Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Science Foundation's Division of Biological Infrastructure awarded $462,888 to the University of Georgia Research Foundation on October 1, 2026, under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) to establish a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site focused on Population Biology of Infectious Diseases. The award supports a three-year program (through September 30, 2029) that will train 10 undergraduate students annually for 10-week summer sessions, reaching a total of 30 students across the performance period. The REU Site provides immersive research training in infectious disease ecology through interdisciplinary mentorship, combining field-based, laboratory-based, mathematical, and computational approaches to investigate disease dynamics across multiple biological scales—from genes and cells to populations and ecosystems.

The program delivers structured educational and research activities including mentored research projects, student-led laboratory tours, research presentations, paper discussions, computational workshops, and a capstone research symposium. Students engage in all phases of research development with opportunities to present findings at professional scientific conferences and co-author peer-reviewed publications. The initiative aligns with NSF priorities in biotechnology and artificial intelligence while addressing contemporary threats posed by infectious diseases to human, livestock, wildlife, and crop health. Program effectiveness is assessed through the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment (URSSA) tool and specialized annual surveys conducted by program directors.