforce. Award amount: $71,909.
Category III Awardee: Responding to critical and urgent health and wellness needs
Production and Modification of an Anti-Cancer Drug Lead. Dr. Jonathan Chekan and Dr. Nicholas Oberlies, Chemistry and Biochemistry
This research will develop scalable and sustainable methods to produce a promising and novel anti-cancer compound, Verticillin D, enabling the discovery of new therapeutic analogues with potential clinical impact. Award amount: $75,000.
Category IV Awardee: Advancing critical technologies
Toward Trustworthy and Privacy-Preserving AI for Next-Generation Medication Assistance: A Multimodal Learning Copilot. Dr. Yingcheng Sun, Dr. Minjeong Kim, and Dr. Qianqian Tong, Computer Science
This program is directed towards the creation of a privacy-preserving, multimodal AI copilot that supports clinicians with medication guidance, clinical trial matching, and patient care while safeguarding sensitive health data. Award amount: $75,000.
The selected projects, which launch in September 2025, exemplify growth in research and the CITR goals of fostering innovative, interdisciplinary work; cultivating strategic partnerships; and generating outcomes that have measurable and lasting impact. Each demonstrates a clear plan to build external partnerships, engage students in research, and lay the foundation for future grant opportunities.
The CITR program is administered by the Division of Research and Engagement and funded by the Office of the Chancellor.
Photography by Burt VanderVeen, VanderVeen Photographers
