Four COSAM Researchers Earn High Honors
Researchers receive National Institutes of Health Maximizing Investigators’ Research Awards totaling more than $7 million
In the College of Sciences and Mathematics, four faculty researchers are recipients of Maximizing Investigators’ Research Awards, or MIRA, from the NIH.
“I am proud that four COSAM faculty were selected for these prestigious awards,” said Dr. Mark Liles, acting associate dean for research and graduate studies. “By receiving four $1.8 million+ awards from this extremely competitive program at the NIH in a single year, it shows the growing portfolio of biomedical research in COSAM and the quality of our outstanding researchers.”
Three of the faculty from COSAM are from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and one is from the Department of Biological Sciences.
“These three faculty from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry are excellent examples of how our department has attracted top researchers from around the world that are seeking to make important advancements with a direct impact on human health and flourishing,” said Dr. Doug Goodwin, chair of the department.
Dr. Ming Chen, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received a $1.8 million NIH MIRA grant to investigate new applications of organoboron compounds, which play an increasingly vital role in organic synthesis.
“This grant from the NIH for early-stage investigators will help us to pursue exciting research projects to decipher novel reaction pathways of organoboron compounds and investigate their medical applications,” said Dr. Chen.
Dr. Rashad Karimov, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received a $1.8 million NIH MIRA grant to develop organic molecules that can lead to new medications to treat diseases.
“I am excited to build predictive models through chemistry collaborations. This award gives me an ability to make an impact and showcase the importance of organic chemistry,” said Dr. Karimov.
Dr. Ahmed Hamid, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received a $1.8 million NIH MIRA grant to further his research on mobile spectrometers that can directly detect diseases in a quicker and more efficient process than traditional equipment.
“Developing innovative diagnostic devices that depend on novel analytical technologies will enable fast and accurate diagnosis of infectious and neurodegenerative diseases that can be performed directly by nurses in points of care units,” said Dr. Hamid.
Dr. Laurie Stevison, associate professor in DBS, received a $1.9 million NIH MIRA grant to analyze the role of oogenesis in contributing to infertility between species, which is fundamental to the study of speciation.
“Environmental stress during oogenesis has extreme potential to create novel genetic variation important for speciation and I am excited for the opportunity to pursue this novel research in my lab here at Auburn,” said Dr. Stevison.
To learn more about these awards, please visit auburn.edu/cosam.
