Federal Grant Award Summary

North Carolina State University received a $399,074 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Environmental Biology under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074), effective January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2030. This award supports the development of improved computational methods and tools for detecting natural selection in bacterial protein-coding genes. The project will advance beyond current methodologies that make overly simplistic assumptions about mutation effects by developing more sophisticated approaches to distinguish truly neutral mutations from beneficial or deleterious ones. Deliverables include enhanced datasets providing more accurate estimates of mutation effects on gene function and a new computational tool designed to more precisely estimate selective pressures acting on individual genes.

The research will enhance bacterial evolutionary understanding with direct applications to addressing antibiotic resistance and bacterial adaptation to new environments—critical challenges for human health, agriculture, and industry. Beyond the primary scientific outputs, the project includes broader impacts through delivery of a new computational tool to the research community that may facilitate biotechnology advances, as well as training opportunities for students in microbiology, sequencing technologies, and high-performance computing.