Princeton Engineering Awards $3 Million in Innovation Grants to Advance AI, Bioengineering, and Sustainable Materials

Innovation Funds Propel Advances in AI, Bioengineering, and Materials Science

Researchers in Princeton Engineering are integrating chemical engineering, materials science, and computational methods to develop crystalline materials that could reduce pollution and create sustainable cement alternatives. In bioengineering, efforts focus on understanding how dormant bacteria evade antibiotics, contributing to persistent infections. These projects are part of 21 initiatives receiving over $3 million in innovation grants from the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Since 2008, these innovation grants have supported faculty research that tackles critical challenges in technology, health, and the environment. Often, these seed funds lead to larger external grants. The funding comes from Princeton’s endowment and gifts dedicated to engineering initiatives.

Addy Fund for Excellence in Engineering

Established in 2017 by Lydia B. Addy and William M. Addy (Class of 1982), this fund supports projects such as:

Reza Moini, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, is working on engineering compliance into brittle concrete to create “soft” hard materials. This project is also backed by Project X.
Alejandro Rodriguez, professor of electrical and computer engineering, is exploring optimal photonic communication to push the limits of optical information processing, with additional support from the Katzson Fund and an anonymous donor.
Dhruv Shah, visiting research scholar in electrical and computer engineering, studies robotics data flows through epistemic scaling curves.

Image: Assistant Professor Reza Moini with Ph.D. student Shashank Gupta showcasing bone-inspired concrete designs.

J. Insley Blair Pyne Fund

This fund honors physics and electrical engineering professor and Princeton alumnus J. Insley Blair Pyne. It supports research bridging engineering and neuroscience. Recent recipients include:

Amir Ali Ahmadi and Pravesh Kothari working on AI-assisted algebraic proof systems with engineering applications. This project also receives backing from the James Mi ’91 Research Innovation Fund for Data Science and the Yang Family Fund.
Jonathan Cohen, Tom Griffiths, and Margaret Martonosi investigating quantum models of perception, decision-making, and control.
Kenneth Norman and Peter Ramadge studying neural mechanisms of how prior knowledge promotes new learning using OPM-MEG technology.

Image: Professor Amir Ali Ahmadi teaching "Computing and Optimization for the Physical and Social Sciences."

Helen Shipley Hunt Fund

Established by Helen Shipley Hunt, a 1971 mathematics master’s graduate from Princeton, this fund supports applied engineering research. Current projects include:

Christine Allen-Blanchette and Alison Ferris developing a data-driven framework to accelerate sustainable aviation fuel design.
Mark Brynildsen investigating vulnerabilities of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to improve antibiotic treatments; also supported by the O’Brien Family Health Research Fund.
Navroz Dubash and Anu Ramaswami working to democratize zero-carbon modeling for metropolitan policy actors in New Jersey and urban regions in the Global South.
Yasaman Ghasempour creating accurate and computationally efficient digital twins for wireless networks beyond 6G.
Rodney D. Priestley, dean of the Graduate School, developing hydrophobic self-hardening hydrogels to improve infrastructure durability and safety.

Image: Researchers Néhémie Guillomaitre and Xiaohui Xu with recyclable hydrogel samples from Professor Rodney Priestley’s team.

Project X Fund

Project X supports exploratory research encouraging creativity and risk-taking. Funded projects include:

Joshua Atkinson and Jürgen Hackl developing biosensor-enhanced digital twins for water quality management.
Luc Deike and Martin Wühr studying the physics behind electrospray ionization to improve mass spectrometry sensitivity.
Ning Lin and Michael Oppenheimer designing adaptive flood protection systems for climate adaptation.
Marcella Lusardi, Andrew Rosen, and Claire White combining experimental and computational methods to accelerate zeolite discovery.
Aditya Sood pursuing on-chip photo-switches for ultrafast electrical stimulation.

Additional Engineering Research Funds

Princeton’s DeCenter supported Maria Apostolaki on routing security for Ethereum and Andrés Monroy-Hernández and Janet Vertesi on designing decentralized community-owned food delivery platforms.
Yiguang Ju received anonymous funding for plasma-assisted catalytic decomposition of N2O from ammonia oxidation.
Andrew Rosen earned support from the Wilke Fund for Innovation for democratizing computational discovery of clean energy materials.
David Wentzlaff is advancing work on a nuanced understanding of Moore’s Law, supported by the Samberg Family Fund for Innovative Engineering.

These grants foster cross-disciplinary projects that address pressing challenges across health, environment, and technology. For professionals interested in AI and engineering innovation, exploring related educational resources can enhance expertise. Visit Complete AI Training’s latest AI courses for further opportunities in this field.