Showalter Trust adds four faculty honorees, funds 12 early career faculty

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Four Purdue professors were recently appointed Showalter Faculty Scholars. The addition of Leifu Chang, Bruno Roseguini, Jonathan Shannahan and Mohit Verma brings the number of funded Showalter scholars to 15 on the West Lafayette campus. The Showalter Trust also provided 12 early career faculty members with 2024 research grants.

The Ralph W. and Grace M. Showalter Research Trust annually provides funding to Purdue in support of scientific and medical research. In addition to selecting midcareer professionals as Showalter Faculty Scholars, in partnership with the University Faculty Scholars program, and providing one-year funding for early career professionals, the trust also supports two Showalter Distinguished Professors at Purdue, Charles Bouman and Kinam Park.

2024 Showalter Faculty Scholars

Leifu Chang, associate professor of biological sciences, specializes in the mechanisms of large molecular machines, using a combination of cryo-electron microscopy and biochemical reconstitution. In recent years, his research has focused on protein-nucleic acid complexes involved in gene editing systems. His work is paving the way for the development of novel gene editing tools, with the potential to revolutionize genetic engineering and offer new treatments for genetic disorders.

Bruno Roseguini, associate professor of health and kinesiology, focuses on the therapeutic effects of heat therapy for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients. Through a series of mechanistic studies, Roseguini and his team demonstrated that leg heating promotes angiogenesis, reduces pain, improves muscle strength and enhances muscle recovery. Building on these findings, Dr. Roseguini and colleagues led a pioneering randomized clinical trial supported by the National Institute on Aging, which established the safety, tolerability and benefits of home-based heat therapy in PAD patients. Their work continues to push the boundaries of PAD therapy, including collaboration with Aquilo Sports Inc. on the development of a novel leg heat therapy system.

Jonathan Shannahan, associate professor of toxicology and health sciences, investigates mechanisms of drug delivery and safety of engineered nanomaterials for biomedical applications. His research utilizes cell culture models, animal models and human samples employing a variety of methods including molecular approaches and omics techniques. His contributions include 1) seminal examinations of nanoparticle-biomolecule interactions in disease settings, 2) development of integrated omics approaches to quantify mechanisms of toxicity, 3) elucidation of lipid-mediated inflammatory pathways facilitating susceptibility to nanoparticle exposure toxicity, 4) the initial toxicity assessment of aerosolized emissions from infrastructure repair procedures, and 5) examination of the oral health effects of alternative tobacco products.

Mohit Verma, assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering, is pioneering the development of innovative biosensors that are both low-cost and user-friendly. These biosensors incorporate most of their complexity within the device itself — such as preloaded reagents — minimizing the need for user expertise or extensive training. Verma is applying these cutting-edge technologies to a broad spectrum of One Health initiatives, addressing the interconnected health of animals, humans, plants and the environment. His work encompasses applications like monitoring bovine respiratory disease, combating zoonotic diseases (e.g. COVID-19, avian influenza), tackling the global African swine fever outbreak, detecting plant pathogens and assessing environmental risks to ensure food safety. These transformative technologies are not just theoretical; Dr. Verma ensures their real-world impact by seamlessly transitioning them to commercialization through his startup, Krishi Inc.

2024 Showalter Early Career Awards

The Ralph W. and Grace M. Showalter Research Trust has supported Purdue researchers for more than 40 years in priority research areas of environmental science; biochemistry and molecular biology; disease prevention, diagnosis, progression, treatment and control; new technologies for food production, preservation, distribution and safety; and medical and biophysical instrumentation.

One-year grants for early career faculty members are the centerpiece of Showalter funding at Purdue. This year, the 12 faculty members below each received $75,000 for the projects listed:

Qinglan Ding, assistant professor of nursing, “Machine learning for diabetes and pre-diabetes screening: Leveraging routinely collected health data and social and behavioral determinants of health.”

James Dooley, assistant professor of biological sciences, “Transiently expressed presynaptic serotonin receptors selectively inhibit sensory feedback in infants during wake but not sleep.”

Brandon Kistler, assistant professor of nutrition science, “The effects of replacing red meat with plant-based protein in a traditional low protein diet on microbially-derived uremic toxins in people with chronic kidney disease.”

Can Li, assistant professor of chemical engineering, “Analysis of Single-Cell RNA Datasets for Immune Stem Cells Using Large Language Models.”

Lauren Ann Metskas, assistant professor of biological sciences and chemistry, “Enzyme Scaffolding in Bacterial Microcompartments.”

Thivanka Muthumalage, assistant professor of health sciences, “THC-Derivatives-Containing Aerosols-Induced Pulmonary Toxicity and Disease Susceptibility.”

Valerie O’Brien, assistant professor of medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology, “Characterization and pharmacological targeting of epidermal growth factor receptor signaling during gastric pre-cancer.”

Yu She, assistant professor of industrial engineering, “Feeling the Difference: High-Resolution Tactile Mapping in Surgery.”

Deandrae Lynette Smith, assistant professor of food science, “Increasing Gut Fermentability of Insoluble Dietary Fiber in Corn Through Radiofrequency Processing.”

Sudip Vhaduri, assistant professor of computer and information technology, “Utilizing Acoustic Patterns of Seasonal Flu, Idiopathic, and Pathological Coughs to Enable Rapid and Differential Respiratory Disease Diagnosis.”

Weicang Wang, assistant professor of foods for life science, “Unveiling the functional role of the EpOMEs-JNK pathway in modulating obesity-induced hepatic inflammation.”

Chi Zhang, assistant professor of chemistry, “Controlling cell fate via site-specific molecular perturbation.”

Projects were chosen by the external Showalter Trust Selection Committee after review by an internal Purdue committee. More information about the current competition for the Showalter Trust early career grants program is available online.

Writer: Emily Stevenson, steve201@purdue.edu

Source: Emily Stevenson