FAS faculty members are invited to submit proposals for funding in support of interdisciplinary research endeavors that involve computing and data science. Projects should include a minimum of two FAS faculty members from two FAS disciplines.
Eligibility: FAS faculty members. Faculty members who are on Leave without Pay for more than one semester during the grant award period will not be eligible for funding. Each faculty member may submit only one proposal as a Principal Investigator for only one of the calls listed under 1. General and Interdisciplinary Opportunities and 2. Mamdouha El-Sayed Bobst FAS Deanship Fund.
Budget: Up to $7,500
Application materials: Apply online. Please upload in a single PDF file: 1. Proposal including abstract (no more than 200 words), description of the proposed activity and the expected outcomes (no more than 1000 words), information on collaborator(s), detailed budget and budget narrative (indicating the anticipated use of the requested funds and all funds sought or secured from internal and external sources), and timeline; and 2. Official correspondence from external institutions, when available.
Application deadline: October 1; March 15
Contact: [email protected]
2025-26
Regulation of an essential anti-Plasmodium immune signaling pathway in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae
Mike Osta, Department of Biology
Rida Assaf, Department of Computer Science
The Imd (immune-deficiency) signaling pathway is essential for Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes to resist infections with bacteria and malaria parasites by controlling the expression of several genes including those encoding antimicrobial peptides. Rel2-F, the transcription factor controlling the transcriptional output of the pathway, undergoes transient activation cleavage in mosquito immune tissues few hours after bacterial infections. Interestingly, recent studies from our lab identified the C-type lectin 4 (CTL4) as an essential regulator of Imd pathway temporal activation since silencing CTL4 resulted in a strong, sustained activation cleavage of Rel2-F up to 72 hpi. This crosstalk between C-type lectins and Imd pathway regulation is novel and has not been described before. Here, we propose to perform whole transcriptome sequencing (RNAseq) of Anopheles gambiae fat body immune tissue to provide conclusive evidence that the sustained activation of Rel2-F in CTL4-silenced mosquitoes at 72 hpi is indeed paralleled with increased transcriptional output of the Imd pathway. Expertise from the Department of Computer Science will be required to analyze the 192 Gb of sequences that will be generated from RNAseq to characterize the clustering of the different sample transcriptomes, identify differentially regulated genes between the different experimental samples, perform gene ontology enrichment analysis and identify Imd pathway-specific gene signatures.
- RESTOR 2: REflectance-based smart Sensor for the resTOration of aRtworks: from design to implementation
Antoine Ghauch, Department of Chemistry
Rida Assaf, Department of Computer Science
The enhancement of spectroscopic methods for sensing applications across various domains, from environmental to forensic fields, has long been of interest to the scientific community. In this context, we have designed and implemented a diffuse reflectance device, successfully tested on paint samples provided by the Beirut Museum of Art (BeMA) as part of a collaborative project initiated in 2022. Several configurations of reflectance probes were evaluated, including bifurcated optical fibers and separate irradiance-collection optical fibers. The results demonstrated the superior performance of separate optical fibers in improving sensitivity while ensuring excellent reproducibility, aided by the use of a 3D adjustable stage specifically adapted for reflectance measurements.
While further optimization of the device is possible, the current setup allows for satisfactory analyses, paving the way for the creation of a reference library from standard samples. This library will comprise spot tests for various paints used by art restoration specialists. The data will be digitized into an innovative software platform designed to identify the color components of artworks using the standard paints adopted by BeMA.
In addition to the chemistry involved in analyzing paint composition, the expertise of the computer science department is crucial for developing this software. To make the reflectance measurement data actionable, a calibration process is required to recommend the optimal combination of pigments for color restoration. Furthermore, the software will feature a user-friendly interface to facilitate easy characterization of color components during artwork restoration.