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Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards

Our commitment to enriching the research skills and professional growth of young faculty members at ORAU member institutions is embodied in the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards Program. These competitive research awards provide seed money for junior faculty members that often result in additional funding from other sources. The award amount provided by ORAU is $5,000. The applicant’s institution is required to match the award with at least an additional $5,000. This grant has a duration of one year, running from July 1 to June 30, with award notifications issued in early June.

Eligibility for the Powe Awards is open to full-time assistant professors at ORAU member institutions within two years of their tenure track appointment at the time of application. If there is a question about eligibility, your ORAU Councilor makes the final determination. Only two nominations are allowed per institution.

Research must fall within one of these five disciplines:

  • Engineering and Applied Science
  • Life Sciences
  • Mathematics/Computer Sciences
  • Physical Sciences
  • Policy, Management, or Education

Junior faculty members interested in applying should consult their ORAU Councilor, and visit the frequently asked questions.

The application period closed on January 7, 2026.

Impact Areas

Interested in being a reviewer for this year’s Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards process? Complete this brief contact form, including your specific area of expertise, and someone will be in contact with you.

Interested in being a Powe reviewer graphic

FY2026 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award Winners

Award Recipient Member Institution
Feng Ye Clemson University
Hannah Postel Duke University
Jingyuan Zhang East Tennessee State University
Yikuan Li George Mason University
Adrian Ildefonso Indiana University Bloomington
Jiayi Tong Johns Hopkins University (Sponsored by Temple University)
Hongtao Zhong Michigan State University
Amna Mazen Michigan Technological University
Hunter Schroer Missouri University of Science and Technology
Rohith Mittapally North Carolina State University
Andrew Katumwehe Oklahoma State University
Siddhartha Roy Rutgers University
Jonathan Hibshman Southern Methodist University
Jacqueline Giovanniello Temple University
Jiho Shin Texas A&M University
Bariscan Yonel University at Albany
Lu Li University at Albany
Brian Kim University of Arizona
Han Zhao University of Central Florida
Juntao Huang University of Delaware 
Wenjin Zhao University of Delaware
Alexandra Long University of Kentucky
Daniel Gustavo Suarez Forero University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Tyler Huycke University of Michigan
Jeremy Moon University of Nevada, Reno
Ruocun Wang University of North Texas
Chang Wang University of Oklahoma
Tatsuya Sakurahara University of Pittsburgh 
Chelsea Jimenez University of South Carolina
Lucas Griffin University of South Florida
Kaden Stevens University of Southern Mississippi
Jacob Suissa University of Tennessee
Elena Maria Zannoni University of Texas at Austin
Jeeseop Kim University of Texas at El Paso
Nicholas Landry University of Virginia 
Shiran Shen Washington University in St. Louis

Powe Award recipient: Oana Andreea Cojocaru, Ph.D.

Oana Andreea Cojocaru, Ph.D., (pictured right) an assistant professor of chemistry at Tennessee Technological University, received a Powe Award in 2025 for research to lay the groundwork for creating new liquid medications for Parkinson's disease. The approach involved combining an existing drug, trihexyphenidyl, with special chemical components to create advanced liquid forms called ionic liquids (ILs) and double salt ionic liquids (DSILs). The goal was to develop liquid medicines that could serve multiple purposes, be absorbed through the skin more effectively, and gather early-stage data to support future research funding.

Powe Award recipient: Oana Andreea Cojocaru, Ph.D.

Powe Award recipient: Sunghee Estelle Park, Ph.D.

Sunghee Estelle Park is an assistant professor of biomedical engineering and 2025 Powe Award recipient from the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University. Park led a team of graduate students who developed a microengineered gut assembloid-on-a-chip platform that enables controlled assembly and culture of human intestinal tissues. This system allows researchers to build and maintain gut tissues over time while precisely controlling the chemical signals they are exposed to. This breakthrough provides a way to study how different parts of the gut interact, something that isn't possible with traditional lab-grown tissue methods.

Powe Award recipient: Sunghee Estelle Park, Ph.D.

ORAU supports augmented reality technology for improved breast biopsy effectiveness

ORAU supports research aiming to revolutionize breast biopsies, making them more accurate and less invasive with augmented reality. Recipient of the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, Alycen Wiacek leads a team at Oakland University that focuses on improving breast biopsy precision by integrating AR into medical imaging.

Read the blog post

ORAU supports augmented reality technology for improved breast biopsy effectiveness

Contact us

For more information about the Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards, please email poweawards@orau.org.