Federal Grant Award Summary

Reinhardt University received a $332,976 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (Biological Sciences program, CFDA 47.074) effective June 15, 2026, through May 31, 2029. The award supports research investigating metalloregulatory transcription factors in Thermus thermophilus HB8, an extremophile bacterium. The project will characterize the gene regulatory properties (regulons) of metal-sensing transcription factors to elucidate how thermophilic organisms respond to fluctuating metal ion concentrations. Research outputs include identification and characterization of previously unknown gene regulatory networks in thermophilic metalloregulatory transcription factors, which will advance fundamental understanding of biological stress-response mechanisms and inform potential biosensor engineering applications.

The project integrates workforce development as a core deliverable, providing undergraduate students at this primarily undergraduate institution in rural Georgia with hands-on training and experience in DNA-protein biology, microbiological techniques, and bioinformatics. By conducting research at Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia, the award directly supports student skill development in biotechnology-relevant competencies while producing novel scientific knowledge in an understudied area of thermophilic biology. The research addresses fundamental questions about how organisms sense environmental stressors and mount appropriate genomic responses.