Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Biological Infrastructure awarded Chatham University a $234,805 Project Grant effective August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2029, under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074). This collaborative research initiative will develop computational methods and statistical frameworks designed to enable efficient analysis of high-dimensional biological data—datasets containing substantially more variables than observations—commonly encountered in ecology and evolutionary biology research. The project addresses a critical gap between rapid advances in data collection technologies (generating hundreds or thousands of variables per research subject) and the computational limitations of existing statistical analysis methods, which require exponentially increasing computer memory and processing time as data volume grows.

The award will deliver two primary research outputs: first, development of a compressed likelihood strategy to calculate linear model likelihoods for high-dimensional data by identifying robust lower-dimensional matrix determinants consistent with higher-dimensional estimates; and second, creation of recursive algorithms to further reduce computational burden. Additionally, the project will produce open-source software tools and foster human capital development through mentorship, training opportunities, and workshops designed to disseminate advanced statistical techniques to the scientific community. These deliverables directly support NSF's priorities in artificial intelligence and advance analytical capabilities for researchers working with genomic, proteomic, and other high-dimensional biological datasets.