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 is a one-year grant (July 1 to June 30).

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 8, 2025.

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

FY2025 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award Winners

Award Recipient	Member Institution
Pan He	Auburn University
Katherine Rush	Auburn University
Wesley Chang	Drexel University
Yan Zeng	Florida State University
Hui Leung	Indiana University Bloomington
Jiahui Shen	Indiana University Bloomington
Chenshu Liu	Lehigh University
Kaixiong Zhou	North Carolina State University
Veronica Roman-Reyna	Penn State University
Sunghee Park	Purdue University
Yonglong Xie	Rice University
Oana Cojocaru	Tennessee Technological University
Samson Zhou	Texas A&M University
Eung-Joo Lee	University of Arizona
Yannick Salamin \| News Feature	University of Central Florida
Benjamin Yavitt	University of Cincinnati
Stephanie Cone	University of Delaware
Lihong Zhao	University of Houston
Abby South	University of Louisiana at Lafayette (Sponsored by Oakland University)
Geoffrey Diederich	University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Anhar Bhuiyan	University of Massachusetts Lowell
Daniel Afosah	University of North Texas
Shuozhi Xu	University of Oklahoma
Elizabeth Zumpe	University of Oklahoma
Deanna Ibrahim	University of Pittsburgh
Richard Walker	University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Poulami Das	University of Texas at Austin
Nicholas Hunter-Jones	University of Texas at Austin
Laisuo Su	University of Texas at Dallas
Katja Kasimatis	University of Virginia
Md Shirajum Munir	University of West Georgia
Ziyu Wang	Utah State University
Fabio Gomes	Virginia Commonwealth University
Charity Scott	Virginia Commonwealth University
Sweta Agrawal	Virginia Tech
Cong Su	Yale University

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

Powe Award recipient: Daniel Becker, Ph.D.

Daniel Becker, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biology in the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma, received a Powe Award in 2023 for his continued research on bat migration in western Oklahoma. Becker is studying migratory Mexican free-tailed bats and the pathogens they might carry that are possible threats to human or wildlife health.

“There is a lot of an interest right now in what bats are doing and how wildlife health impacts human health,” Becker said. “It’s really great to have this kind of work recognized by a competitive pool and know that your research trajectory is going on a good path.

Contact us

For more information about the Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards, contact the University Partnerships office at (865) 576-6513 or PoweAwards@orau.org.