Faculty Research News

The science behind ThermaGel, which has developed insulation material using aerogels, comes from the laboratory of physics professor Massimo Bertino, Ph.D. (Photo by Jeff Kelley)

Climate tech startup licenses VCU-created insulation for homes, commercial buildings

Sept. 14, 2023

Aerogel innovation from physics professor Massimo Bertino could power an energy-efficient upgrade from fiberglass and other materials.

Puru Jena is a distinguished professor in the Department of Physics and director of the new Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment. (Photo by Clement Britt)

A ‘modern-day alchemist,’ VCU’s Puru Jena brings a longtime spirit of innovation to one of society’s top challenges

Sept. 11, 2023

With a half-century of impressive achievements, the renowned physicist and materials scientist is leading VCU’s new Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment.

Shiv Khanna, Ph.D., will retire in September as Commonwealth Professor and chair of the Department of Physics at VCU. (Tom Kojcsich, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Physics professor Shiv Khanna retiring after 39 years at VCU and discoveries that have changed science

Aug. 25, 2023

Renowned for his groundbreaking work on superatoms, Khanna says teaching and inspiring students has been central to his legacy.

With funding from the Justice Department, Emanuele Alves, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Forensic Science, is developing a breathalyzer that can differentiate between THC and CBD, leading to fewer false-positive results for THC. (Tom Kojcsich, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

VCU forensic science professor hopes a better THC breathalyzer will increase road safety

Aug. 25, 2023

Emanuele Alves, Ph.D., is developing a device that could offer results within minutes and reduce false positives.

Victor Tan Chen, Ph.D., an associate professor of sociology, studies economic inequality, labor movements and trends around unions in the U.S., where union support is rising while union membership is at an all-time low. (Tom Kojcsich, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

How will the Hollywood strike end? VCU sociology professor and union expert shares what history tells us.

Aug. 21, 2023

Streaming services and AI may be the new battlegrounds for actors, writers and studios, but echoes from the 1960 and 1980 picket lines are familiar and strong, says Victor Tan Chen.

Suzanne Ruder, Ph.D., associate chair and professor in the Department of Chemistry, is a recipient of the 2023 James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Teaching of Chemistry. (Contributed photo)

VCU professor Suzanne Ruder to receive national award for excellence in chemistry instruction

Aug. 17, 2023

Ruder will be honored for her work with two colleagues on an NSF-supported research project focused on process skills in undergraduate STEM classrooms.

Discrimination, and anticipation of it, can contribute to social distrust and anxiety, which can cause shorter sleep duration and increased sleep complaints, according to a new VCU study. (Getty Images)

VCU-led study finds discrimination over time leads to poor sleep

July 21, 2023

The study showed that experiences of discrimination can lead to taking longer to fall asleep, spending more time awake at night, and worse overall sleep quality.

Rohan Rathi is a rising senior in the VCU Honors College who is majoring in bioinformatics in VCU Life Sciences. (Tom Kojcsich, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Honors student, faculty member research how to improve medical trust in Kenya

July 18, 2023

As part of a VCU summer research program, Rohan Rathi is working with professor Christopher Brooks on a project framed by pandemics.

The study, “Aggression As Successful Self-Control,” led by David Chester, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, was published in the journal Social and Personality Psychology Compass. (Getty Images)

Controlled cruelty: New study from VCU finds aggression can arise from successful self-control

July 13, 2023

A new study by a Virginia Commonwealth University researcher has found that aggression is not always the product of poor self-control but, instead, often can be the product of successful self-control in order to inflict greater retribution.

Rebecca Martin, Ph.D., a professor in the School of Medicine, is a co-founder of Pleros Therapeutics. Its leading product is a molecule drug that targets enzymes involved in allergy responses, specifically asthma. (Kevin Morley, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

More than ever, startups at VCU are turning ideas into businesses

July 11, 2023

Where science meets commerce, TechTransfer and Ventures is helping inventors find an audience beyond campus.