Chancellor Kristin Sobolik (at left) presented awards to faculty members (from left) Haitao Li, Vijay Anand and Jinjia Xu at the annual Research and Innovation Celebration held Friday evening in the Millennium Student Center. Ravindra Girivaru and Natalie Bolton were also recognized but were unable to attend. (Photos by Steve Walentik)
Faculty and staff members from across the University of Missouri–St. Louis campus gathered Friday evening in the third-floor rotunda of the Millennium Student Center to mark another banner year for research at the university.
“We love celebrating our research and economic development every year,” Chancellor Kristin Sobolik said during her welcoming remarks to the annual Research and Innovation Celebration, hosted by the Office of Research and Economic and Community Development. “I’m really pleased to see so many people here. That really illustrates the vibrancy of research here at the only public research university in our region.”
Assistant Professor Jinjia Xu from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry soaks up applause after the surprise announcement she’d been named UMSL’s Junior Investigator of the Year during the annual Research and Innovation Celebration.
The university has seen more than 300% growth in research awards and activity over the past eight years, and Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic and Community Development Chris Spilling noted the record that UMSL set last year when it exceeded $50 million in research expenditures for the first time.
Spilling also said he had cautioned Sobolik last year not to count on that level of activity again this year. But three-quarters of the way through the fiscal year, UMSL’s researchers are on track to top that figure.
“You are seeing amazing work going on around campus within our various disciplines,” Spilling said. “We’re getting advancement done in the labs, in performance places, everywhere that good scholarly work takes place.”
Spilling noted some of the partnerships UMSL has launched to broaden its research impact, including with the St. Louis Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center, for which UMSL is co-leading research and development, and the API Innovation Center – APIIC – which recently opened research and development laboratories for active pharmaceutical ingredients in UMSL’s Science Complex.
The university is also making investments to enhance on-campus research facilities, including upcoming renovations to the greenhouses attached to Benton Hall.
In addition to calling attention to the research activity taking place across the university, Friday’s reception served as a chance to recognize six faculty members for their exceptional accomplishments.
Ravindra Girivaru, an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy and Statistics, was honored as UMSL’s Innovator of the Year. Haitao Li, a professor and chair of the Department of Supply Chain and Analytics, was named the Senior Investigator of the Year. Jinjia Xu, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, was selected the Junior Investigator of the Year.
Associate Professor Vijay Anand from the Department of Information Systems and Technology and Associate Professor Natalie Bolton from the Department of Educator Preparation and Leadership, were honored as Co-Investigators of the Year for their collaboration on a grant.
Dr. Tareq Nabhan, an assistant clinical professor in the College of Optometry, discusses his research with College of Arts and Sciences Dean Andrew Balkansky at Friday’s Research and Innovation Celebration. Nabhan was recognized as the newest member of the UMSL Chapter of the National Academy of Inventors.
Dr. Tareq Nabhan, an assistant clinical professor in the College of Optometry, also was inducted into the UMSL Chapter of the National Academy of Inventors. He joined 25 previous inductees, all of whom are inventors named on issued U.S. patents.
The innovator of the year is selected with consideration of a discovery or invention’s contributions or potential contributions to the public good, the economy, research funding to UMSL, regional entrepreneurship and the advancement of science and useful arts.
The investigators of the year are chosen based on criteria including but not limited to the amount of grant funding during the previous calendar year, increases in funding during the previous calendar year, the potential significance of the nominee’s research in their discipline and the novelty of their research.
Each awardee received a $500 prize.
Read more about the projects that were honored through this year’s research and innovation awards:
Faculty Innovator of the Year: Ravindra Girivaru
Girivaru received funding from the Simon Foundation for collaborative work with inventors from The Ohio State University and Tulane University. They are exploring ways to improve error correction for quantum computing. An abstract about Girivaru’s work states that error correction is crucial in quantum computing because qubits are highly susceptible to noise and environmental disturbances, which can lead to errors during computation, making reliable and accurate quantum algorithms impossible. With improved error correction, hardware companies will be able to scale up quantum computing, which can be used to solve complex problems exponentially faster. That has the potential to help revolutionize fields such as drug discovery, material science, financial modeling and cybersecurity, as well as traffic optimization and manufacturing.
Senior Investigator of the Year: Haitao Li
Li has received funding from multiple agencies, businesses and other academic institutions since coming to UMSL 11 years ago. In the past year, he received grants from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Cass Information Systems, the St. Louis Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center and the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. Among his current projects, he is collaborating with colleagues at the University of Missouri–Columbia and Auburn University to develop sensors that detect and mitigate contamination in the supply chain of chicken and other foods. The work is being done with support of an NSF Convergence Accelerator grant. He is also leading UMSL’s work with the Mid-America Transportation Center for Transportation Safety and Equity.
Junior Investigator of the Year: Jinjia Xu
Xu, who joined the UMSL faculty in 2022, has research interests that reside at the interface of organic chemistry, polymer materials, soft matter technology and biomedical engineering. Last year, the NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences awarded her a $799,915 grant titled “Integrating Single Molecules to Two-Dimensional Materials toward Quantum Devices.” She aims to pioneer new quantum devices by merging two-dimensional quantum materials with single molecules with an overarching goal of creating controllable, repeatable and miniaturized quantum devices that provide enhanced sensitivity, precision and scalability for applications in quantum sensing. The grant is also supporting the development of a cutting-edge nanolithography facility at UMSL.
Co-Investigators of the Year: Vijay Anand and Natalie Bolton
Anand and Bolton are working across disciplines on research around the growing need to improve cybersecurity by helping defenders develop an adversarial mindset for active defense. Anand has a master’s degree in computer science and computer engineering and a PhD in electrical engineering. Bolton has a master’s in secondary education and a PhD educational leadership. With their different backgrounds, they are exploring new modeling and training modules that integrate technical, social, cultural and behavioral science perspectives. The research is being supported by an award from Booz Allen Hamilton.
Below are lists of the past recipients of each award. (Note: Not every award is given out each year.)
Faculty Inventor/Innovator of the Year Award
2025: Ravindra Girivaru, associate professor, Department of Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy and Statistics
2024: Michael Nichols, professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
2023: Vijay Anand, associate professor, Department of Information Systems and Technology
2022: Felia Davenport, associate professor, Department of Communication and Media; and Uma Segal, Curators’ Distinguished Professor, School of Social Work
2021: Jianli Pan, associate professor, Department of Computer Science
2020: Carl Bassi, Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor, College of Optometry
2018: George Gokel, professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
2017: Zhi Xu, associate professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
2015: Haitao Li, associate professor, College of Business Administration
2014: Janet Braddock-Wilking, associate professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
2013: Xuemin “Sam” Wang, E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor of Plant Science, Department of Biology
Senior Faculty Investigator of the Year Award Winners
2025: Haitao Li, professor, Department of Supply Chain and Analytics
2024: Rachel Winograd, associate professor, Missouri Institute of Mental Health and Department of Psychological Sciences
2023: Xuemin “Sam” Wang, E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor in Plant Sciences, Department of Biology
2022: Jerry Dunn, clinical professor and executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Services of Greater St. Louis
2021: Jerome Morris, E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor of Urban Education, Department of Educator Preparation and Leadership
2020: Brendolyn Bailey-Burch, senior research associate, Missouri Institute of Mental Health
2019: Beth Huebner, professor, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice
2018: David Tate, associate research professor, MIMH
2017: Alexei Demchenko, Curators’ Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
2015: Sharon Johnson, professor, Social Work
2014: Robert Paul, professor, Department of Psychology
2013: Matthew Hile, research associate professor, MIMH
Junior Faculty Investigator of the Year Award Winners
2025: Jinjia Xu, assistant professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
2024: Anita Manion, assistant professor, Department of Political Science
2023: Ryan Carpenter, assistant professor, Department of Psychological Sciences
2022: Lon Chubiz, associate professor, Department of Biology
2021: Michael Gearhart, assistant professor, School of Social Work
2020: Sharlee Climer, assistant professor, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
2019: Billy Dunaway, assistant professor, Department of Philosophy
2018: Jianli Pan, assistant professor, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
2017: James Shuls, assistant professor, Department of Educator Preparation and Leadership
2014: Mindy Steiniger, assistant professor, Department of Biology
2013: April Regester, assistant professor, College of Education
Co-Investigators of the Year Award Winners
2025: Vijay Anand, associate professor, Department of Information Systems and Technology; and Natalie Bolton, associate professor, Department of Educator Preparation and Leadership
2024: Emily Brown, associate professor, Department of Education Sciences and Professional Programs; and Mary Edwin, assistant professor, Department of Education Sciences and Professional Programs
2023: Natalie Bolton, associate professor, Department of Educator Preparation and Leadership; Phyllis Balcerzak, associate teaching professor, Department of Educator Preparation and Leadership; Chanua Ross, director of project and program operations, professional learning and innovation, Department of Professional Learning and Innovation
2022: Aimee Dunlap, associate professor, Department of Biology; and Nathan Muchhala, associate professor, Department of Biology
2021: Nancy Singer, associate dean and associate professor, College of Education; Katherine O’Daniels, assistant teaching professor, Department of Educator Preparation and Leadership; and Shea Kerkhoff, assistant professor, Department of Educator Preparation and Leadership
2020: Keith Stine, professor and chair, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; and Alexei Demchenko, Curators’ Distinguished Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
2019 (new award in 2019): Melinda Bier, senior research scientist, Center for Character and Citizenship Education; and Marvin Berkowitz, Sanford N. McDonnell Endowed Professor for Character Education, Department of Education Preparation and Leadership
