Hanna H. Gray Fellow's Program Transition Award

Our group will study the proteins that build the bacterial cell envelope and develop mechanism-based inhibitors of these proteins to treat multidrug-resistant infections.

Growth plate cartilage stem cells for skeletal repair after injury

In this project, the investigators study the role of growth plate stem cells in hopes of gaining insights in the skeletal repair process after physeal injury in children. The results of the study will help bioengineering efforts directed towards growth plate cartilage regeneration.

Mindfulness Based Real-time fMRI Neurofeedback Intervention for Borderline Personality Disorder

In collaboration with McLean Hospital, this study aims to reduce the symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in young adults by using real-time mindfulness-based neurofeedback during an fMRI scan. This technique helps augment mindfulness meditation by showing participants a visual display of their brain activity in the fMRI scanner. Participants will track BPD symptoms and mindfulness skills via ecological momentary assessment (EMA), which involves brief daily, smartphone-delivered surveys.

Adaptation in the Amazon

The Adaptation in the Amazon Research Technician will work with PI Gabriela Garcia (MES and SPPUA) to support The Nature Conservancy’s global team to understand climate impacts and adaptation needs of communities in the Amazon region and how nature-based approaches can support equitable adaptation goals. They will support the selection, adaptation, implementation, and analysis of risk and vulnerability assessment in four countries (Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador) of the Amazon region.

Reconsidering context: Theory and Measurement

Self-reports of experience are most often quantified via anchored, Likert-type rating scales (e.g., using a scale from 0-5, where 0 is no fatigue and 5 is maximal fatigue). Raters change how they use such scales when their internal bodily state changes, making such scales poorly reliable and invalid under such conditions. The investigators have developed a new normalized self-report rating scale method in which people map specific prior autobiographical experiences to person-specific scale metrics. The researchers will compare metrics from the new scales to traditional Likert-type metrics. They also will use a well-known (and safe) immune challenge, a typhoid vaccine, to assess whether the new scale method provides more reliable and valid self-report outcomes across different bodily states. A new method is important for testing new drug or behavioral treatments when pre- and post-treatment ratings of experience (like fatigue) are used to determine whether a new treatment is effective.

A prototype flight for the GRAMS project

This grant is for the prototype balloon flight of the GRAMS (Gamma-Ray and AntiMatter Survey) Project. GRAMS mission aims to deliver unprecedented sensitivities to astrophysical observations with MeV gamma rays and indirect dark matter searches with antimatter using a cost-effective, large-scale LArTPC (Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber) detector. We will build and optimize a small-scale detector, MiniGRAMS, and demonstrate its performance in the balloon flight scheduled in late 2025 or early 2026.

Framework for Converting Gate-Based Quantum Computing Models to Quantum Annealing Models for Large-Scale Electronic Structure and Dynamics Simulations

Simulating the electronic structure of molecular systems using noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices is one of the most promising applications of quantum computing. Large-scale electronic structure and dynamics simulations, such as excited-state simulations of large molecules or a large number of molecules, are instrumental to the development of next-generation technology for energy applications. In this project, we will develop a framework that efficiently translates quantum algorithms from a gate-based quantum computing model to one that can be efficiently run on a near-term quantum annealer to enable large-scale electronic structure theory simulations across different quantum computing architectures. These algorithms will offer an adaptive approach to predicting both the ground and excited electronic states of molecules, which has direct applications in simulating the photodynamics of macromolecules and materials related to but not limited to solar energy harvesting and conversions.

Amgen Biotech Experience (ABE) Massachusetts

The ABE MA is a multiple year STEM grant to bring biotechnology to the high school classrooms throughout MA. It consists of professional development for teachers and deployment of curriculum into high school classrooms.

Modeling the mucosal glycopeptide mesh for improved disease understanding and mucin-inspired biomaterial design

Mucins and other densely glycosylated proteins play critical roles in a number of biological processes, disease conditions, and therapeutics. The functioning of these sugar-coated molecular machines depends on their structure, dynamics, and conformational transitions. Experimental techniques for capturing such structural dynamics, however, can be extremely challenging and resource intensive. We seek to improve upon some of the existing glycan modeling computational tools as well as design new in silico techniques, as robust alternatives to experimental studies. These tools will be used to build interconnected mucin glycoprotein gel systems with native glycosylation patterns, and obtain understanding of functional underpinnings at the molecular level.

mCDR 2023: Developing a coupled benthic-pelagic biogeochemical model to evaluate the effectiveness of mCDR interventions

Deep cuts to emissions across all sectors are needed in order to limit global warming to 1.5˚C to 2˚C above preindustrial values. If zero emission is ever to be achieved, further implementation of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies are also necessary to offset emissions from hard-to- abate sources. This project will focus on two CDR approaches with direct influence on the ocean sediment: seaweed farming and further sinking into the deep ocean and restoration of “blue carbon” coastal ecosystem, more specifically cessation of bottom trawling to preserve sediment carbon. We will do so by developing a new model for the ocean sediment and benthos that can be coupled to existing ocean models to simulate these strategies and quantify their effect on the carbon cycle as well as understand potential feedbacks that could impact the ocean ecosystem.

Experimental Particle Physics Research at High Energies

This grant supports the work of three faculty members at Northeastern University (Barberis, Orimoto, and Wood) plus several postdoctoral researchers and students on the CMS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The program includes analysis of CMS data in carefully chosen physics topics, including searches for leptoquarks and for the production of pairs of Higgs bosons, and measurements of standard model production of W+jets and ZZ pairs. It also includes support and development of the current detector for taking new data, and development of instrumentation upgrades that will enable CMS to exploit future high luminosity running of the LHC(HL-LHC). The group has leading roles in the operations and upgrades of the CMS Muon system, the muon trigger, the electromagnetic calorimeter, and the new MIP timing detector.

DMREF: Deep learning guided twistronics for self-assembled quantum optoelectronics

This grant is from the NSF Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future (DMREF) program and aims to accelerate the discovery and deployment of multi-layer twisted 2D systems for quantum optoelectronics.

Understanding Mediating and Moderating Factors that Determine Transfer of Working Memory Training

This proposal aims to improve the rigor and reproducibility of research on plasticity in human working memory (WM), and related executive functions (EFs) in adolescent youth. We address a critical gap between research and practice that is characterized by a growing commercial space marketing cognitive training approaches (with WM being one of the most common targets), which are particularly catering to typically developing children and those diagnosed with ADHD to improve mental health and scholastic performance. However, despite expansive literature, there exists limited basic research on WM and EF training in adolescents, and both methods and findings are mixed across studies. Here, we address these significant gaps that pose obstacles to understanding interventions’ reliability and validity by collecting a large-scale open dataset that compares different training approaches on a common set of outcome measures.

ACS Medicinal Chemistry Predoctoral Fellowship

This fellowship funds a year of research in the field of medicinal chemistry through a sponsorship by Genentech.

Integrative biophysical modeling for collective tissue mechanics

Organ surfaces, made of epithelial or endothelial cells, serve as physical barriers. These cells are generally static but can transition to a dynamic, migratory state during physiological processes like development and repair. Traditional studies focus on these cells in 2D flat surfaces, which doesn't translate well to natural epithelia that often have curved geometries and varied topologies like spheres and tubes. Key questions remain about how curvature affects cell collective movement and the mechanics of multilayered tissues like mammalian epidermis. These issues are particularly critical during epidermal development, where cues and timescale-dependent mechanics are not well understood. To address these gaps, I plan to develop computational models that go beyond the conventional 2D approach, incorporating curved and multilayered 3D surfaces. This will include new models exploring the biomechanical relationship between nuclear shapes and cell proliferation.

Behavioral and neurocognitive mechanisms linking peer victimization to adolescent psychopathology

Adolescence is a period of heightened vulnerability for many forms of psychopathology. This vulnerability comes at a time when emotional and physiological responses to peer rejection are elevated, rendering peer victimization particularly damaging. Despite the strong links between peer victimization and internalizing problems during adolescence, the behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. The proposed project will test a novel conceptual model, whereby two underlying dimensions of peer victimization, peer threat (e.g., presence of negative social experiences, like rejection) and peer deprivation (e.g., absence of positive social experiences, like ostracism) differentially shape neurocognitive processes and social behaviors that have relevance for psychopathology. We test this conceptual model using experimental and observational approaches in an intensive longitudinal design, including experimental and fMRI tasks, digital phenotyping, and predictive modeling approaches. This work is a necessary first step in developing targeted interventions to mitigate the effects of peer victimization during adolescence.

Empirical Power Analysis Tool for fMRI

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research has transformed our understanding of human brain function and disease, but recent work has exposed an endemic lack of statistical power (i.e., ability to detect effects of interest) and a need for power analysis tools that meet the demands of the typical user. We propose to create a web-based power calculator tailored to typical fMRI studies that only requires the user to specify information readily available to them. By enabling researchers to more easily and accurately plan studies for desired levels of power, this power calculator will promote more robust and reproducible findings in the field.

Seed collection and propagation of eelgrass (Zostera marina) for restoration efforts

This project funds a research assistant to collect and maintain a supply of eelgrass seeds that can be used in restoration efforts. They will also help MA DMF develop best practices for seed collection, storage, and distribution in support of state-wide restoration projects.

STING agonist drug delivery formulations synergize with PARPi to treat resistant, metastatic advanced breast cancer

The objective of this work is to generate clinically relevant data to support the use of PARPi in combination with local and systemic drug delivery platforms of STING agonists in order to treat metastatic, resistant breast cancer.

Probing negative affect circuits in humans using 7T fMRI

Negative mood is a common feature of anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, which inflict immeasurable human suffering along with a combined economic burden of $600 billion in the US each year. The proposed research promises to deliver a new paradigm for studying the brain basis of negative affect, with the ultimate goal of developing targeted treatments for negative mood, a hallmark feature of many mental illnesses.

A seascape of adaptations - Testing models that predict performance in multivariate environments

We are studying the adaptation of eelgrass to future ocean conditions in the Baltic Sea.

Collaborative Research: Enzyme-Mimicking Catalysts for Cellulose Processing

Lignocellulosic biomass from plants is a renewable, carbon-neutral material produced at a scale of 170-200 billion tons per year. The depolymerization of cellulose is a key step in biomass conversion, but it is challenged by the stability and crystalline nature of the cellulose fibers. We will develop synthetic catalysts based on molecularly imprinted nanoparticles that mimic endocellulase, exocellulase, and beta-glucosidase for the efficient hydrolysis of cellulose.

Fractionated photoimmunotherapy to harness low-dose immunostimulation in ovarian cancer

The Spring research group, in collaboration with the Enderling lab at Moffit Cancer Center, has been awarded a Physical Sciences Oncology Network grant (NCI U01 CA280849; ~$2.7M) titled "Fractionated photoimmunotherapy to harness low-dose immunostimulation in ovarian cancer". The project will harness an integrated experimental—mathematical oncology approach to decipher how to best harness immune sparing and immune stimulation of fractionated photoimmunotherapy to personalize treatments for advanced or recurrent ovarian cancer patients with presently dismal survival rates.

DMS/NIGMS 2: Regulation of Cellular Stemness during the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT)

We propose a joint theoretical/experimental research program to address cell-fate trajectories that occur during induction of EMT, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Specifically. recent efforts have indicated that epithelial cells can either undergo direct reprogramming to mesenchymal states or alternatively become more stem-like and exhibit hybrid E/M properties. Based on our preliminary investigations, we will use state-of-the-art single cell measurement technology together with advanced mathematical modelling frameworks to understand how cells choose specific fates and to quantitatively unravel the genetic and epigenetic dynamics that leads these cells along their particular trajectories. We will develop new mathematical concepts such as the role of frustration in cell fate networks, the effects of global competition on epigenetic interactions, the role of confluency in governing cell-cell interactions, and the introduction of model-based ideas into trajectory inference, as part of our investigation.

A Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Framework for Attentional Control Traits and States

In this collaborative project that involves groups from Washington University (St. Louis), Brown University, University of California, Irvine, as well as several groups in Australia, we develop tools / apps to assess attention control in high-performing adults (e.g. pilots or air-traffic controllers) using computational modeling as well as behavioral and neuroimaging methods. Furthermore, we build evidence-based interventions to maximize and improve attention control functions in various environments (e.g. stressful environments, those that require long and sustained attention, etc.). The outcome of our project will provide a better understanding of the human attention system, and the interventions will enable individuals to maintain high levels of focus and concentration even in high-pressure situations, such as those faced by military personnel. This grant / project would be an excellent showcase to highlight our new center, the Brain Game Center for Mental Fitness and Well-Being, and thus, we'd love to be contacted with the COS Marketing and Communications team to talk about our ongoing and future work!

Transcendental fiber functors, shift of argument algebras and Riemann-Hilbert correspondence for q-difference equations

This project stems from the recent discovery that quantum groups naturally arise from the Stokes data of differential equations associated to classical symmetries. The main goals are to further explore this bridge between classical and quantum symmetries. Of particular interest is the extension to difference equations, which are natural discretisations of differential equations, and whose Stokes data are not well-understood beyond the one-variable case. Another important direction will the study of the integrable systems, or constants of motion, corresponding to these differential and difference equations. The project will provide research training opportunities for graduate students.

Microlocal analysis and singularities

Degenerations and singularity formations play important roles in the study of differential geometry and arise naturally in multiple other areas of mathematics, including, algebraic geometry, mathematical physics, number theory, and representation theory. This project concerns the geometry of singularities and has interesting connections with an array of disciplines including modeling of electromagnetic systems, gauge theory and string theory. Building on her track record, the PI plans to use effective techniques to solve a wide variety of problems and discover new and sharper analytic results. Alongside her research, the PI will engage in various outreach activities, with a focus on fostering mentoring networks for undergraduate and graduate students.

Activation of Benzoxaborole Prodrug AN15368, a Clinical Candidate for Chagas Disease

Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is endemic in the Americas, but has also globalized due to human migration. Despite being one of the major causes of infection-induced heart disease worldwide, current therapies for Chagas disease have inconsistent efficacy and frequent side effects. A major contributor to treatment failure is thought to be the transiently dormant intracellular forms of T. cruzi that are resistant to otherwise highly effective trypanocidal compounds. The newly discovered benzoxaborole AN15368 represents the first extensively validated and safe clinical candidate for the treatment of Chagas disease. AN15368 acts as a prodrug that requires cleavage by parasite serine carboxypeptidases (TcCBPs) to yield the active metabolite. This proposal aims to gain additional understanding of this processing step for AN15368 as a prodrug, as well as to assess the potential for acquired resistance as this compound proceeds toward human clinical trials.

Unidirectional single-file transport of full-length proteins through a nanopore

In this multi-PI project between the Wanunu Lab (Northeastern), Chen Lab (UMass Amherst), Aksimentiev Lab (Urbana Champaign), and Niederweis Lab (U Alabama), we will develop a next-generation single-molecule protein sequencer based on engineered high-resolution nanopores. Key reference to cite: Yu et al., Unidirectional single-file transport of full-length proteins through a nanopore, Nature Biotechnology, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01598-3

Synthesis of motif and symmetry for accelerated learning, discovery, and design of electronic structures for energy conversion applications

The goal of the proposed work is to develop the data-driven approach based on structure motifs and orbital symmetries to discovery and design inorganic semiconductor compounds with optimal electronic structures for energy conversion applications. Objectives are: (i) to develop a framework toward the universal description of structure motifs as well as crystal/orbital symmetries in inorganic compounds; (ii) to accelerate the motif and symmetry based discovery and design of oxide and layered semiconductor compounds with optimal electronic properties for energy conversion applications; iii) to enable the effective learning of structure motifs and orbital symmetries through the combined use of national language processing, graph theory, and deep learning.

Categorical centers, cactus actions, and diagram algebras

This project delves into several research directions within representation theory, which is the mathematical framework for studying objects through their symmetries and the operations which preserve them. Such operations can carry a classical, or even more intriguingly a quantum algebraic structure. Originally appearing in physical models within statistical mechanics and quantum integrable systems, quantum groups and the theory surrounding them are now a thriving source of uncovering new mathematical principles. This project will develop a richer understanding of this theory by building a common ground for combining algebraic, combinatorial, and higher-structural categorical techniques for the study of quantum groups and associated diagram algebras. This will lead to a more unified approach and provide connections between several areas of mathematics, as well as potential physical applications. The project will involve the participation of undergraduate students and create opportunities for discussion and collaboration among early-career researchers.

Genetic assessment and native plant production for the US Army Corps of Engineers BAA 6 Belle Isle Project, Boston, MA

Genetic variation can be critical for population performance and resilience, yet it is seldom accounted for in habitat restoration efforts. This project will assess the genetic diversity of the dominant salt marsh plants Spartina alterniflora and Spartina patens in natural marshes in and around Belle Isle Marsh, MA. We will also produce local stocks of each of these species from seed and compare their genetic and phenotypic diversity in a common greenhouse environment. This work will inform ongoing and future marsh restoration efforts in Belle Isle and the surrounding region.

Mediators and Moderators of Auditory Training

Using Big Data to Quantify and Cultivate Genius

A Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Framework for Attentional Control Traits and States

Targeting adolescent depression symptoms using network-based real-time fMRI neurofeedback and mindfulness meditation

Adolescents experience alarmingly high rates of major depressive disorder (MDD), and these episodes are highly recurrent and increase suicide risk. Recently, the U.S. Surgeon General and leading pediatric health organizations declared a national state of emergency for adolescent mental health, underscoring that the majority of affected adolescents do not receive adequate treatment. As gold-standard depression treatments (antidepressant medications and cognitive behavioral therapy) are effective for only ~50% of adolescents, there is a critical need to develop novel treatments to improve clinical outcomes, particularly those that target core mechanisms fundamental to MDD.  Rumination (i.e., repetitive, negative patterns of thinking typically focused on the self) contributes to MDD onset, maintenance, and recurrence as well as predicts treatment non-response and relapse. Mindfulness meditation has been shown to suppress the default mode network (DMN), a set of brain regions that are overactive in depression and that underlie rumination.   We are launching a large scale, clinical trial to do a mindfulness based real-time fMRI neurofeedback intervention in adolescents with MDD in order to quiet the DMN and mitigate rumination.

Time-locked psychophysics: speeded responses to visual stimuli

The project will use variations on a classic method called response time (RT) measurement, which has human participants respond as quickly as possible to the presentation of carefully-controlled visual patterns.  One goal is to demonstrate that the fastest RTs are triggered by the very early responses in the photoreceptors of the retina of the eye. Two parallel pathways in the visual system called ON and OFF pathways, generate opposite-polarity responses. A second goal is to test the hypothesis that these two pathways can be measured and studied separately using these speeded behavioral responses

CAREER: Sedimentary signatures of large riverine floods to constrain risk and build resiliency

The traditional paradigm in river and floodplain management relies almost exclusively on stream gage measurements as the key dataset informing flood hazard assessments, while largely neglecting the geomorphic dynamics and resulting sedimentary records preserved in floodplains. This project builds on prior work in the development and application of stratigraphic records in floodplains by harnessing recent advances in hydraulic modeling, environmental sensors, and sedimentology to constrain flood hazard assessments. This research is integrated with an education and outreach plan designed to attract, motivate, and train community college students in geoscience research through an established internship program.

Determining how aquaculture grow-out methods can reduce the negative effects of parasites and micropollutants on farmed oysters  

We will be collaborating with local oyster farmers to investigate how growing methods (on the bottom vs. Floating) and water quality affect the prevalence and intensity of common oyster parasites. The knowledge developed through this work will be shared with various stakeholders through workshops and aquaculture professional associations.  

Bioinspired Light-Escalated Chemistry (BioLEC) 

The mission of the BioLEC Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) is to combine light harvesting and advances in solar photochemistry to enable more powerful editing, building, and transforming of abundant materials to produce energy-rich feedstock chemicals. As part of the BioLEC EFRC, we will develop new supercharged light-powered catalysts and reactions an deepen our understanding of existing ones, through which valuable products can be generated from plentiful molecules such as those extracted from waste and renewal resources.  

Disease-homing light delivery by engineering bioluminescent immune cells for whole body precision photomedicine 

Photomedicine avoids traditional side effects of systemic chemotherapy, yet effective outcomes are dependent on direct irradiation from an external light source that limits the scope and the types of cancers that may be treated. This proposal develops a precision photomedicine platform that exploits natural disease-homing properties of the immune system to mediate bioluminescence-activated phototherapy in combination with established technology to deliver photoactive therapeutic agents selectively to tumor cells. Successful, proof-of-concept studies will establish a new paradigm of systemic, whole-body phototherapy by enabling immune cell-based light delivery to deep and diffuse metastatic disease that would otherwise be impractical to treat using an external light source, thereby overcoming a major limitation of conventional phototherapy. Photomedicine avoids traditional side effects of systemic chemotherapy, yet effective outcomes are dependent on direct irradiation from an external light source that limits the scope and the types of cancers that may be treated. The proposal develops a precision photomedicine platform that exploits natural disease-homing properties of the immune system to mediate bioluminescence-activated phototherapy in combination with established technology to deliver photoactive therapeutic agents selectively to tumor cells. Successful, proof-of-concept studies will establish a new paradigm of systemic, whole-body phototherapy by enabling immune cell-based light delivery to deep and diffuse metastatic disease that would otherwise be impractical to treat using an external light source, thereby overcoming a major limitation of conventional phototherapy.  

This high-risk, high-reward concept grant will be performed by the Spring Lab at Northeastern University in collaboration with the Schaffer-Nishimura Lab at Cornell University. 

Repurposing Gram-positive Antibiotics for Gram-Negative Bacteria using Antibiotic Adjuvants 

The multidrug-resistant (MDR) sepsis pathogen Acinetobacter baumanni presents an enormous ongoing challenge to public health. Current treatment options for infections with these bacteria are extremely limited. Our research examines a class of small molecules called antibiotic adjuvants that greatly boost the activity of several existing antibiotics against A. baumanniim, with the goal of developing new combination approaches to treat MDR infections.  

PlantSynBio: A Novel CRISPR SynBio Tool for Investigating and Reprogramming the Regulation of Alkaloid Biosynthesis in Catharanthus roseus 

Plants produce a white array of valuable, biologically active natural products we use as medicines. This grant will enable engineering for enhanced drug production from the medical plant, C. roseus.

Identifying factors that promote soft coral resilience in climate change-induced

This work, in collaboration with a biophysicist, will explore the resilience of soft corals to rising ocean temperatures by understanding two main adaptations: the coral microbiota, and the morphology and growth patterns.

Sex-dependent pain processing circuitry in classical Pavlovian fear conditioning

Traumatic experiences create powerful memories by linking information about the trauma itself with environmental cues associated with the event. Our lab has found evidence that males and females may form these memories using different brain regions, and this grant will allow us to probe this question more deeply by recording neural activity in real time as animals are learning.

The goals of this award are first to design and validate a scalable, affordable hardware-software package that reliably measures brain function via EEG in babies over the first two years of life. Second, in multi-country studies using this EEG system, we will establish which measures of early brain function track healthy developmental changes associated with early cognitive and language development across contexts and are sensitive to pre- and postnatal risk factors for brain development. Finally, we will establish which EEG measures of brain function are robust enough to serve as biomarkers to evaluate clinical intervention trial efficacy in early life.

Riverine flooding is a perennial hazard in the heavily populated Northeastern United States, and improving near- and long-term forecasts of flooding in this region is of critical importance for regional water resource management, infrastructure planning, and fisheries. In this project, we will harness advances in climate reanalysis and modeling to (i) identify the ocean-atmosphere patterns that generate flooding in New England and (ii) evaluate the contribution of greenhouse forcing on flood-generating mechanisms in this region.

Graph theory - the mathematical study of networks has originally developed as a part of discrete mathematics and combinatorics. This has changed significantly in the past 20 years following discoveries of connections to Linear Algebra and later to Geometry and even to Real Analysis. The goal of this project is to find new applications to, as well as expand the scope of, these connections.

The aim of the project is to gain mechanistic understanding of the relationships among non-coding genomic variation, phenotype, and disease. To achieve this aim, researchers will combine data from DNA-DNA proximity ligation assays and multiple genome alignments to extract coevolutionary information about DNA elements and to infer the network of functional interactions among them.

Visual remediation for schizophrenia

How LC Integrity in Older Adults Mediates Perceptual and Memory Processes

String theory has evolved into one of the most complex theories devised by mankind to date. Its goal is to describe our Universe from the smallest to the largest scales. In my research proposal, I suggest to use latest advances in mathematics and artificial intelligence to uncover answers to fundamental questions hidden within this theory.

This research will investigate the laws of physics at short length and time scales not yet understood using symmetry principles and mathematical and machine learning tools. Analyses of data expected from the Large Hadron Collider, in Geneva, Switzerland to detect possible evidence of strings and new physics will be undertaken.

Auditory hallucinations are one of the five cardinal symptoms of schizophrenia and one of the most distressing. Almost a third of patients experiencing auditory hallucinations are not responsive to gold-standard pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatment. We have pioneered a new non-invasive treatment candidate, computational neuroscience-based approach, also known as network-based real-time functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Neurofeedback that is a well-tolerated and effective approach for reducing the severity and frequency of auditory hallucinations. However, because this technique currently requires fMRI to deliver neurofeedback, which unfortunately is an expensive procedure involving a complex setup and participant burden, this NIH award will help develop novel, non-invasive, personalized, and scalable treatments that will improve outcomes and reduce relapse rates among schizophrenia patients with treatment resistant auditory hallucinations.

Salt marshes provide an important line of defense against nutrient pollution by intercepting watershed nitrogen before it enters estuaries. This nitrogen can enhance the growth of marsh plants, however some forms of nitrogen can also be used by microbes, who use it to decompose organic matter in low-oxygen sediments. Understanding which of these two outcomes is most likely to occur is important because, if marsh plants take up that nitrogen and grow more robustly, this will increase salt marsh resilience to sea-level rise. On the other hand, if microbes use that nitrogen for respiration, it could accelerate loss of organic matter, thereby decreasing resilience. This project combines field and greenhouse experiments to tease apart the relative importance of different N forms on the plant and microbial communities that ultimately dictate salt marsh resilience.

To answer this question, Dapeng “Max” Bi (COS-Physics) has been awarded a collaborative HFSP grant with Friedhelm Serwane (LMU Munich, Germany) and Tamal Das (Tata Institute for Fundamental Research Hyderabad, India). Together, the team will develop a biomechanical understanding of the epidermis, which is critical for preventing and curing numerous skin defects, painful blistering, and skin cancers.

The International Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) organization supports novel, innovative and interdisciplinary basic research focused on the complex mechanisms of living organisms. The award is highly competitive, and this year only four percent of the applicants were selected for funding.

Addressing collective action problems such as climate change requires individuals to engage in a host of coordinated behaviors to effect widespread systemic changes. Yet, while most people are concerned about climate change, they systematically underestimate others’ concern, which can inhibit action toward addressing collective challenges. Drawing on interdisciplinary research, this project uses mixed methods to develop and test an integrative framework illuminating drivers of pervasive social misperceptions and pathways for correcting these biases.

Healthy debate is a cornerstone of scientific progress, but no one really knows when, how, and why these debates in science happen. In our funded research, we will use new computational techniques to automatically identify debates across the entire published scientific literature. We will study these debates to understand the role of disagreement in science and find policies that harness the power of debate to increase the pace of scientific discovery.

The degradation and transport of plastics has led to its accumulation across a range of environments, but a key component of the plastic-carbon cycle — namely the transport and storage of microplastics through rivers and floodplains — remains poorly constrained. Understanding where and why plastics accumulate along rivers and floodplains is critical for mitigating and managing plastic pollution because rivers connect plastics production and use upstream to coasts and the open ocean. This project will analyze soil samples to quantify the amount and types microplastics found in different floodplain environments, and relate patterns of plastic accumulation to environmental parameters.

To slow climate change we need to stop burning fossil fuels and to find ways to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When kelp and other macroalgae grow, they store carbon in their biomass, but they also continuously release organic carbon into ocean waters. The current project aims to understand whether this released organic carbon is also stored, not in the seaweeds themselves, but in the deep sea. Understanding what happens to all the carbon seaweeds capture is critical to Running Tide technologies that seek to use macroalgae to remove sufficient carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to help slow or reduce climate change.

The John Templeton Foundation has awarded a $1 million grant to Professor David DeSteno to support his PRX Podcast “How God Works.” The podcast, which brings a scientific eye to examining how and why spiritual practices foster human flourishing, has appeared on Apple’s Top Ten List for science podcasts, and was recognized with honoree status by the Webby Awards in the Science Education category during its first year. The new grant will fund it for 4 more  8-episode seasons and provide funds for several live events to be held in cities across the US.

This project’s overall goal is to build a knowledge base that will enable the design of enzymes that can catalyze industrial chemical reactions with less energy consumption and fewer unwanted by-products than many of the current conventional processes. Several dozen students, in both the research laboratories and the classroom, will be trained in computational and experimental techniques.

HIV-1 integrates its genome into infected host cells. Due to the permanence of the integrated genome, it is advantageous to target HIV-1 replication in early stages, before integration. To rationally design new inhibitors of these early replication steps, a detailed molecular understanding is required. This work proposes integrated biochemical, biophysical, and cellular approaches to probe critical steps in early viral replication.

Noncommutative Algebras and Monoidal Triangulated Categories

This award is to acquire a 600MHz NMR spectrometer primarily for medicinal chemistry applications

NSF Early Investigator (CAREER) Workshop Award

Using Space to Improve Solidification Processes on Earth

Enhancing Children’s Cognitive Function and Achievement through Carotenoid Consumption

Liquid Electrolytes for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with Enhanced Cycle Life and Energy Density Performance.

Predictability in complex object control.

Assessment and Rehabilitation of Binocular Sensorimotor Disorders.

Collaborative Research: Evaluating the Past and Future of Mississippi River Hydroclimatology to Constrain Risk via Integrated Climate Modeling, Observations, and Reconstructions

Developing an integrated platform for high accuracy measurements of viral particle count and infectious titer.

The Uses of Diversity: Managing Race and Representation in Law, Politics, and the Biosciences.

A Portable, Bio-inspired Platform for Photo-Responsive Sensing and Display

CAREER: Multiscale photodynamics simulations in solvated and crystalline environments

CAREER: Mechanisms of G4 DNA induced genome instability

The GAPS Experiment: A Search for Dark Matter Using Low-Energy Antiparticles

KHULA LEAP: a multiscale approach to characterizing developing executive functions

Institute for Data Driven Dynamical Design

Designing Strong stability in non-critical and rare-earth-lean-magnetic materials

Movement as a vital sign in preterm infants

Mechanisms driving development of threat sensitivity following early life adversity

Nonequilibrium Control of Magnetism and Topology Through Selective Phonon Excitation

Ten multidisciplinary research teams will receive a combined $1,150,000 in funding as part of the inaugural year of Scialog: Advancing BioImaging, a three-year initiative, supported by Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA), the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) and the Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation (FGCF), that aims to accelerate the development of the next generation of imaging technologies. Bryan Spring, Physics, Northeastern University, has teamed up with Barbara Smith, Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University to develop a unique combination of fiber-optic photoacoustic and multiphoton microscopy in a miniaturized device that facilitates comprehensive, high-resolution volumetric renders of the fallopian tube to precisely locate and to ablate premalignant tumors.

Academic Ideas in the Public Sphere: Teaching Scientists and Philosophers How to Communicate with the Public

Mechanisms driving the development of threat sensitivity following early life adversity

Movement as a Vital Sign in Preterm Infants

Harnessing the Data Revolution program

EAGER: Collaborative Research: Assessing the contribution of plastics to marine particulate organic carbon

De Novo Asymmetric Synthesis of Natural and Unnatural Oligosaccharide Motifs

Allosteric effects in the complexes between Ras proteins and Raf

The many-body problem in the age of quantum machine learning

Global Circuitry that Conotrols Acinetobacter Resistance and Virulence

Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) Research Program – CB Clinical

Enhanced environments for psychophysical evaluation and training

Following the Sound of Music - Comparing the Effects of Music vs. Non-Music Based Interventions on Auditory and Cognitive Processing in Older Adults

Development of an infrastructure of interoperability for replicability and robustness across cognitive training trials for brain aging. Specific Aim (s): Aim 1: Develop and test feasibility and acceptability of music and control interventions and assessments targeting auditory processing and cognition. We will develop a novel attention-based music intervention that targets skills typically developed with formal instrumental training. Aim 2: Test for intervention-specific improvements in speech-in-competition in older adults. Aim 3: Determine whether experimental and control interventions differentially impact auditory processing, attention, and working memory, and how these changes in turn may mediate improvements in speech-in-competition.

Examining the Potential for Placebo Effects in Cognitive Training

Noble Metal Free Low Temperature Electrolyzer for Hydrogen Generation

Durable MEA’s for Heavy Duty Fuel Cell Electric Trucks

COVID-19 Global health

Building a shared infrastructure for cognitive assessment in the service of cognitive training research

A Novel CRISPR SynBio Tool for Investigating and Reprogramming the Regulation of Alkaloid Biosynthesis in Catharanthus roseus

Structure property processing correlations in freeze-cast biomimetic materials

Using Population Contrast Sensitivity Function Data to Develop Tunable Test Procedures

Effects of Military Noise Exposure on Auditory Function in Service Members and Recently Discharged Veterans.

This project supports the addition of ambient sound monitory, speech tests and data communications with VA systems. At Northeastern we are developing software to support at-home tests of hearing in military veterans whom suffer from hearing loss.

Emergent motor timing influences perpetual timing

Evaluating darobactins as antimicrobial agents

In partnership with Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (R21AI141227), and with collaborators at CSIC (Granada, Spain; R01AI114685) and Kennesaw State University (R01AI124046), we will repurpose human kinase inhibitors as treatments for the parasitic diseases leishmaniasis, Chagas disease and human African trypanosomiasis.

Collaborative Research: Adaptation and the resiliency of food web structure and functioning to climate change

Local adaptation and the evolution of plasticity under predator invasion and warming seas: consequences for individuals, populations, and communities.

The goal of this award is to test the efficacy of early brain imaging measures in predicting subsequent childhood cognitive outcomes across global contexts of adversity.

Instrumentation for High Energy-Density Plasma Facility

Emotion Regulation in Adulthood and Aging: Preference and Effectiveness

Robust ultra-high sensitivity proteomic technologies for limited samples

Use of De Novo Synthesis Approaches and Structure-guided Design to Optimize Therapeutic Properties of Streptothricin Class Antimicrobials

CB1 Neutral Antagonists for Alcohol Use Disorder

Mediators and Moderators of Perceptual Learning

Undergraduate Research in Modeling and Computation for Discovery of Molecular Probes for SARS-CoV-2 Proteins

Tip-Enhanced and Co-Localized AFM-Raman Spectroscopy to Unveil Localized-Plasmon Promoted Direct-Charge Transfers across Nano-electrochemical Interfaces

Collaborative Research: Designing an Educational Intervention to Address Intuitive Misconceptions about COVID-19

Intrinsic Functional Architecture of Detate Muclei in Autism Spectrum

Single-cell direct RNA sequencing using electrical zero-mode waveguides and engineered reverse transcriptases

Developing low-cost mobile app technology to assess ability and fluctuations in executive functions and math learning

Identification of Chemical Probes and Inhibitors Targeting Novel Sites on SARS-CoV-2 Proteins for COVID-19 Intervention.

Moduli Spaces and Geometric Microlocal Analysis

Metrics with singularities are important objects in differential geometry and arise naturally in algebraic geometry, mathematical physics, number theory, representation theory, etc. This project involves studying singular metrics using geometric microlocal analysis. The central idea is to introduce new objects, called compactifications or resolutions, to resolve the singularities. These resolutions will in turn suggest which analytic techniques need to be developed. The PI intends to use this method to study problems such as the moduli space construction of constant curvature conical metrics and its relation to vortices, hyperbolic metrics with cusps and asymptotic geometry of the compactified Riemann moduli space, and gauge-theoretic partial differential equations with singular metric background.

Characterization of multiple factors in training and plasticity in central vision loss

Evaluating environmental control (AVOID) and inhibitory control (RESIST) strategies to improve weight management outcomes.

This prospective, four-parallel-arm, randomized controlled trial tests two theoretically driven strategies to improve weight and dietary outcomes in women and men with overweight or obesity who are attempting to lose weight: an environmental control strategy and an impulse control training strategy. This research addresses the oft-debated question of how to best optimize behavior change, and whether one should attempt to resist temptation in consistently inhibiting impulses or avoid temptation altogether in eliminating unhealthy options from the home environment.

Effects of Tai Chi Mind-Body Exercise on the Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome

TRPV1 signaling as a sex-specific mechanism of contextual fear generalization

ATPases Newco, Inc.

Fundamental Dynamics, Predictability and Uncertainty of Scientific Discovery & Advancement

Supplement: Mapping mesocortical contributions to estrous-dependent learning processes

Ovarian Effects on Intrinsic Connectivity and the Affective Enhancement Memory

Analysis of Notch signaling-mediated cell fate determination during regeneration of the neural retina

Collaborative Research: Microlocal Concentration and Propagation in Spectral Theory

The Role of Emotional and Motivational Attention in Healthy Aging

CAREER: Protein-integrated materials: From molecules to machines

The Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute - Pilot - Objective Portable Diagnostics of Neurological Disorders

Antibiotic discovery from environmental microorganisms of Brazil

Band flattening at the Fermi level as a precursor of quantum electron crystallization

Scoping Out the Periodic Table of Food

Longitudinal Investigation of the Decision Process in Adoption of Course-based Research

Assessing Spatial Processing Deficits in Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) Using Virtual Reality

Conformational Regulation and Therapeutic Targeting of Oncogenic KRAS

Antibiotic Tolerance of Bacterial Pathogens in Cystic Fibrosis

Oculomotor Deficits and Plasticity Across Gaze Posture in Strabismus

Boston Roybal Center Pilot: Changing and understanding motivation to increase physical activity among sedentary older adults

A Scalable Platform for Electroresponsive Optical Displays Inspired by Cephalopods

Developing a Climate Roadmap for Sustainable Fisheries in China

Amgen Donation Agreement for the Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Laboratory (BATL)

Book Grant: Seven Insights about the Brain.

Hydrogen Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry for the Analysis of Acid Sphingomyelinase

THE CHOW RINGS OF MODULI SPACES OF STABLE SHEAVES

In Silico Design of an Array of Multicolor, Hybrid Fluorescent and Photodynamic Chromophores for Cancer Surgery and LightActivated Therapy

DMREF: Collaborative Research: Design and synthesis of novel materials for spin caloritronic devices

Collaborative Resarch: Accelerating the Discovery of Electronic materials through Human-Computer Active Search

Bioprospecting for industrial enzymes and drug lead compounds in an ancient submarine forest.

Collaborative Research: AccelNet: Accelerating Discovery in Multilevel Network Science

Congested and Contested RF Emulations with Colosseum

Higher-Order Color: From Cones to Postreceptoral Mechanisms

Collaborative Research: CBET: The role of sunlight in determining the fate and microbial impact of microplastics in surface waters

Multiscale modeling of layered pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical intervention during an emerging influenza pandemic

A Psychobiological Follow-up Study of Transition from Prodrome to Early Psychosis

A New Drug for the Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury

Universal Series, Chow Rings, and Dualities in the Moduli Theory of Sheaves

Real-time fMRI Neurofeedback as a Tool to Mitigate Auditory Hallucinations in Patients with Schizophrenia

Nudging Empathy: Harnessing Motivation to Create Sustainable Empathic Choices

Lenfest Ocean Grant

Uncovering genome variation in long DNA and repeat-disease biomarkers using nucleic acid-based reporters and nanopore readout

11th International Retroviral Nucleocapsid and Assembly Symposium

D3SC: Mining for mechanistic information to predict protein function

Soft, reconfigurable photonic systems inspired by cephalopod chromatophores: A platform to study dispersed light sensing in squid

In Silico Design of an Array of Multicolor Chromophores for Cancer Surgery and Light-Activated Therapy

SRA - Scipher

Mapping mesocortical contributions to estrous-dependent learning processes

Targeted modification of the apramycin 2-deoxystreptamine ring to block aminoglycoside modifying enzyme-based inactivation and enhance potency against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens

Burroughs Research Travel Grant

Antioxidant Imaging Marker of Investigating Gains in Neurocognition in an Intervention Trial of Exercise (AIM-IGNITE)

Spatial Patterning in the Progressing Tumor - The Role of Notch

Structure-property-processing correlations in freeze-cast Biomimetic Materials

Quantifying the effects of ions and collective rearrangements during ribosome function

Sponsored Research Agreement with Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Quantum Theory and Measured Turnover Rates: Perovskite Chemical Transistors for Non-Faradaic Alkane Isomerization

CAREER: Physics Implications of the String Landscape
via Formal Theory and Data Science

Collaborative Agreement with AB Sciex

Collaborative Research: TIDE: Legacy effects of long-term nutrient enrichment on recovery of saltmarsh ecosystems

Northeastern University’s Coastal Sustainability Institute and The Nature Conservancy Joint Coastal Sustainability Postdoctoral Fellows Program

Antioxidant Imaging Marker of Investigating Gains in Neurocognition in an Intervention Trial of Exercise (AIM-IGNITE)

INSPECT: In situ Phenotype Evaluation using CMOS Technology

Targeted modification of the apramycin 2-deoxystreptamine ring to block aminoglycoside modifying enzyme-based inactivation and enhance potency against multidrug-resistant Gram- negative pathogens

NSF-BSF: DYNAMICS OF MATERIALS FAILURE

A Scalable Platform for Electroresponsive Optical Displays Inspired by Cephalopods

CAREER: Signal Recovery from Generative Priors

Harvesting Localized Plasmons on Noble Metal Nanostructures for Efficient Electrochemical and Photochemical Reactions

The development of efficient platinum-group metal free catalysts to generate high purity hydrogen gas from water

SRA – Exploration of biophysical methods to study the importance of KRAS protein flexibility in solution

Development of Streptothricin Class Antimicrobials as Novel Therapeutics

Collaborative Research: Trait differentiation and local adaptation to depth within meadows of the foundation seagrass Zostera marina

Lead optimization of hits identified from virtual and experimental screens of multiple industrial libraries DNDi

A Center for Complex Materials from First Principles

Collaborative Research: RAPID: Quantifying mechanisms by which Hurricane Michael facilitates a stable-state reversal on oyster reefs

MantaRay Commercialization Strategy

Identifying pathogenic bacteria by phenotyping individual cells

A Collaborative Science Program for the National Estuarine Research Reserve System: Connecting End Users Throughout the Applied Research Process Primary Sponsor: Department of Commerce

Northeastern University’s Coastal Sustainability Institute and The Nature Conservancy Joint Coastal Sustainability Postdoctoral Fellows Program

Plasmid Eviction as a Novel Adjunctive Antimicrobial Target

Academic Ideas in the Public Sphere: Teaching Scientists and Philosophers How to Communicate with the “General Reader”

Development and Maintenance of a Suite of Application Programmer Interfaces (API) and Data Standards

Feasibility Study for An Essec Bay Living Shoreline Primary Sponsor: Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Eye Movement Rehabilitation in Low Vision Patients

Addressing Constraints to Shellfish Aquaculture Through Quantifying Ecosystem Services and Public Perceptions in the Northeast

Development of Disulfiram to Treat Lyme Disease

Development of Hygromycin A to Treat Lyme Disease

Physics Uncovering the Organizing Principles of Genetic Interaction Networks

Building Online Resources for Scientists and Philosophers Communicating with the “General Reader”

Development of an Open-Source and Data-Driven Modeling Platform to Monitor and Forecast Disease Activity

SRA – Medimmune

Endocannabinoid Modulation of Stress Coping

Characterization of predictive abilities in individuals with ASD using web-based interception

games