Blog

Christine Mills investigates how nutrition programs can support older adults to age in place. As a registered dietitian and interdisciplinary researcher, her work bridges nutrition, gerontology, sociology, and implementation science to design and evaluate community-based interventions that reduce nutrition risk and promote health and independence among aging populations.

James Kim examines the complex links between online misogyny and real-world gender-based violence. His interdisciplinary research combines computational social science and critical theory to develop new frameworks and tools for understanding how digital spaces can fuel offline harms and to inform more effective prevention and intervention strategies.

Sebastian Cmentowski explores how immersive exergames can combat sedentary lifestyles by merging enjoyable gameplay with intensive physical exercise. His interdisciplinary research spans interaction design, computer science, sports science, and accessibility to develop extended reality (XR) training experiences that are personalized, motivating, and safe.

Stuart Schussler investigates how universities can build more accountable and collaborative relationships with community organizations at the heart of social movements. His interdisciplinary research explores new models of service learning that bridge academic and grassroots spaces, equipping students to engage meaningfully with movements driving social change.

Anny Leudjo Taka develops novel polymer nanobiocomposites with biodegradable and recyclable properties for use in organic electronics and water desalination. Her interdisciplinary research bridges chemistry, nanotechnology, and sustainability to advance clean water, energy security, and environmentally friendly materials aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Dalal Daoud examines how ruling Islamist governments in the Middle East and North Africa navigate relationships with ethnic minorities. Her research challenges conventional narratives by revealing that strategies toward minority groups shift over time based on coalition-building dynamics and regional contexts, rather than purely religious or ideological motivations.

Samuel Gyamerah develops mathematical models to design weather derivatives that help smallholder farmers and agricultural stakeholders hedge against extreme and unpredictable weather. His interdisciplinary research bridges statistics, actuarial science, and climate risk to support more resilient agricultural practices in Ghana and across Africa.

Shoronia Cross designs novel multiferroic nanomaterials that could revolutionize data storage technologies by enabling higher storage densities, faster processing speeds, and lower power consumption. His interdisciplinary research bridges chemistry, nanotechnology, and quantum information to advance next-generation magnetoelectric devices with global technological impact.

The end of the constitutional protection of abortion rights in the United States has catalyzed a re-examination of the role of the state and international organizations in the regulation of abortion.

Newly-imposed restrictions have drawn attention to self-managed abortions (SMA) — the termination of pregnancy outside of medical settings — and recently, this practice has largely taken place using abortion pills (e.g., mifepristone and misoprostol) through the support of telehealth services, the use of which is recommended by the World Health Organization (2022). SMA activism has mitigated the negative effects of anti-abortion laws and has proven that illegal abortions can be safe, offering important lessons for the provision of abortion care.

Creating painless, minimally invasive, and rapid techniques for identifying biomarkers like antibiotics and cancer-related indicators holds significant importance in the fields of personalized medicine and clinical utilization. In the course of my research, I am dedicated to the innovation of microneedle-based patches with the capability to discern the existence and levels of diverse biomarkers. This approach enables the simultaneous monitoring of multiple biomarkers through these patches. Additionally, we are actively engaged in pioneering methodologies for detecting biomarkers by converting their presence into an electrical signal.