Ten Faculty Named Provost Seed Fellows for Interdisciplinary Research

“Aligned with our land grant mission, the research carried out by N.C. A&T faculty is designed to make a meaningful, intentional impact on our local community, the state, and the broader world,” said Catherine Edmonds, Ed.D., interim provost and executive vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. “The seed funding empowers faculty to excel in their fields and solve complex challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. We’re thrilled to witness how this investment not only supports innovation and individual faculty success but also elevates the university, fostering transformative solutions that enhance the human condition.”

Proposals for the fellowship were crafted to address one or more of the seven dynamic focus areas outlined in Preeminence 2030: North Carolina A&T Blueprint, demanding cross-college collaboration. These focus areas — health, transportation and housing equity; education and lifelong learning; economic empowerment; climate and environment; security, equal benefits and social justice; narrative empowerment; and innovative systems design and development — are at the heart of tackling real-world challenges. Proposals also have a requirement for integrating artificial intelligence into research, which underscores the program’s commitment to future-ready innovation and amplifying the university’s impact across disciplines.

By setting ambitious goals and forward-thinking strategies, Preeminence 2030 is fueling A&T’s research momentum and strengthening its mission. With this initiative, A&T is positioned to expand its research footprint, striving to reach and sustain Research 1: Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production under the Carnegie Classification. This progress not only elevates the university’s reputation but also drives meaningful change and innovation that resonates within the campus, community and beyond.

The 2025 Provost’s Faculty Fellows include collaborations among assistant, associate and full professors across schools and departments campus wide. These projects were selected from a competitive pool of proposals:

• Procurement-Stage Cost Risk Modeling for Public Infrastructure Projects Using Interpretable AI: Hyosoo Moon, Ph.D., assistant professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering (COE), principal investigator (PI), and Laquanda Johnson, Ph.D., associate professor of supply chain management, Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics, co-PI
• AI-Supported Scholarly Inquiry and Synthesis Training (ASSIST): Shona Morgan, Ph.D., professor of operations and supply chain management, Deese College, PI, and Lauren Davis, Ph.D., professor of industrial engineering, COE, co-PI
• AI-Powered Geospatial Modeling and Community-Engaged Risk Assessment of Environmental Pollutants in North Carolina: Cephas Naanwaab, Ph.D., associate professor of economics, Deese College, PI, and Shuang Li, assistant professor of sociology, James. R. and Kathy R. Hairston College of Health and Human Sciences, co-PI
• Strain and Collective Engagement: Multi-Level Pathways from Perceived Inequity to Social Action: Porche’ Okafor, Ph.D., assistant professor of criminal justice, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS), PI, and Jenny Afkinich, Ph.D., assistant professor of social work, Hairston College, co-PI
• Preparing for Competitive External Funding: Preliminary Research to Support the Center for Digital Humanities and Health Equity Research: Flourice Richardson, Ph.D., assistant professor and associate Department of English chair, CAHSS, PI, and Joy Kennedy, Ph.D., assistant professor of speech pathology, Hairston College, co-PI
• Counseling Athletes to Live Mindfully (CALM) via AI-Guided and Human-Guided Feedback: A Preliminary Investigation: Daniel Webb, Ph.D., associate professor of kinesiology, Hairston College, PI, and Tammy T. Webb, Ph.D., associate professor of counseling, College of Education (COEd), co-PI
• AI-Guided Rehabilitation Task Optimization for Upper-Limb Mobility Impairment: Yimesker Yihun, Ph.D., Ford Motor Company Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, COE, PI, and Daniel Webb, co-PI
• AI-Enhanced Multiscale Mapping of Neurovascular–Immune Microenvironments in Alzheimer’s Disease Using Expansion Light-Sheet Microscopy and Expanded Imaging Mass Cytometry: Yeoheung Yun, Ph.D., professor of bioengineering, COE, PI, and Seongtae Kim, Ph.D., associate professor of statistics, College of Science and Technology, co-PI
• AI-Powered, Portable Multilingual Health Literacy Program: Ayesha Coleman Swinton, Ph.D., assistant professor of elementary education, COEd, PI, and Tiffany Morris, DNP, director and Clara Adams Ender Endowed Associate Professor for the School of Nursing, Hairston College, co-PI
• From Borrowed Standards to Embodied Leadership: Beauty, Self-Leadership, and Allomothering in Black Women’s Pedagogical Practice: Ayisha Zakia Jefferson, Ph.D., assistant professor of English, CAHSS, PI, and Titilayo Evans, Ph.D., director of student services, School of Nursing, Hairston College, co-PI