Faculty Research News

Students in Dr. Christopher Ehrhardt’s lab will work over the next six months to analyze changes in the cellular autofluorescence that occur in animal fluids over time. Eventually, the research will be used to help investigators working on cases involving animal cruelty.

VCU forensic science professor receives ASPCA grant to support animal cruelty investigations

Jan. 31, 2024

Christopher Ehrhardt’s lab is developing a test that could determine when animal DNA was left at a crime scene.

VCU physics doctoral candidates Mohammed Almahyawi and Thomas W. Rockett demonstrate the setup of their nanopore research that could one day help diagnose ovarian cancer. (Photo by Kevin Morley, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

VCU-led research shows effectiveness of new technique to detect ovarian cancer marker peptides

Jan. 30, 2024

The nanopore-sensing technology could lead to earlier and more accurate diagnoses.

The lab group of UFRN kinesiologist Daniel Machado, Ph.D. (right, standing). Edmund Acevedo, Ph.D., professor in VCU’s Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, (left, standing) collaborated with Machado as a Fulbright Scholar in Brazil to examine what predicts the likelihood a person will continue to participate in physical activity. (Contributed photo)

If you break your promise to exercise, a VCU researcher is exploring why

Jan. 24, 2024

As a Fulbright Scholar who recently returned from Brazil, Edmund Acevedo expands his work on psychobiology and physical activity.

Karen McIntyre Hopkinson, Ph.D., associate professor in the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture, interviews a journalist in East Africa. (Photo credit: Meghan Sobel Cohen)

Freedom of the press is more of a ‘roller coaster’ than a straight line, VCU professor says in new book

Jan. 16, 2024

The Robertson School’s Karen McIntyre explores how three East African countries are navigating landscapes far different than America’s.

Mignonne Guy, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of African American Studies, is the recipient of the 2024 Pebbles Fagan Award. (Contributed photo)

VCU’s Mignonne C. Guy receives award for outstanding contributions through health-equity research

Nov. 17, 2023

Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco honors her commitment to public health.

A VCU-led research team is publicly releasing data from a meteorological tower at the Rice Rivers Center, making it the only open dataset for a tidal freshwater wetland on North America’s East Coast. (Photo by Megan May)

Data gathered at Rice Rivers Center provides new insight into how ecosystems respond to climate change

Nov. 16, 2023

Carbon, methane and other data collected by a “flux tower” is being made publicly available to researchers, teachers and policymakers.

The project, “A Virtual Reality Brief Violence Intervention: Preventing gun violence among violently injured adults,” is supported by a new three-year $1.95 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Contributed photo).

A new VCU project seeks to reduce gun violence with the help of virtual reality

Nov. 10, 2023

The CDC-funded study will combine cutting-edge technology with evidence-based practices to reduce gun violence and unintentional firearm injuries.

By providing data on vaccine inequities and acceptance, VCU researchers hope to contribute to the global effort to predict and mitigate the impacts of current and future pandemics. (Getty Images)

VCU team receives National Science Foundation grant to investigate vaccine inequity and acceptance

Oct. 30, 2023

With expertise in behavior science, math and other fields, the MAVEN project aims to boost public health in the post-pandemic era.

Two VCU professors earned prestigious Maximizing Investigators' Research Awards intended to enhance “scientific productivity and the chances for important breakthroughs.” (Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

With potential for drug development, treatment of cancer and other diseases, VCU professors’ projects earn national award

Oct. 27, 2023

Alattin Kaya and Brian Fuglestad are the first VCU faculty members to earn Maximizing Investigators’ Research Awards.

3-D printed cilia sensors have the potential to be used in a number of industries, ranging from prosthetics to manufacturing. (Photo by Jeff Kelley)

3D-printed hairs: Ph.D. candidate, professor developing tiny sensors to detect flow and environmental changes

Oct. 20, 2023

Uses could include surgical robots that better detect minute changes in pressure or temperature, industrial machines that measure air or water flow, a robot that reads braille, or debris detection on a highly sensitive camera lens.