Join us for an afternoon showcasing the latest research of WashU faculty members and researchers working across borders and disciplines to respond to humanity’s most pressing challenges. Featured presenters are recipients of Global Incubator Seed Grants, which harness the power of our international partnerships to advance innovative research in areas aligned with the university’s strategic plan. The program culminates with awards and recognitions celebrating research excellence at WashU.

The Global Incubator Seed Grants initiative was made possible with support from the Millard family gift to the McDonnell International Scholars Academy, WashU Global, Office of the Provost, and the ‘Here & Next’ strategic plan.

Monday, November 10, 2025
Clark-Fox Forum, Hillman Hall
12-7 p.m.

Register Here
Global Networking Lunch | 12-1:15 p.m.

A working lunch will provide an opportunity to connect with WashU researchers and international collaborators from different disciplines and will feature special video highlights.

WashU in the World: Eliminating Neglected Tropical Diseases
HEARTS in Africa: Health Equity and Resources for Hypertension and Cardiovascular Treatment Solutions
  • Mark Huffman, Cardiovascular Division, WashU Medicine
  • Dike Ojji, University of Abuja, Nigeria
Unlocking Carbon-Free Ammonia Energy Technologies for Environmental Sustainability
  • Gang Wu, Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, WashU McKelvey School of Engineering
  • Zhichuan Xu, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Session 1: Flourishing communities | 1:30-3:00 p.m.

Can we revolutionize how we grow food and nourish families; improve air and water quality; eliminate health-care disparities; improve social mobility and inclusion; and protect fragile ecosystems? This set of projects draw on WashU’s strengths in environmental science, public health, social work, and other disciplines to drive meaningful research and action addressing these questions.

Chair: Rodrigo Reis, Professor, WashU School of Public Health

Thermal stress memory for sustainable agriculture
Wastewater Urbanism
  • Seth Denizen, Landscape Architecture, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, WashU
  • Christina Siebe, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico
Understanding the role of climate change and human arrival on Mediterranean coastal and island environments
  • Ilaria Patania, Department of Anthropology, WashU Arts & Sciences
  • Isaac Ogloblin Ramirez, University of Haifa, Israel, & University of Algarve, Portugal
Human-Livestock-Environment Dynamics in Highland Ethiopia: Ecological Challenges and Opportunities in Ancient-Modern Food Webs
  • Helina Woldekiros, Department of Anthropology, WashU Arts & Sciences
  • Helen Nigussie, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia (tbc)
Local/Global Gender Activism: Transdisciplinary and Trans-hemispheric Knowledges in Movement
  • Stephanie Kirk, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, WashU Arts & Sciences
  • Paola Ehrmantraut, University of St. Thomas, USA
  • Ivanna Aguilera, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina
Energy Transition for Child Health and Well-Being: A Child Development Account Strategy
  • Aytakin Huseynli, WashU Brown School
  • Vugar Bayramov, Member of the National Parliament of Azerbaijan
  • Dinara Yessimova, President, the National Alliance of Professional Social Workers, Kazakhstan
Evaluating the Impacts of Affordable Housing on Physical Activity, Health, and Climate Resilience in Brazil
Coffee Break | 3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Session 2: Healthier lives | 3:15–4:45 p.m.

Discover how WashU researchers and their global partners are tackling some of the world’s biggest public health challenges and driving groundbreaking discoveries, cures and treatments to improve human health.

Chair: Sandro Galea, Margaret C. Ryan Dean of the School of Public Health, Eugene S. and Constance Kahn Distinguished Professor in Public Health, Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Initiatives

Zero Bloodstream Infections
  • Caline Mattar, Division of Infectious Diseases, WashU Medicine
  • Marcela Alejandra Orellana Morales & Sairy Natalia Perez Murillo, Hospital Maria Especialidades Pediatricas, Honduras
Innovative sensors to detect pathogens in the UK and US municipal wastewater
  • Zhen He, Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, WashU McKelvey School of Engineering
  • Zhugen Yang, Cranfield University, UK
Local protein synthesis and the assembly of the centrosome-cilium complex
10-5-2-1-0: School-based Nutrition Ecology Intervention for Child Obesity Prevention in Quito
Rental Support for Venezuelan Migrants in Colombia: Assessing Early Evidence of Impact on Self-Reliance, Mental Health, and Social Integration for Female-Headed Households
PrEP-AI: Development and Validation of a Machine Learning Model to Identify High-Risk Adolescent Girls and Young Women Unlikely to Initiate HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis in Uganda
HIV Assets for Retention and Mobilization to BEnefit East Africa (HARAMBEE)
  • Elvin Geng, Division of Infectious Diseases, WashU Medicine
  • Thomas Odeny, Division of Oncology, WashU Medicine
  • Dickens Onyango, Center of Family Health Research and Development, Kenya
Research Excellence Awards and Reception | 5-7 p.m.

2025 Provost Research Excellence Award Recipients

  • Salma Abdalla, School of Public Health*
  • Christina Boyd, School of Law
  • Seth Denizen, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts*
  • Christopher Dingwall, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
  • Tammy English, Arts & Sciences
  • Michael Frachetti, Arts & Sciences*
  • Jonathan Hanahan, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
  • Patty Heyda, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
  • Xiang Hui, Olin Business School
  • Panos Kouvelis, Olin Business School
  • Uluğ Kuzuoğlu, Arts & Sciences*
  • Edward McPherson, Arts & Sciences
  • Rohit Pappu, McKelvey School of Engineering
  • Rachel M. Penczykowski, Arts & Sciences
  • Margarita Tsoutsoura, Olin Business School
  • Nhial T. Tutlam, Brown School*
  • Ning Zhang, McKelvey School of Engineering

    *Denotes Global Spotlight