Join Georgia Tech Space Week, September 22–25, 2026, for a dynamic lineup of sessions highlighting emerging priorities across the space domain. From foundational science to interdisciplinary research, the week features topics such as space policy, hypersonics, space weather, materials in extreme environments, entrepreneurship, and human spaceflight. Bringing together academia, industry, and government, Space Week creates opportunities to connect, collaborate, and share ideas shaping the future of space.
Event Details
Bumblebees are only an inch long, but they help power the global food system. Roughly one-third of the food we grow depends on pollinators like bees — and those bees are regularly decimated by pesticides.
Modern pesticides have helped boost crop yields, but they can also harm the insects that make those yields possible. Sulfoxaflor, a next-generation pesticide introduced in 2013, kills sap-feeding pests like aphids in crops, including soybeans and corn. Sulfoxaflor is also known to be toxic to bees. Scientists are still working to understand how low-dose exposure affects bee reproduction at the molecular level.
Researchers at Georgia Tech have found that sulfoxaflor disrupts reproduction and gene expression. In a study funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the team exposed groups of worker bumblebees to low doses of the pesticide and analyzed changes in gene activity. They found that ovarian tissues showed the most significant shifts in gene expression. These changes could contribute to reduced reproductive output and, over time, affect bee populations.
In the study, the researchers flash-froze bee tissues and analyzed RNA to track how gene activity shifted after pesticide exposure. The Georgia Tech team used computational models to pinpoint which biological systems were most affected.
“What makes this study exciting is that it connects molecular changes in gene expression to real-world consequences for individual bees and their colonies,” said Michael Goodisman, a professor in the School of Biological Sciences. “That type of connection is rare and gives us a much clearer picture of how pesticides affect bees.”
The implications of the study highlight a pressing challenge in agriculture.
“We need pesticides to control crop pests, but they can also harm essential non-target insects like bumblebees,” said Sarah Orr, who led the research as a postdoctoral fellow at Georgia Tech and now works as an assistant professor at the University of Tampa. “As a scientist, my goal is to identify practical solutions that support pest management while also protecting beneficial insects and the food systems that depend on them.”
That balance between pest control and pollinator protection is critical. “We need many bees for successful pollination,” Orr said. “If they’re not producing enough offspring, pollination will decline.”
Pesticides are only one of several threats facing bumblebees. Stressors like heatwaves also play a growing role. By better understanding how chemicals like sulfoxaflor affect bee biology, researchers hope to help farmers protect both their crops and the pollinators that sustain them.
Michael A. Catto, Jixiang Xu, Kayla A. Murray, Emma Leigh M. Bossard, Michael A.D. Goodisman, Sarah E. Orr, Integrative assessment of sulfoxaflor effects on gene expression, reproduction, and behavior in the bumblebee Bombus impatiens, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, Volume 315, 15 April 2026, 120101, ISSN 0147-6513.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120101
Scientific American has named Armita Manafzadeh to the inaugural class of Young American Scientists, recognizing a new generation of leaders and innovators in science, technology, and medicine. The 2026 cohort includes 28 early-career scientists based in the United States who are changing the world with their work.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be recognized alongside such an inspiring group of scientists,” Manafzadeh says. “I’ve always been motivated by big, fundamental questions, and it’s exciting to see that kind of curiosity-driven research celebrated.”
Manafzadeh will join Georgia Tech in August 2026 as an assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences. Her research investigates how joints function and how they evolved, using advanced technology to create animations of moving skeletons with sub-millimeter precision.
“My research is aimed at understanding how joints work and where they come from,” she explains. “Physicians can repair ACL injuries and perform hip replacements, but we still don’t fully understand joint mechanics at a fundamental level.” Because joints are a shared feature of virtually all vertebrates, she adds, nearly all movement — from slithering to sprinting to soaring — depends on them.
Manafzadeh first applied these methods to pterodactyls, “reanimating” the extinct animals to study how they flew. Now, her research could also open doors to personalized surgical treatments for people and new designs for bio-inspired robots.
Joel Kostka, Tom and Marie Patton Distinguished Professor from the School of Biological Sciences and director of Georgia Tech for Georgia’s Tomorrow (GT²), will lead a new research project aimed at strengthening coastal marsh restoration efforts along Georgia’s coast.
His project was selected through a competitive, peer-reviewed process involving scientific experts, state and local resource managers, and coastal community stakeholders as part of a biennial research competition sponsored by the University of Georgia’s Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, supported by the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program.
“I am excited to continue to contribute to Sea Grant’s critical mission of research that strengthens the resilience of coastal ecosystems,” says Kostka.
Strengthening Coastal Marsh Restoration
Kostka’s team will examine how locally sourced Spartina plants and beneficial root-associated microbes can improve marsh restoration outcomes. The research will evaluate plant growth, stress tolerance, and field performance to identify practical, scalable strategies for supporting coastal ecosystems.
Selected projects are intended to “advance the understanding, management, and strategic use of Georgia’s coastal and marine resources,” while producing results that address coastal management needs and remain accessible to communities, according to an article from Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. In addition to faculty from Georgia Tech, the 2026 research awards will support investigators from Georgia Southern University and Savannah State University.
College of Sciences alumni and graduate students are among the seventy-five Yellow Jackets awarded Graduate Research Fellowships (GRF) from the National Science Foundation. The fellowships, valued at $159,000, include funding for three years of graduate study and tuition for graduate students pursuing full-time, research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or STEM education.
The Georgia Tech recipients of the fellowship, which has supported over 70,000 students since its inception in 1952, were selected from a pool of more than 14,000 applicants nationwide. Fellowships are awarded to students “who have demonstrated potential for significant achievements in research.”
Alumni:
- Mariah Castillo – Chemical Catalysis
- Brandon Choi – Physics and Astronomy - Artificial Intelligence
- Brice Bradley Edelman – Comp/IS/Eng - Artificial Intelligence
- Marielle Frooman – Chemistry – Chemical Synthesis
- Kush Gandhi – Physics and Astronomy - Quantum Information Science
- Divya Iyer – Materials Research - Chemistry of Materials
- Elizabeth Mone – Physics and Astronomy - Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Akash Narayanan – Mathematical Sciences – Topology
- Matthew Rohan – Materials Research - Chemistry of Materials
- Isaac Sipp-Alpers – Geosciences – Paleoceanography
- Skylar Taylor – Life Sciences – Organismal Biology
Graduate Students:
- Sierra Paige Bornheim – Life Sciences
- Zahria Patrick – Chemistry – Chemical Synthesis
- Brendan Michael Shrader – Mathematical Sciences - Mathematical Biology
- Yufei Xiao – Physics and Astronomy - Physics of Living Systems
Discover the full list of Georgia Tech awardees.
The Office of Technology Licensing has announced the latest recipients of the Tech Ready Grants, an initiative that helps Georgia Tech faculty advance their innovations toward market readiness. Providing early momentum for promising technologies, the grants help move research toward real-world impact.
“Tech Ready Grants are designed to help researchers take critical steps toward commercialization by supporting early validation and development,” said Mary Albertson, director of Technology Licensing. “These projects represent strong potential for real-world impact across a range of industries.”
This year’s selected projects span areas including advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, medical devices, sustainability, and software systems.
Awardees
Christos Athanasiou
Assistant Professor, Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering
Project: A Scalable In-Situ Durability Platform for Rapid Polymer Qualification
Athanasiou is developing a platform to assess material durability under real-world conditions, helping accelerate validation timelines for high-performance applications.
“What began as a lab-based fracture testing instrument became a way to observe failure under real conditions,” Athanasiou said. “Now, we are working to share that capability beyond a single lab.”
Steve Diggle
Professor, School of Biological Sciences
Project: TAILSTRIKE Platform: Modular Chimeric Tailocin Engineering for Programmable Precision Antibacterials
Diggle is developing a programmable antibacterial platform using engineered protein nanomachines to precisely target harmful bacteria. The approach aims to address antibiotic resistance while enabling more targeted therapeutic applications.
“This grant will support the development of the TAILSTRIKE platform, a modular engineering system that repurposes protein nanomachines which bacteria use in warfare against each other, to create next-generation programmable, precision antibacterials,” Diggle said.
Ellen Yi Chen Mazumdar
Assistant Professor and Woodruff Faculty Fellow, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Project: High-Efficiency, Fully 3D-Printed Electric Motors
Mazumdar is developing fully 3D-printed electric motors designed for high efficiency and flexible manufacturing across a range of applications.
“The Tech Ready Grant is an exciting opportunity for us to advance our research toward something that can be commercialized as a real product,” Mazumdar said.
Nathan Meraz
Research Engineer, Georgia Tech Research Institute
Project: SCHORTY Technical Document and Market Analysis
Meraz is advancing Scheimpflug Optical Ranging Technology (SCHORTY), a platform that delivers LiDAR-class 3D sensing in a camera-native form factor. The project focuses on identifying high-value commercial applications and validating market opportunities.
“Our platform delivers performance that scales with advances in imaging technology,” Meraz said. “The Tech Ready Grant will support the transition from technical validation to market discovery.”
Carson Meredith
Professor and James Preston Harris Faculty Fellow, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Executive Director, Renewable Bioproducts Institute
Project: Commercialization of Renewable Oxygen and Water Barrier Biodegradable Packaging
Meredith is advancing biodegradable packaging materials that provide strong oxygen and moisture barriers, addressing a key challenge in sustainable packaging.
“My lab carries out research in future packaging materials that can replace problematic single-use plastics,” Meredith said. “This funding will help us translate Georgia Tech developments into practice through prototyping and applied testing.”
William Singhose
Professor, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Project: Cable Angle Sensing and Control for Improved Crane Safety
Singhose’s team is advancing sensing and control technologies to improve crane safety by monitoring and stabilizing cable angles in real time. The work aims to reduce load swing and enhance operational safety across construction and industrial environments.
“The cable-angle sensing technology we have developed allows crane control systems to detect the early onset of dangerous lifting conditions,” Singhose said. “By identifying when a hoisting cable begins to deviate from vertical, we can take corrective action before uncontrolled swing leads to serious injury or damage.”
Xiaojuan “Judy” Song
Senior Research Engineer, Georgia Tech Research Institute
Project: Smart Dressing for Wound Monitoring
Song is advancing a wearable smart dressing that enables continuous, on-patient monitoring of wound healing progress without disturbing the site. The technology is designed for use in chronic wound care, including diabetic foot ulcers and battlefield applications.
“Tech Ready funding will help advance the technology toward real-world application and define a commercialization pathway,” Song said.
Shuichi Takayama
Professor, GRA Eminent Scholar, and Price Gilbert Jr. Chair in Regenerative Medicine and Engineering, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering
Project: Organoid Alternative to Interstitial Lung Disease Toxicity Testing
Takayama’s team is using lab-grown human lung tissue models to evaluate drug toxicity, offering a more accurate and scalable alternative to traditional primate models.
“This system fills a critical gap where species differences limit the use of traditional models,” Takayama said.
Jun Xu
Professor, School of Computer Science
Project: Research Into Applications and API for METTLE
Xu is advancing METTLE, a novel streaming erasure code designed for high-speed networking systems, with a focus on improving data reliability and efficiency.
“This funding will support the commercialization readiness of METTLE,” Xu said.
About Tech Ready Grants
Tech Ready Grants is an Office of Technology Licensing program that provides early-stage funding to faculty to support prototype development, validation, and market assessment. The program helps position technologies for licensing, startup formation, and industry partnerships.
By supporting these critical early steps, Tech Ready Grants strengthens the pathway from research to real-world impact across Georgia Tech’s innovation ecosystem.
This year, eight Georgia Tech students have been awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, and four have been named as alternates. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, provides opportunities for students and professionals to study, conduct research, and teach abroad while promoting mutual understanding between the United States and other countries.
Among this year’s recipients are several members of Georgia Tech’s Class of 2026, as well as a doctoral student.
Divya Tadanki, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience, expressed her enthusiasm about her future research plans. “Through the Fulbright,” she explained, “I’ll be working in the Netherlands to research the predictors of preterm labor. I’m very excited to delve deeper into my research interests with people from across the globe.”
After double-majoring in biology and Spanish, Sonali Kaluri is headed to Spain to study the health of migrant workers under the digital platform economy. “With the Fulbright Scholarship,” she said, “I will conduct research on the gig economy and its implementation into health systems in Spain at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health.”
Having earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, Seth Kinoshita will be working with Professor Urszula Stachewicz in the Electrospun Nanofibers group at AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Poland. “I am excited to connect with my Polish heritage, explore Eastern Europe, and strengthen my research background,” he remarked. “Thank you to Dr. Brunner for their endless support during this process, and I encourage everyone to consider applying for fellowships while at Tech!”
Zachary Beddingfield, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology, will travel to Germany as a Fulbright Research Scholar where he will explore the intersection of his two passions: biology and machine learning. “I will be learning how to implement Protein Language Models to design de novo proteins that are unrelated to any proteins found in nature,” he explained. “I hope to design a de novo protease that degrades a specific protein responsible for most symptoms in human urinary tract infections, as proof of concept that these tools can be used to target a broad range of pathogenic proteins.”
With a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience, Diya Chutani will continue her academic journey as a Fulbright Canada recipient, beginning a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Western Ontario’s Music and Neuroscience Lab. “To be able to return to the music cognition community I discovered in Ontario last summer,” she noted, “where there is value in both my musical and scientific background, is a privilege I am so grateful for. I am eager to begin contributing meaningfully to research that can enhance music-based interventions for neurodegenerative diseases.”
Anya Martin, who is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Interactive Computing, plans to focus on weather and climate forecasting in India. “I plan to use the Fulbright to do social-scientific work with meteorologists in India using AI machine learning (AI/ML) methods for weather and climate forecasting,” she said, reflecting on her selection for the award. “AI/ML methods have a lot of promise for meteorology, but we will see how the methods pan out in practice.”
Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided nearly 450,000 talented and accomplished individuals with the opportunity to exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges. More than 2,000 Fulbright U.S. Students — including recent college graduates, graduate students, and early career professionals — pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach English in schools abroad each year.
Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries. In the United States, the Institute of International Education implements the Fulbright U.S. Student and U.S. Scholar Programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.
For more information about the Fulbright Program or other nationally competitive awards, visit the Prestigious Fellowships Advising website or contact the team at fellowshipsadvising@gatech.edu.
A Georgia Tech-led project advancing coastal resilience and ecosystem restoration has been selected for the inaugural Climate Resilience Fund cohort, awarded by Revive & Restore. The award is one of ten in a new $3.4 million fund to leverage genetic rescue for marine and coastal ecosystems under threat from climate shifts.
Led by Joel E. Kostka, Tom and Marie Patton Distinguished Professor and director of Georgia Tech for Georgia’s Tomorrow (GT²), the research effort will help restore coastal salt marshes through AI-enabled micropropagation and developing probiotics for plants. It is the only salt marsh-focused effort funded nationally in the cohort.
The award supports both the development of more climate-resilient salt marsh plants, as well as new capacity for coastal restoration in Georgia — an effort that aligns closely with GT²’s mission to connect research, innovation, and community needs to address critical environmental and community challenges.
Healthy Coasts
Salt marshes are among Georgia’s most important natural resources, helping buffer communities from storms, support fisheries, and sustain coastal economies. Yet the state currently lacks a reliable source of salt marsh seedlings needed for large-scale restoration.
The funded project addresses that gap by advancing the production of hardier marsh plants and laying the groundwork for a broader restoration economy.
“The opportunity here is to build something that doesn’t currently exist in Georgia — a scalable, science-driven supply of salt marsh plants for safer, healthier coastal communities and ecosystems,” Kostka says. “By combining biotechnology, ecology, and partnerships across the region, we are accelerating coastal resilience while supporting long-term environmental and economic benefits.”
Kostka will work with project co-researchers Else-Marie Ulrika Egertsdotter (Georgia Tech Renewable Bioproducts Institute) and Caitlin Petro (Georgia Tech Biological Sciences), Heather Joesting (Georgia Southern University), Emily Coffey and Lauren Eserman-Campbell (Atlanta Botanical Garden), and Sydney Williams (University of Georgia and Georgia Sea Grant) — along with several anticipated regional partners, including University of Georgia Marine Institute, GA/SC/NC Departments of Natural Resources, Southeastern Plant Conservation Alliance, and Bald Head Island Conservancy.
The team will create a “Climate-Ready Spartina Toolkit” with automated plant tissue culture, AI-based screening tools, a culture collection that serves as probiotics for plants, a seed bank and library of preserved plant materials, step-by-step instructions for successful growing, and ready for regional deployment.
The project also continues the evolution of Kostka’s collaborative research Egertsdotter and the Georgia Tech Renewable Bioproducts Institute. “RBI shares the goal of using biotechnology to produce climate-resilient plants that benefit society,” Kostka says. “Their expertise in plant tissue culture and automation make this work possible. It also is a great example of collaboration between GT Sciences and Engineering — the automation of plant tissue culture was developed by mechanical engineers in RBI.”
Regional Resilience
The new award builds on growing momentum for Georgia Tech for Georgia’s Tomorrow and its expanding network of collaborators focused on coastal resilience. Based in the College of Sciences, GT² is designed to align discovery science with technological innovation and data-driven tools to deliver practical solutions for communities across the state.
In April, GT² launched a formal research fund and partnership with the Bald Head Island Conservancy (BHIC), connecting Georgia Tech researchers with BHIC’s Johnston Center for Coastal Sustainability in North Carolina to advance shared work in coastal sustainability, ecosystem health, and environmental resilience.
The partnership combines BHIC’s applied, field-based conservation work with Georgia Tech’s strengths in technological innovation and data analysis, creating new opportunities for graduate research, community engagement, and real-world implementation.
Better Together
These “all hands on deck” approaches reflect a broader strategy to scale tangible solutions across regional ecosystems by connecting researchers and partners with community stakeholders.
“Together, we hope these projects will demonstrate that genetic rescue is a powerful lever for the blue carbon ecosystems that underpin both ecological and human communities in the face of climate change,” said Liv Liberman, Director of Ocean and Climate at Revive & Restore and program manager for the Climate Resilience Fund.
The efforts reflect GT²’s goal of creating pathways from research to implementation, working across sectors to deliver measurable outcomes for the southeastern environment and its communities.
“This award recognizes the kind of integrated, real-world research that GT² is built to deliver,” says Kostka. “We’re bringing together researchers, agencies, and community partners to move from science to scalable solutions — especially along southeastern coasts, where the need is urgent and the opportunities are significant.”
###
About Georgia Tech for Georgia’s Tomorrow
Georgia Tech for Georgia’s Tomorrow (GT²) is a College of Sciences–based initiative that connects discovery science, innovation, and partnerships to address pressing challenges in environmental and community resilience across Georgia. The initiative works with state agencies, industry, non-profits, and local communities to develop solutions that improve quality of life and strengthen the state’s future.
About Revive & Restore
Revive & Restore is a nonprofit conservation organization that develops and promotes genetic rescue technologies to protect and restore endangered and extinct species. Founded in 2012 by Stewart Brand and Ryan Phelan, the organization works across birds, mammals, coral, and marine ecosystems to demonstrate that biotechnology is an essential tool in the conservation toolkit.
Five Georgia Tech students have been awarded Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Globalink Research Internships, which support U.S. undergraduates pursuing advanced summer research at universities across Canada. This year’s cohort, including Alysa Jordan, Syona Gupta, Samuel Woolsey, Swathi Mugundu Pradeep, and Nidhi Shenoy will contribute to projects spanning neurodevelopment, renewable energy, hydrogen storage, carbon sequestration, and more.
Together, they reflect Georgia Tech’s deep commitment to undergraduate research, global engagement, and addressing some of the world’s most pressing scientific and environmental challenges.
From the College of Sciences:
Alysa Jordan
This summer, Alysa Jordan will join the Seib Laboratory at the University of Prince Edward Island to study how maternal antibiotic exposure affects the gut microbiome, placenta, and ultimately fetal neurodevelopment. A neuroscience major, her work integrates immunohistochemistry to identify structural changes in maternal and fetal brain tissue, as well as mass spectrometry to analyze how antibiotics alter the availability of key metabolites. Jordan hopes her research will contribute to a deeper understanding of prenatal health and early developmental outcomes.
“Go after what you’re interested in,” she said, advising future applicants, “and lean on the resources provided by Georgia Tech and the Prestigious Fellowships office.”
Nidhi Shenoy
Biochemistry student Nidhi Shenoy will be conducting her research at Dalhousie University Medical School in Saint John, New Brunswick. She will investigate how transcription factor E3 (TFE3) promotes cellular waste clearance to support mitochondrial and lysosomal health in heart cells under obesity and diabetes. Her work aims to identify targetable pathways to improve cardiac metabolism, survival, and function.
Shenoy expressed how closely the opportunity aligns with both her personal interests and professional goals.
“As someone who loves to travel around the world,” she said, “this opportunity is incredibly exciting and valuable as I can experience research and professional workplace environments globally. International education and experience are so integral to shaping who I am.”
This month, nineteen Georgia Tech faculty and researchers were honored by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG) with 2026 Regents’ Awards. These distinctions, awards, and reappointments recognize excellence in teaching, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship across the USG.
The recipients were approved during the University System of Georgia’s 2026 awards cycle, recognizing individuals whose sustained contributions have made a significant impact on their fields, their students, and the broader research and education community.
This cohort includes faculty who represent all six schools across the College of Sciences.
2026 Regents’ Award Recipients and First Renewals
College of Sciences
- Randall Engle, School of Psychology (Regents’ Professor)
- Thomas Orlando, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and School of Physics (Regents’ Professor Renewal)
- Rafael L. Bras, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Regents’ Professor Renewal)
(Joint with College of Engineering)
- Santosh Vempala, School of Computer Science with courtesy appointments in Mathematics and Industrial and Systems Engineering (Regents’ Professor)
(Joint with College of Computing and College of Engineering)
College of Sciences second renewal approved by Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera:
- Jeffrey Skolnick, School of Biological Sciences
View all nineteen recipients across the Institute here.
About the Regents’ Awards
The Regents’ Awards are among the University System of Georgia’s highest honors, recognizing sustained excellence, national distinction, and long-term impact by faculty and researchers across the state’s public institutions.
Pages
