E-rise: embedded-NH: endeavor for multi-omics-based exploration, data-driven modeling, and education in NH

The National Science Foundation Office of Integrative Activities awarded the University of New Hampshire $5,999,362 on July 15, 2026, under the Integrative Activities program (CFDA 47.083) to establish a statewide research and workforce development initiative focused on tick ecology, disease transmission, and computational biology education across New Hampshire's public universities.

The project, EMBEDDED-NH, will investigate tick biology and microbiomes using genomics, develop predictive models of ecological and evolutionary dynamics across landscapes, and advance computational literacy in biology education through course-based and summer undergraduate research experiences. All activities involve student researchers, with the initiative directly impacting over 200 students. The work addresses New Hampshire's consistently high tick-borne disease incidence by leveraging existing research infrastructure funded by the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation while establishing a statewide network of researchers, educators, agency personnel, and private citizens.

The University of New Hampshire (a division of the University System of New Hampshire) is the prime recipient, with sub-recipient participation from Keene State College and Plymouth State University. The award period runs through June 30, 2030, with place of performance at Lee, New Hampshire. The project will enhance scientific capacity, strengthen state research infrastructure, and provide a sustainable model for multidisciplinary research and education in biotechnology, big data, and environmental science.

Abstract

Embedded-NH aims to establish a statewide research and workforce development program focused on the ecology of ticks, though a collaboration across the university of new hampshire, keene state college, and plymouth state university. Ticks play a critical role in ecosystems and human health as disease vectors, yet their interactions with environments, microbes, and observable traits remain poorly understood. Embedded-NH will address these gaps by: (1) investigating tick biology and microbiomes using cutting edge genomics, (2) developing predictive models regarding ecological and evolutionary dynamics across landscapes, and (3) advancing computational literacy in biology education. All activities will involve student researchers, immediately training the next generation of NH scientists. Embedded-NH is particularly relevant as NH consistently ranks among the top five states in tick-borne disease cases per capita. The project will leverage existing infrastructure, funded by the national institutes of health and the national science foundation. IT will enhance those efforts and foster a network of researchers, educators, agency personnel, and private citizens directed at advancing science statewide. Cutting-edge research and capacity improvements will be paired with education initiatives like course-based undergraduate research experiences (cures), and summer undergraduate research experiences (sures). The project will enhance scientific capacity; foster workforce development; address critical challenges in biotechnology, big data, and environmental science; directly impact 200+ students; strengthen NH?s scientific infrastructure; and provide a sustainable model for multidisciplinary research and education. Embedded-NH?s research goal is to understand fundamental interactions that drive tick biology by exploring interactions between genomes, environments, microbiomes, and phenotype as a mechanism to define the ecology and evolution of ticks in the state of new hampshire. The project will achieve its goal through two objectives: (1) to predict mechanistic associations among ticks, their hosts, microbiomes, and the environment through the application of ecological and evolutionary genomics and (2) to develop regionally specific functional models of the environment-host-tick-microbiome system that link back to pathogen carriage using advanced statistical modelling and machine learning. Embedded-NH will enhance training and increase retention by undertaking educational research directed towards understanding how life science students develop computation literacy and how to improve curriculum and pedagogy to reflect the findings. This will inform a model for workforce development in computational literacy and biological data centered on delivering a distributed consortium of course-based undergraduate research experiences (cures), and summer undergraduate research experiences (sures) across NH. These will be complemented by research fellowships in science communication at educational institutions, state agencies, and private wildlife centers statewide. By combining use-inspired basic science research with skills-directed research intensive classwork informed by pedagogical research, the project will prepare a competitive skilled science workforce in NH to meet current needs, and grow with technological advances. This project is supported by the epscor research infrastructure improvement program: epscor research incubators for stem excellence (e-rise). E-rise supports the development of sustainable research infrastructure and capacity in epscor jurisdictions through collaborative, hypothesis-driven, or problem-driven research and workforce development to improve competitiveness in selected stem fields. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.