2026 Working Teams
Team 1: Collaborative Research: Supporting Undergraduate Research through the SURGE Network: A PUI-R1 Co-Design Model for Sustainable Student Engagement
The objective of this project is to transform undergraduate research practices at Emerging Research Institutions by developing a sustainable, highly effective STEM teaching and learning model. To achieve this, Molloy’s Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Committee’s three-part, pioneering model includes re-envisioning research environments for students by increasing exposure and opportunity; developing and implementing faculty learning communities to enhance and sustain evidence-based research experiences for all undergraduates; and examining and assessing transformation process by developing metrics and best practices. Visit Molloy University’s website.
“Molloy University was honored to be part of the inaugural cohort working with the NSF STAIR Program at Penn State. Through biweekly meetings, Dr. Camelia Kantor and the STAIR team provided exemplary support to refine our NSF IUSE proposal. They connected our team with Penn State subject matter experts, expanded our access to critical infrastructure and templates, and even polished our visuals with a multimedia specialist.
In addition, we developed a meaningful partnership with Penn State, leading to the submission of a collaborative NSF IUSE proposal that leverages the complementary strengths of both universities.
This initiative built lasting bridges – strengthening not only our project team, but also our support staff, School of Arts & Sciences, Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs, and Office of Research, Scholarship, & Graduate Studies. We are deeply grateful for this partnership and look forward to future collaborations!”
Team Members
Molloy University
PI Team
- Michael Marino – Principal Investigator, Associate Professor
- Melissa Gebbia – Co-Principal Investigator, Professor
- Jodi Evans – Co-Principal Investigator, Professor
- Li Li – Co-Principal Investigator, Associate Professor
- Jamie Vitrano – Co-Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor
Unfunded Collaborators
- Audrey Cohan – Senior Personnel, Senior Dean for Research Scholarship, & Graduate Studies
- Gina Florio – Senior Personnel, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences
- Amy Gaimaro – Senior Personnel, Dean of Academic Innovation and Workforce Strategies
- Elissa Sharp – Senior Personnel, Assistant Provost- Planning and Strategic Analysis
Research Administrators and Advocates
- Deborah Waldron – Associate Director of Grants & Sponsored Programs
- Kristin Altmann – Grants and Research Specialist
- Michael Morrisey – Program Manager
Penn State University
PI Team
- ChanMin Kim – Principal Investigator, Professor
- Melanie McReyolds – Co-Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor
Research Administrators and Advocates
- Camelia Kantor – STAIR PI, Associate Director-Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
- Jialing Wang – Project Manager, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
- Jenifer Hoffman – Project Research Administration SME, Proposal and Award Manager
- Mary McMonagle – Proposal Budget SME, Contracting Officer
- Melissa Gensimore – Project Research Administration SME, Pre-Award Proposal and Award Manager
- Mark A. Williams – Research Administrator, Proposal and Award Generalist- College of the Liberal Arts
- Laura Castro – Multimedia Specialist, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
Team 2: NJ Research Integrity and Security Consortium (NJ-RISC)
While research in the United States has traditionally benefited from foreign-born researchers and international collaborations, current national security and economic policies recognize the increasing threat posed by malign foreign actors to our federally-funded research enterprise. To address this pressing national need, Kean University, Montclair State University, and the New Jersey Institute of Technology propose forming a statewide Research Security community of practice in New Jersey called the NJ Research Integrity and Security Consortium (NJ-RISC).
Visit Kean University’s website, Montclair State University’s website, New Jersey Institute of Technology’s website.
Team Members
Kean University
- Nathan Rigel – Principal Investigator, Director of Research Compliance
- Sherrie Calish – Research Administrator, Director, Pre-Award Services
Montclair State University
- Kimberly Blatt – Co-Principal Investigator, Director of Research Compliance, Research Compliance and Regulatory Programs, Academic Affairs
New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Robert Rasmussen – Co-Principal Investigator, Director of Export Control
Penn State University
- Camelia Kantor – STAIR PI, Associate Director-Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
- Jialing Wang – Project Manager, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
- Melissa Gensimore – Project Research Administration SME, Pre-Award Proposal and Award Manager
- Michelle Smith – Proposal Budget SME, Assistant Director Lead Pre-Award
- Laura Castro – Multimedia Specialist, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
Team 3: Bioinformatics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Team Members
Caldwell University
- Hector Loyola Irizarry – Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor of Microbiology – Natural Sciences
- Katherine Solomon – Research Administrator, Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations – Institutional Advancement
- Ellina Chernobilsky – Advocate, Vice President for Institutional Assessment, Strategic Planning, and Scholarship – Academic Affairs, Institutional Research and Assessment
Penn State University
- Camelia Kantor – STAIR PI, Associate Director – Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
- Jialing Wang – Project Manager, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
- Zoubeida Ounaies, Research Leadership, Development and Administration SME, Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering,
Associate Director of the Materials Research Institute - Jaimie Garrison, Post-award SME, Assistant Director, Lead Post-Award, Office of Engineering Research Administration
Team 4: Hawaii Pacific University
Team Members
Hawaii Pacific University
Josephine “Jody” Wong – Assistant Vice President, Sponsored Projects
Justine Lafata
Devyn Kamiya – General Grants Specialist
Penn State University
- Camelia Kantor – STAIR PI, Associate Director – Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
- Jialing Wang – Project Manager, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
- Cody Symanietz – Pre-Award Coordinator, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Team 5: University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Team Members
University of Puerto Rico
- Brunilda Negron Garcia – Director, Research & Development Center
- Kimberly N. Vega Colon – Administrative Officer II, Proposal submission
- Ubaldo M. Cordova Figueroa – Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research
Penn State University
- Camelia Kantor – STAIR PI, Associate Director – Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
- Jialing Wang – Project Manager, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
- Igor Aronson – Huck Chair Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry and Mathematics