Faculty Research News

Throughout its more than 100-year history, the ballroom scene has undergone significant changes, though the fundamental aspects of community, acceptance and empowerment remain the same. (Shikeishu, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons)

Beyond the fab and the fun, the ballroom scene has deep meaning with deep roots

June 17, 2024

VCU scholar Julian Kevon Kamilah Glover shares insight, including from her personal journey, into an American cultural force that has crossed the globe.

As sea level rates increase, natural islands respond by migrating landward. Here, overwash breaches a dune located on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. (Photo contributed by Julie Zinnert)

Barrier islands and dunes protect our coastline – but how are environmental changes affecting them and adjacent land?

June 13, 2024

In a new report, VCU biology professor Julie Zinnert shares findings from studying Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

(Left) Seung Duk Lee, M.D., Ph.D., a VCU Health Hume-Lee robotics surgeon, with Kush Savsani, a research assistant and incoming student at the VCU School of Medicine, are among the recipients of the latest round of Commercialization Fund awards. (Photo by Jeff Kelley)

From cancer to road safety, VCU innovators explore solutions with new round of funding

June 4, 2024

Spring 2024 grants from the Commercialization Fund aim to propel campus inventions into the marketplace.

Ivelina Metcheva, Ph.D., assistant vice president for innovation at VCU TechTransfer and Ventures; Lauren Siff, M.D., representing the winning team SurgicalED VR; and Brent Fagg, assistant director for innovation at VCU TechTransfer and Ventures, at the VCU Startup Accelerator’s first Pitch Day competition. (VCU TechTransfer and Ventures)

Virtual-reality surgical trainer earns top spot in first Pitch Day event for VCU faculty entrepreneurs

May 29, 2024

Urogynecology team led by Lauren Siff is among the inaugural cohort of the Startup Accelerator, which propels campus innovation toward commercial markets.

Everett Worthington, Ph.D., is a leader in the field of forgiveness and Commonwealth Professor Emeritus at VCU. (File photo)

Global study on forgiveness was rooted in the work of VCU professor emeritus Everett Worthington

May 22, 2024

Unprecedented four-continent research project, plus a direct campaign in Colombia, highlight the benefits of learning to forgive.

Now in its third year, the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Fund has invested more than $300,000 to support and expand arts and humanities research on campus. (File photo)

10 innovative research projects earn latest funding from VCU’s Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Fund

May 15, 2024

Faculty are exploring an expansive collection of topics that delve into social and cultural identity as well as practical applications.

Jeanine Guidry, Ph.D., is an affiliate faculty member in the School of Population Health and the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture at VCU. (File photo)

Professor honored for paper on willingness to get the COVID vaccine

April 22, 2024

Jeanine Guidry, an affiliate faculty member, says improving our understanding of why people may or may not vaccinate remains ‘of great importance.’

Richard Bargdill, a psychology professor, has a new book that shares 30 years’ worth of observations about the function of dreams based on the ideas contained in his dream journals. (Contributed photo)

VCU professor’s new book observes how dreams can be a powerful tool

April 18, 2024

Psychology professor Richard Bargdill has been documenting his dreams for years. Now, he’s sharing what he’s learned in ‘A Dreamer’s Thought Book: Intriguing Ideas about the Dreaming Process.’

Nicholas Frankel, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of English, will use the support of a Guggenheim fellowship to work on a book about the career of 19th-century polymath William Morris. (Contributed photo)

VCU English professor Nicholas Frankel honored with prestigious Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship for 2024

April 16, 2024

Known for his works on Oscar Wilde, Frankel is now developing a book about Victorian designer, writer and activist William Morris.

Exercise may benefit women’s longevity more dramatically than men’s, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. (Getty Images)

How does exercise affect the health of women and men differently?

April 4, 2024

VCU exercise physiologist Danielle Kirkman outlines differing factors and outcomes – and how our knowledge is evolving.