iCubed

Triplett focuses on the development and integration of nanomaterials and their applications in biomedical, energy, and physical science. His research team captures signal transduction mechanisms in real time, specifically interactions between amino acid functional groups of proteins with donor molecules and protein kinase using photonic technology integration.

Verrelli specializes in evolutionary genetics as applied to human health and the environment, with research interests in urban impacts on local and global scales; mental health across diverse populations; and the intersection of humans and conservation of biodiversity. He also directs the campus-wide research and graduate program initiatives for VCU Life Sciences including the Integrative Life Sciences Doctoral Program.

Fong's research involves identifying and addressing local sustainability issues through an interdisciplinary approach combining technology and socio-economic factors. Collaborative projects have included the design and construction of green walls, an urban heat island study in Richmond, and development of an air quality monitoring network.

Abdelwahed teaches and conducts research in the area of computer engineering, with specific interests in autonomic computing, cyber-physical systems, formal verification and cyber-security. He has pioneered work on model-based design of autonomic computing systems and self-managing systems using control-theoretic techniques and model-integrated computing concepts. He has more than 140 publications and is a senior member of the IEEE.

Dr. Youngmi Kim, associate professor, focuses on the dynamics of economic deprivation and development of effective anti-poverty strategies, with particular emphasis on assets and financial hardship (notably food insecurity). Her research identifies complicated mechanisms of the “new-poor”, distinguished from the traditional income-poor, and the natures of cumulative risks of poverty on well-being of family and children. She completed her Ph.D. at the Brown School of Social Work of Washington University in St. Louis.

Dyer is a landscape geneticist whose research focuses on understanding how the physical configuration of human modified and natural landscapes influence the genetic connectivity of both plant and animal species. He also is the Director of Environmental Studies, a Chartered Research Center at VCU with 15 faculty, 250 undergraduates, and 30 graduate students.

Jones' research examines the intersection of urban food system development, local governance, and the challenges facing America’s postindustrial cities in a globalizing world. He sees expanding urban food entrepreneurship as one way to erode the poverty that underpins problems of the food insecurity and inaccessibility.  John draws upon his practitioner experience in government and politics at the local and state levels in Ohio and New Jersey to inform his research.

Diallo's doctoral research focused on the management of infectious diseases through healthcare providers’ prescribing behaviors and exploring alternative approach to support a faster, cheaper and more precise technology to detected infectious pathogens at the point-of-need. As a nurse scientist and former clinical and translational post-doctoral fellow at the NIH, Diallo will focus on community-based research around food insecurity, nutritional behaviors, genetic ancestry and management of chronic diseases.

David Berdish is passionately pursuing his second career as the Executive in Residence at the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics enabling student success and delivering equitable supply chains and sustainable logistics and distribution. A retired executive of Ford Motor Company, he designed and was responsible for the Ford Global Human Rights Code of Working Conditions, Community Impact Assessments, Sustainable Mobility, and the Water Strategy. David supports projects devoted to providing health and food access to the poor and leads Venture Fuel, LLC, a company he founded to support women farmers and businesses with non-traditional logistics solutions to provide access to the poor and underserved communities in South Africa, Zambia, and Kenya.

Dr. Arcan is a nutrition and behavioral epidemiologist with a research focus on assessing personal, behavioral, and environmental factors that contribute to dietary intake, excess weight gain, and chronic disease especially among underserved populations. Dr. Arcan conducted numerous observational and nutrition intervention studies applying community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles among various ethnically and racially diverse populations including African American, Native American, Somali, Latino, and Hmong and in settings such as homes, food stores, schools, and communities.

Dr. Waters serves as Associate Director for the Virginia Geriatric Education Center's Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP), which funds initiatives for core team members. Dr. Waters' research interests include geriatrics workforce development, geriatrics education, health promotion, and wellness.

McDougal’s primary area of research is program evaluation, project impact and the impact of violent crime on youth and community development. Her research involves working with service-based organizations, policy makers and law enforcement agencies to evaluate the efficacy of programs offered to residents in communities that suffer many of the negative consequences resulting from high levels of crime, specifically violent crime.