Purdue University has received a National Science Foundation grant to establish the Regional Resilience Innovation Incubator (R2I2): Midwest Agrivoltaics for Resilient Communities. This initiative aims to help rural Midwest communities withstand extreme weather by integrating agriculture with solar energy systems. The Phase 1 award positions Purdue to compete for up to $15 million in Phase 2 funding.

Dr. Ximena E. Bernal, a professor in Purdue University’s Department of Biological Sciences, and faculty affiliate of the Purdue Institute for a Sustainable Future, has co-authored a new study which has uncovered how young fringe-lipped bats (Trachops cirrhosis) learn to identify and hunt prey—not through instinct, but by listening, learning the mating calls of their prey, and observing mature bats.

As many of you know, after 15 years at Purdue as associate dean for research, dean, and executive vice president for research, I will be retiring on June 30.

Five Purdue faculty members have been named 2025 recipients of the Kinley Award.  This year’s awardees are: Natasha Jaiswal (health and kinesiology), Noori Kim (engineering technology), and Kristine Marceau (human development and family sciences), Eric Waltenburg (political science), and Xiang Zhou (educational studies).

The Office of Research recently announced 31 faculty awardees from the 2024-26 round of Purdue’s Laboratory and University Core Facility Research Equipment Program – Type I.

Each month, we profile stories of groundbreaking research conducted by teams across Purdue, and this month is no different. But our researchers not only advance science and technology, they also contribute to public awareness of critical topics.

The Office of Research is again offering speaker workshops to interested faculty as part of the Purdue Research Speakers Initiative.

At Purdue, we take great pride in the excellence of our research community. One of the highlights of my role is recognizing the passion, creative problem solving and intellectual curiosity of Purdue’s world class research faculty and their contributions.

During 2025, new modules and key functionality advancements are being introduced. In March, the institutional biosafety committee (IBC) module went live in PERA, and this summer the already-launched agreements module will gain new functionality to support some research security and export control activities.

Starting in April, the Office of Industry Partnerships will offer a series of workshops focused on building successful research collaborations with corporate sponsors. These workshops will help faculty identify the right corporate partners and explore building and growing effective partnerships.

In this update, we are proud to share a wealth of examples of Purdue faculty members earning prestigious recognitions for their work. These are tangible evidence of the excellence in academics and research for which Purdue faculty are known nationally and worldwide.

Through the One Health initiative, Purdue researchers, in collaboration with industry partners, are taking advantage of similarities and dependencies among human, animal and plant sciences to address complex global health challenges. Purdue and Indiana businesses lead in innovation in plant and animal agriculture, human health and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Supported by a spirit of collaboration, our work impacts the health or our nation.