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Internal Awards

Saint Louis University has several internal award programs designed to foster research and scholarly activities, stimulate the quest for external support, and promote SLU as an excellent teaching and research institution.

Review our internal awards requests for proposals to learn about the process for submitting applications and criteria for evaluating internal proposals.

Use the links below to jump to a section.

Health Research Grant Program

The Health Research Grant Program is intended to encourage collaborative groups of interdisciplinary researchers across at least two or more academic units to conceptualize a larger future grant application for external funding. New working relationships are encouraged. Applications for pilot projects should include a tentative plan for a future structured grant and clearly describe how the seed money will support the future grant application.

Awards are based on a competitive review process in which reviewers consider an application on the merits of the specific activities proposed, relative ranking among other applications, and the availability of funds. Proposals must demonstrate exceptional merit and value for the field of study, the individual, the department, the college or school and the University's research mission. Preference may be given to new interdisciplinary collaborations.

2023 Winners
  • Patrick Corrigan, Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, Exploring structural and biomechanical mechanisms in adolescents with calcaneal apophysitis
  • Lauren Draper, Pediatrics, A Qualitative Examination of Risk and Resiliency Factors Associated with Burnout in Pediatric Intensive Care Providers
  • Kathryn Hanson, Pediatrics, The Effect of Maternal Kangaroo Care on Breastmilk Composition and Quantity
  • Yi Li, Nutrition and Dietetics, The effects of polyunsaturated fat on obesity via regulation of microRNAs
  • Gretchen Salsich, Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, Detecting movement impairments in a real-world environment in women with knee pain: a proof-of-concept and feasibility study
  • Joanne Schneider, School of Nursing, Moving Beyond Suffering: Instrument development and theory testing
  • Ricardo Wray, Behavioral Science and Health Education, Mosquito Alert STL: Pilot study for implementation and institutionalization
  • Fenglian Xu, Biology, Studies of progranulin’s neuroprotective effects under hyperglycemic stress
2022 Winners
  • Niraj Chavan, Ob/Gyn-Maternal/Fetal, Developing and Implementing a Smoking Cessation Intervention through Evidence based Navigation and Collaborative Education (Team SCIENCE) among Pregnant Women with Substance Use Disorders: Adopting an Implementation Science Approach
  • Jason Longhurst, Physical Therapy, Identifying early decline in Parkinson’s disease with brain activity during novel dual-task paradigms
  • Koyal Garg, Biomedical Engineering, Elucidating the role of helper T cell subsets in skeletal muscle regeneration
  • Lauren Landfried, Nutrition and Dietetics, Assessing the capacity needed to scale up local food access interventions
  • Denise Cote-Arsenault, School of Nursing Instruction, The HOPEful Study: Health Outcomes for Parents with Extraordinary Pregnancies
  • Deepika Gopukumar, Health and Clinical Outcomes Research, A Multi-task Learning-based explainable Artificial Intelligence Approach for Hospital Outcomes
  • Scott Sell, Biomedical Engineering, Development of a flow culture system for analysis and re-establishment of glucose transport in RPE cells for retinitis pigmentosa treatment
  • Kelly Everard, Family and Community Medicine-Administration, From Success Stories to Best Practices: A Qualitative Study of Medication Transitions for People with Opioid Use Disorders
2021 Winners
  • Karen Moore, School of Nursing Instruction, Assessing nurses’ and APNs’ Competence, Confidence, and Willingness to Respond to Public Health Emergencies After Learning Management System (LMS) Delivered Intervention: A Quantitative Study
  • Oluwatoyosi Owoeye, Physical Therapy, RICHLoad: Reducing Injuries among College athletes through Load management
  • Dhiren Patel, Pediatrics-Gastroenterology, Analysis of outcomes, cost, efficiency, and coordination of clinical care delivered through pediatric interdisciplinary aerodigestive program
  • Sara Steele, Communication Sciences & Disorders, Promoting language in poverty: Interactions among chronic stress, learning ability, and language outcomes
  • Cara Wallace, SSW-Social Work, Development of a Hospice Perceptions Instrument
  • Selena Washington, Occupational Therapy, Resilience through Engagement - An Occupational, Physical, and Social Based Telehealth Program for Older Adults
2020 Winners
  • Govindswamy Chinnadurai, Molecular Biology & Immunology, Investigating the activities of pathogenic CTBP1 mutant alleles in neurodevelopmental defects using patient-derived and engineered cell models
  • Jennifer Bello-Kottenstette, Family & Community Medicine, Men’s influence of maternal substance use before and during pregnancy: A Qualitative Study of Justice-Involved Men
  • Maria Romo-Palafox, Nutrition & Dietetics, Becoming a Healthy Mother: Harnessing the Identity Transformation of Becoming a Mother to Incorporate Sustainable Healthy Eating and Feeding Behaviors
  • Koyal Garg, Biomedical Engineering, Stem cell-derived exosomes for skeletal muscle regeneration
  • Andrew Oberle, Surg-Administration, A Novel Application of Narrative Exposure Therapy:  Examining Effects on Posttraumatic Stress

Beaumont Scholarship Research Award

Several other changes in this year's competition include a wider scope, increased funding and a longer performance period. The program is intended to encourage faculty researchers working in the arts, humanities, and social sciences to further and complete scholarly research projects and to conceptualize and prepare for applications for external funding.

  • Previous Beaumont Request for Proposals (PDF)
  • Applications should be submitted via the OpenWater portal. Log in to myslu.slu.edu and click the OpenWater icon in the ‘My Apps’ tab. Log in with your current SLU email address (i.e., first.last@slu.edu) and your password. You will be asked to set up your profile when you log in.
  • Deadline: 5 p.m., CST, Feb. 1, 2025
  • Contact: Christine Luebbert, christine.luebbert@slu.edu
2023 Winners
  • Lauren Barlett, Law, Using Human Rights in U.S. State and Federal Courts and with U.S. Policymakers
  • Douglas Boin, History, Ground-Testing the Results of a SLU-Led, International Geophysical Survey at Ancient Roman Hispellum (Spello, Italy)
  • Allen Brizee, English, The Saint Louis Story: Learning and Living Racial Justice
  • Monica Eppinger, Law, Territoriality in Ukraine: Unsettled Ground
  • Christina Garcia, Languages, Literatures, & Cultures, Creating a Corpus of Ecuadorian Spanish
  • Anya Hillery, Health Sciences, Nursing and Public Health (Madrid), From Covid Saviour to the Cure for Cancer: Vaccines, mRNA & the Biotechnology Revolution
  • Pauline Lee, Theological Studies, Play in China: The Trifling, the Wicked, and the Sacred
  • Henry Ordower, Law, Taxation Law as Hybrid Law
  • Madeline Stenersen, Psychology, Hustle and Health: The impact of health policies on sex worker wellbeing
  • Jintong Tang, Management, The Rise of Populist Discourse and Women Entrepreneurship
  • Clarice Thomas, African American Studies, Writing Home: The Children of Black Southern Migrants in Grand Rapids, Michigan
2022 Winners
  • Henry M Ordower, Law, Unbundling Social Security from its Anachronistic Payroll Tax Funding Mechanism
  • Bruce O'Neill, Sociology & Anthropology, Driven Underground: Gentrification, Compromised Belonging, and the New Middle Classes in Bucharest, Romania
  • Rachel Lindsey, Theological Studies, Record and Revelation: Religion, Photography, and Citizenship in the American Century
  • Pauline Lee, Theological Studies, Small Change: Transforming Self Through Rituals, Public Humanities, and Community-Facing Art
  • Grant Kaplan, Theological Studies, Between Retrieval and Dismissal: a Catholic Theology of Tainted Tradition
  • Jin Huang, SSW-Social Work, Does Self-employment Contribute to Wealth Accumulation for Older Workers?
  • Fahrettin Fisunoglu, Political Science, Politics of COVID-19 Response and Post-Pandemic Recovery
  • Monica Eppinger, Law, Cold War GMOs?: Law and Life Sciences Leading to the Century of Biology
  • Harold Braswell, Center for Health Care Ethics, Mapping the Relationship between Hospice and Anti-Black Housing Discrimination in Saint Louis, Missouri
  • Carolina Ana Aznar, Madrid, Publication of the First Phase of the Tel Regev Archaeological Excavations ("The Southern Plain of Akko Project")
2021 Winners
  • Matthew Bodie, Law School Admin, Edited Volume on Codetermination and Worker Participation
  • Amy Cooper, Sociology & Anthropology, Writing Medical Anthropology for a General Audience
  • Mary Dunn, Theological Studies, Disorder and Disease: The Hôpital-Général of Quebec, 1693-1799
  • Paul Lynch, English, Exercises of Desire
  • Colleen McCluskey, Philosophy, The Use of Climate Theory in Albert Magnus’s Natural Philosophy”
  • Kate Moran, American Studies, Summer Research Group - California Magdalens: Women, Religion, and the Carceral State, 1850-1940
  • Vithya Murugan, SSW-Social Work, Racism and Race-related Challenges for Black Women seeking Services for Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
  • Bruce O'Neill, Sociology & Anthropology, Underground Bucharest
  • Mark Ruff, History, Weaponizing Guilt Accusations: Political Mobilization and the Politics of Emotion, 1918-1933
  • Amy Wright, Languages, Literatures, & Cultures, Serial Mexico: Serialized Storytelling from Nationhood to Now
2020 Winners
  • Claire Gilbert, History, Converting Texts: The Mediterranean Legacies of Spanish Arabic Catechism
  • Cameron Anglum, Education, The Effect of the Four-Day School Week on Students, Teachers, Parents, and Communities: Evidence from Missouri
  • Tom Finan, History, The Rock of Lough Key Archaeological Project
  • Mary Vermillion, Sociology, Cahokia Mounds/Fingerhut Tract Archaeological Excavations
  • Ana Santos Rutschman, Law, Countering Vaccine Misinformation: Lessons from France and Italy
  • Amanda  Izzo, Women's and Gender Studies, Always in Motion: St. Louis Social Movement Organizing
  • Douglas Boin, History, New Research on the Urban and Religious Transformation of Ancient Roman Hispellum (Spello, Italy)
  • Pauline Lee, Theological Studies, Play in China: The Trifling, the Wicked, and the Sacred
  • Jennifer Ohs, Communication, Decisions to Enter Phase I Oncology Clinical Trials and Effectual, Ethical Informed Consent
  • Matthew Nanes, Political Science, Migrant Labor and the Transnational Diffusion of Extremism

President’s Research Fund

The President’s Research Fund supports promising projects with strong potential to attract external funding. These funds have been available since 2009 to support research and scholarly activity. PRF awards support data collection or other pilot activities that the awardee will use as the basis for extramural grant or contract applications. The PRF funds can be used for seed funding for a project, bridge funding or development of a new collaboration or area of research. 

The President’s Research Fund has two programs, one for medical school faculty appointments and one for non-medical faculty appointments. Please see the links below:

2023 Science and Engineering Winners
  • Jenna Gorlewicz, Mechanical Engineering, Design and Evaluation of a Wearable Haptic Device for Guided Grounding
  • Malkanthi Karunananda, Chemistry, Trimetallic Photosensitizers with Earth Abundant Metals
  • Jason Knouft, Biology, Influence of Thiamine and Its Precursor (HMP) on the Community Composition of Stream Periphyton
  • Katherine Luking, Psychology, Gender Incongruence and Adolescent Mental Health Trajectories: Investigation of Biopsychosocial Moderators of Adolescent Suicidality and Substance Use Emergence
  • Laurie Shornick, Biology, The effect of Vitamin A deficiency on the immune response to respiratory viral infection
  • Wei Wang, Computer Science, Distributed and Collaborative Frame Verification for Securing SLAM System in Autonomous Vehicles
2022 Science and Engineering Winners
  • Reza Tourani, Computer Science, Privacy Analysis of Distributed Learning with Defensive Measures
  • Zhenguo Lin, Biology, Genetic mechanisms underlying highly diverse capping levels of mRNA transcripts
  • Blythe Janowiak Mulligan, Biology, The Contribution of Glutathione Synthesis to Virulence of Group B Streptococcus During a Neonatal Infection
  • Jin Huang, SSW-Social Work, Food Insecurity and WIC Participation: Associations with Breastfeeding Practice
  • Juliet Iwelunmor, Public Health-Behavioral Science & Health Educ., COVID-19 Dissemination Science and Health Equity Symposium
  • Haijun Gong, Mathematics & Statistics, GAN-based deep learning methods for the scRNA-sequencing data analysis
2021 Science and Engineering Winners
  • Paul Bracher, Chemistry, Influence of Salts in Chemical Evolution and the Origin of Life
  • Jen Chang, Public Health-Epidemiology & Biostatistics, The Impact of COVID-19 on Adherence and Self-Management of Chronic Diseases Among African American Women
  • Koyal Garg, Biomedical Engineering, Co-delivery of a regenerative and anti-fibrotic therapy for volumetric muscle loss
  • Jie Hou, Computer Science, Advancing Protein Structure Prediction using Small-angle X-ray Scattering data
  • Sofia Origanti, Biology, Site-specific Labeling of Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor-6
  • Fenglian Xu, Biology, Trophic factors regulate complexin and synaptotagmin 1 during synapse formation
2020 Science and Engineering Winners
  • Brenda Kirchhoff, Psychology, Development of a mouse model of cognitive impairments in pediatric type 1 diabetes mellitus
  • Daniel Warren, Biology, A novel neuronal model for studies of vertebrate anoxia tolerance
  • Elizabeth Hasenmueller, Earth & Atmospheric Studies, Can river sediments sequester nutrient pollution? A pilot study on river nutrient and sediment dynamics to support collaborative research
  • Jonathan Fisher, Biology,  Regulation of post-exercise insulin sensitivity
  • Atria Larson, Theology, Digitized Medieval Glosses on the Gospel of Matthew
  • Piotr Mak, Chemistry, Mechanistic studies of Cytochromes P450 involved in Mycobacterium tuberculosis physiology
2023 School of Medicine Winners
  • Rajeev Aurora, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology/Pediatrics, Development of a gnotobiotic mouse model to study the effect of breastmilk microbiome on neonatal health
  • Stephen Ferris, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Developing next-generation dendritic cell cancer vaccines
  • Chien-Jung Lin, Internal Medicine, Extracellular Matrix in Vascular Diseases
  • Andy Nguyen, Internal Medicine-Geriatrics, Progranulin as a Potential Therapeutic Target to Enhance Cognitive Function in Alzheimer's Disease
  • Kedar Padhye, Orthopedic Surgery, Machine Learning for Implant Classification in Spinal Revision Surgery
  • Krishan Pandey, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Determine the structure of a transient intermediate in retroviral integration pathway
  • John Tavis, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Engineering tractable HBV polymerase derivatives for structure, mechanism, and drug discovery studies
  • Victor Tse, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Development of Fusion Loop-Null Live Dengue Viruses to Define Immune Correlates of Protection
2022 School of Medicine Winners
  • Ryan Teague, Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Parental obesity and inherited immune dysfunction
  • Sarah George, Internal Medicine - Infectious Diseases & Immunology, Determine how obesity and insulin resistance alters durability of adaptive immunity after COVID vaccination
  • Xiaofeng Fan, Internal Medicine – Gastroenterology, Anellovirus as a Risk Factor for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
  • Robert Fleming, Pediatrics, The effect of monoferric transferrins on erythroid suppression resulting from acute and chronic inflammation
  • Yasar Caliskan, Internal Medicine, Molecular Phenotyping of Graft Ischemia-Reperfusion injury with Single Nucleus RNA Sequencing using our novel PROTECT Normothermic Ex Vivo Kidney Perfusion Model
2021 School of Medicine Winners
  • Getahun  Abate, IM-Infectious Diseases, Cross-reactive nontuberculous mycobacterial immunity in patients with past infection and capacity of high risk patients to mount T cell immune responses
  • Elise Alspach, Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Sex Disparities in Anti-Tumor T Cell Responses
  • Ian Mitchelle de Vera, Pharmacol & Physiol Science, Germ Cell Nuclear Factor as a Novel Therapeutic Target for Germ Cell Tumors
  • Julie Dillard, Pediatrics-Administration, The Role of PDE3 in a Murine Model of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
  • Alexis Guenette, IM-Infectious Diseases, Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination and Breakthrough Infections in Cancer Patients, including Bone Marrow Transplant Recipients, in Comparison to Normal Healthy Adults
  • Daniel Hawiger, Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Blocking and enhancing tolerogenic functions of dendritic cells by targeting BTLA
  • Jacki Kornbluth, Pathology-Administration, NKLAM: An RBR E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Essential for Regulation of Innate Immunity
  • Jianguo Liu, IM-Infectious Diseases, A new treatment for endocrine resistant breast cancer by targeting MALT1
  • Ranjit Ray, IM-Infectious Diseases, Understanding molecular mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 orchestrates immunopathogenesis
2020 School of Medicine Winners
  • Angel Baldan, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, The Role of FSP27b on Dietary Lipid Absorption, Lipoprotein Secretion, and Oxidative Metabolism
  • James Brien, Molecular Biology & Immunology, Development of a mRNA Vaccine to Protect Against Dengue Virus Disease
  • Krishan Pandey, Molecular Biology & Immunology, Determination of retroviral integrase-DNA complex assembly mechanisms by cryo-EM
  • Sandeep Dhindsa, IM-Endocrinology, Effect of transgender therapy on hormone receptors, adipogenesis and inflammation
  • Wilson King, Pediatrics, Constructing a novel mechanical aortic and pulmonary heart valve using Metal 3D Printing and nanotextured graphene coatings
  • Mustafa Nazzal, Abdominal Transplant Center, Perfusion Regulated Organ Therapeutics with Enhanced Controlled Testing (PROTECT): Mitigating ischemiareperfusion injury in marginal liver to increase deceased donor pool.

Other Funding Opportunities

Scholarship Opportunity Fund 

The Scholarship Research Council (SRC) seeks to support small-budget research needs in the humanities, social sciences, and other fields represented in the SRC that are not readily funded by existing mechanisms but that can pose a significant impediment to research productivity and advancement.

To address this funding need, the SRC has created the Scholarship Opportunity Fund (SOF), supported by the Research Growth Fund. This aligns effectively with the goals of the SLU Research Institute and the Research Growth Fund by leveraging small investments for high-return gains and helping SLU researchers in the humanities, social sciences, and beyond to sustain and complete their research projects.

The maximum award is $5,000. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis as long as funds are available and decisions are returned within approximately one month. Awards must be spent within one year, and a report must be submitted on completion. More details can be found in the SOF guidelines.