Arts and Sciences Breaks Annual Research Funding Record

ATLANTA—Faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences brought in more than $42.4 million in external funding during fiscal year 2020 to support their research, a 30 percent increase over the previous year.

The sum sets a new record, surpassing the college's previous record of $33.8 million set in 2017.

Noteworthy grants included:

• $4 million for a project led by psychology researcher Vince Calhoun and his team to develop novel algorithms to study people with mood and psychosis disorders.
• $3.37 million awarded to gerontology researcher Candace Kemp and her team to research the best ways to help assisted living residents with dementia be optimally engaged in life.
• Nearly $3 million to support biology professor Han Shi’s investigation of the epigenetic mechanisms that may fuel obesity.
• $1.2 million granted to computer science researcher Xiaolin Hu and his collaborators to develop the use of drones in wildfire management.

Ten faculty members in the College of Arts $ Sciences attracted more than $1 million each, spanning a wide range of disciplines: Psychology, the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy, Chemistry, Computer Science, Physics & Astronomy, Gerontology, Biology and Applied Linguistics.

Across Georgia State University, faculty set an institutional record, earning $150.2 million in research funding in fiscal year 2020. This is the sixth year in a row that research awards have topped $100 million, and the first year awards have exceeded $150 million.