Zumberge Multi-School Interdisciplinary Research Awards provide seed funding for broad, collaborative research activities that are interdisciplinary and involve groups of faculty from multiple schools across USC. Successful proposals are led by faculty with strong records of previous research accomplishments. Interdisciplinary awards are intended for teams of such faculty who are preparing a proposal for an externally funded multi-investigator grant on the scale of an interdisciplinary center, training grant or program project award.
To be considered for this award, applications must (a) plan to apply to a specific externally-funded grant, (b) provide a realistic plan for sustained funding or support beyond the end of the award, and (c) demonstrate that a Zumberge award will make a difference in attracting further research support.
Large Research Grants: provide up to $85,000 in funding and are intended to support activities that take place over a one-year period.
Small Research Grants: provide up to $10,000 and are intended to support projects that typically last no more than three months.
| Deadline Large Grants: 5 pm, Monday, March 21, 2022 Deadline Small Grants: Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis. View the RFP for full proposal requirements. |
Nomination Submission
Nominations must be submitted via our Grant Portal.
For additional information or inquiries, please contact us at rii@usc.edu.
Previous Awardees
2015 – 2022
2022 Zumberge Interdisciplinary Awardees
Benjamin Graham, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences
Morteza Deghani, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Shrikanth Narayanan, Viterbi School of Engineering
Everyday Respect: Equity in Police Officer Communication During Traffic Stops
Julio Camarero, School of Pharmacy
William Stohl, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Lin Chen, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Therapeutic Targeting of BAFF Receptors in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
Rob McConnell, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Bhavna Sharma, School of Architecture
Howard Hu, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Paulina Oliva, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Health Care: Analysis of a Unique Data Archive and USC Case Study
2020 Zumberge Interdisciplinary Awardees
Clay Wang, School of Pharmacy
Travis Williams, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Development of a hybrid chemical and fungal based system to deconstruct and upcycle plastics into high-value chemicals
Lisa Pon, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Andreas Kratky, School of Cinematic Arts
Renaissance Hyperlinks: Pope Julius II’s Books amid Raphael’s Paintings
2019 Zumberge Interdisciplinary Awardees
Douglas Capone, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
William Leach, Sol Price School of Public Policy
Annotating, immortalizing, and domesticating ocean biodiversity
Rosa Di Felice, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Daniel Lidar, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Todd Brun, Viterbi School of Engineering
Jonathan Habif, Viterbi School of Engineering
Establishing a Multi-Disciplinary DoE or NSF Center of Excellence for Quantum Information Sciences (QIS) at USC
2019 Zumberge Interdisciplinary Small Awardees
Daniel Holschneider,Keck School of Medicine
Scott Kanoski, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Larissa Rodriguez, Keck School of Medicine
Role of Melanin-Concentrating Hormone in the Regulation of Micturition
Aiichiro Nakano, Viterbi School of Engineering
DARPA-SN-19-69 Special Notice on Microsystems Exploration Research and DOE Basic Research Initiative for Microelectronics
Pinghui feng, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC
Metabolic Reprogramming by Oncogenic KSHV
Lisa Pon, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Andreas Kratky, School of Cinematic Arts
DARPA-SN-19-69 Special Notice on Microsystems Exploration Research and DOE Basic Research
2018 Zumberge Interdisciplinary Awardees
Genevieve Dunton, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Adam Leventhal, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Antonio Damasio, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Affective Influences on Cancer Control Behaviors
2017 Zumberge Interdisciplinary Awardees
Paul Thompson, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Addressing the Power Failure in Big Data Brain Studies
Qifa Zhou, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Novel Focused Ultrasound (NFU) for Transscleral Drug Delivery
2016 Zumberge Interdisciplinary Awardees
David Agus, Keck School of Medicine
Andrea Armani, Viterbi School of Engineering
Shannon Mumenthaler, Keck School of Medicine
Patrick Maloney, USC Stevens Center for Innovation
Correlating physical and biochemical markers of cancer to aggressiveness
Douglas Capone, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Eva Kanso, Viterbi School of Engineering
Storage of pathogens in biofilms during drought and subsequent release upon rewetting
Vinay Duddalwar, Keck School of Medicine
Brent Liu, Viterbi School of Engineering
Decision Support for Diagnosis of Renal Masses
Genevieve Guiliano, Sol Price School of Public Policy
Marlon Boarnet, Sol Price School of Public Policy
Maged Dessouky, Viterbi School of Engineering
Petros Ioannou, Viterbi School of Engineering
University Transportation Centers Program
Sergey Nuzhdin, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Paul Marjoram, Keck School of Medicine
Travis Longcore, School of Architecture
Population Environmental Genomics of Crop Improvement
Carol Prescott, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Tara Gruenewald, School of Gerontology
Jack McArdle, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Resilience of Americans across the Lifecourse
2015 Zumberge Interdisciplinary Awardees
Christopher Haselwandter, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Ralf Langen, Keck School of Medicine
Regulation of Membrane Shape by α-Synuclein
Ana Erdreich-Epstein, Keck School of Medicine
Xiaojiang Chen, USC Dornsfie College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Structural and functional studies of PID1, a novel candidate tumor suppressor in brain cancer
Beth Fisher, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC
Lucinda Carver, Thornton School of Music
The Relation between Interhemispheric Inhibition and Musician’s Skill Level
2006 – 2014
2014
Henrike Moll, Psychology, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Elsi Kaiser, Linguistics, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Shrikanth Narayanan, Signal & Image Processing, Viterbi School of Engineering
Challenging Questions: Young Children’s Comprehension of Ambiguous Questions
Leana Golubchik, Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering
Jill McNitt-Gray, Human and Evolutionary Biology, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Fei Sha, Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering
Towards Data-Driven Human Performance with Applications to Personalized Intervention
Sarah Hamm-Alvarez, Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, USC School of Pharmacy
William Stohl, Medicine, Keck School of Medicine
Wendy Mack, Preventive Medicine – Biostatistics, Keck School of Medicine
Martin Heur, Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine
Development of a Tear Biomarker Panel for Sjögren’s Syndrome Diagnosis
2013
Donald Arnold, Molecular Biology, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
James Knowles, Psychiatry & The Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine
Neurogenomics of Brain and Sociality
Robert Chow, Physiology & Biophysics, Keck School of Medicine
Koping (Kirk) Shung, Medical Ultrasound Transducer Resource, Viterbi School of Engineering
Evaluating invasion potential of cancer cells with high-frequency ultrasound
Dana Goldman, Health Policy and Economics, Sol Price School of Public Policy
Nancy Staudt, Law, The School of Law
Developing the Pathways to Health Care Reform Initiative
Ching-Ling Lien, Pediatrics/Childrens Hospital, Keck School of Medicine
Qilong Ying, Cell & Neurobiology, Keck School of Medicine
Scott Fraser, Biological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Director of Science Initiatives, Office of the Provost
Genetically modified rats for regenerative medicine research in heart diseases
Valter Longo, Gerontology/Administration, Gerontology
Elizabeth Zelinski, Gerontology/Administration, Gerontology
Mara Mather, Gerontology/Administration, Gerontology
Howard Hodis, Medicine – Cardiovascular – ARU, Keck School of Medicine
Analysis of Cognitive and Cardiovascular Function in Growth Hormone Receptor Deficient (GHRD) humans
2012
Yigal Arens, Information Sciences Institute, Viterbi School of Engineering
Geoffrey Cowan, Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism
Mark Latonero, Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism
Developing information technology to disrupt human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children.
David Conti, Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC Sergey Nuzhdin, Molecular Biology, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Paul Thomas, Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC
USC Integrated Functional Genomic Analysis Center
Tzung Hsiai, Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
Yang Chai, Center for Cranial Facial Molecular Biology, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry Kirk
Shung, Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
David Warburton, Pediatrics at CHLA, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Hybrid BioFlex System for Electromechanical Coupling of Injured and Regenerating Tissues
Thomas Lyon, Gould School of Law Albert Rizzo, Institute for Creative Technologies Thomas Talbot,
Institute for Creative Technologies
Investigative Child Interviewing: Learning through Interaction with a Virtual Child
Paul Newton, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering Paul Macklin,
Center for Applied Molecular Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Establishing The Center for Integrative Computational Oncology at VSOE/KSOM
2011
David Baron, Department of Psychiatry, Keck School of Medicine
Marientina Gotsis, School of Cinematic Arts
Entertainment Technology Innovation for Prevention, Assessment and Treatment of Head/Neck Injury in Youth Sports
Isabelle Brocas, Department of Economics, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Juan Carrillo, Department of Economics, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Lian Jian, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
John Monterosso, Department of Psychology, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
New Challenges for Economic Decision-making: Biology, Neuroscience and Economic Models
Moh El-Naggar, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences
Urbashi Mitra, Electrical Engineering Systems, Viterbi School of Engineering
Electrical Signaling in Microbial Communities
Jane Emerson, Department of Pathology, Keck School Medicine
Steven Nutt, Department of Materials Science, Viterbi School of Engineering
Photopolymer Development for Density-driven Separation of Blood Components
Eun Sok Kim, Electrical Engineering/Electrophysics, Viterbi School of Engineering
Mitchell Gross, Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine
Integrated Micromechanical Platform for Spatially-Targeted Cancer Diagnosis and Therapeutics
Patrick James, School of International Relations, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences
Jonathan Samet, Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine
Public Health in Africa: The Religious Dimension
Sean Curran, Department of Bio-Gerontology, Davis School of Gerontology
Matthew Pratt, Department of Chemistry, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Identification of O-GIcNAc Modified Proteins
2010
Biofluid Dynamics and Transport Phenomena: Experimentation and Mathematical Approaches to Retinal Detachment
Satwindar Sadhal, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
David Hinton, Department of Pathology and Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine
Center for Body Computing
Leslie Saxon, Cardiovascular Medicine, Keck School of Medicine
Ashish Soni, Information Technology Program, Viterbi School of Engineering
Dimensions in Biodiversity: From Natural to Urban
Sergey Nuzhdin, Department of Molecular Biology, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Andrew Smith, Computational Biology, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Jim Haw, Environmental Studies, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Constantinos Sioutas, Civil Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
Entertainment-Education to Reduce Obesity in At-Risk Minority Youth
Jeremy Kagan, Production Division, School of Cinematic Arts
Donna Spruijt-Metz, Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine
Inside the Renaissance
Peter Mancall, Department of History, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Adam Gilbert, Thornton School of Music
Diane Winston, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Preparation of Proposal to Relocate the National Solar Observatory to USC
Edward Rhodes, Jr., Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Cyrus Shahabi, Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering
PTEN and Maf-1: Defining a Novel Molecular Link between Obesity and Cancer
Deborah L. Johnson, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Keck School of Medicine
Bangyan Stiles, Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy
Smart Biomaterials for Efficient Attachment to Central Nervous System
James Weiland, Department of Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine
Mark E. Thompson, Department of Chemistry, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Towards Interactive Architecture
Qingyun Ma, School of Architecture
Michael Arbib, Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering
2009
Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations
Katrina Edwards, Department of Biological Sciences
Ellis Meng, Viterbi School of Engineering
Center for Regional Climate Change
Lowell Stott, Department of Earth Sciences
John Wilson, Department of Geography
Center for Transpacific Studies
Janet Hoskins, Department of Anthropology, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Viet Nguyen, Department of English, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Cognitive Task-Analysis to Develop a Competency-Based Surgical Curriculum
Craig Baker, Keck School of Medicine
Maura Sullivan, Rossier School of Education
Development of Health Information Technology using HIV/AIDS Care Model
Andrea Kovacs, Keck School of Medicine
Walter Wolf, School of Pharmacy
Initiative on Community and Systems Resilience
Robert Neches, Viterbi School of Engineering
Jeffrey Upperman, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Nanosecond Pulsed Power Science and Technology Center
Martin Gunderson, Viterbi School of Engineering
Darnell Cole, Rossier School of Education
National Center for RMSI at USC
Massoud Pedram, Viterbi School of Engineering
Simon Wilkie, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Regulatory T Cells as Predictors of Biophosphonate Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw
Ahn Le, School of Dentistry
Augustin Garcia, Keck School of Medicine
Target Driven Drug Development for Colon Cancer
Robert Ladner, Keck School of Medicine
Stan Louie, School of Pharmacy
2008
Air Pollution and Brain Aging: Mechanisms and Intervention
Tuck Finch, Gerontology
Costas Sioutas, Viterbi School of Engineering
Application of Nanotechnology to Vesicoureteral Reflux Research
Andy Chang, Keck School of Medicine
Travis Williams, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Bioinformatics Information Research Network
Carl Kesselman, Information Sciences Institute
Center for Deep Energy Biosphere Investigations
Katrina Edwards, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Ellis Meng, Viterbi School of Engineering
Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration
Dowell Myers, School of Policy, Planning and Development
Manuel Pastor, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Collaborative Research Program on the Space Sciences Center and Space Engineering Research Center
Joseph Kunc, Viterbi School of Engineering
Darrell Judge, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Computerized Pediatric Acute Critical Event Training and Simulation
Solomon Behar, CHLA
Jeffrey Upperman, Keck School of Medicine
Robert Neches, Viterbi School of Engineering
Electronics and Nano-Energetics Integration
Priya Vashishta, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Rajiv Kalia, Viterbi School of Engineering
Integrated Approaches toward Predictive Personalized Medicine
Jasmine Zhou, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Heinz-Josef Lenz, Keck School of Medicine
Interdisciplinary Program on Microbiology
Steven Goodman, School of Dentistry
Steven Finkel, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Microfluidic Synthesis of Ti02 Nanocrystals
Richard Brutchey, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Noah Malmstad, Viterbi School of Engineering
Regenerating Urban Neighborhoods
Juliet Musso, School of Policy, Planning and Development
Jefferey Sellers, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Toward a University Research Center on Megacities
Jean-Pierre Bardet, Viterbi School of Engineering
Adam Rose, School of Policy, Planning, and Development
Urban-Scale Computer-Aided Sustainable Design
Karen Kensek, School of Architecture
Cyrus Shahabi, Viterbi School of Engineering
USC Interdisciplinary Program for Molecular Research
Nicos Petasis, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Nouri Neamati, School of Pharmacy
Vehicle Pollution and Children’s Health in Southern California
Rob McConnell, Keck School of Medicine
John Wilson, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Jennifer Wolch, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Virtual Climate Change Institute Workshop
Lowell Stott, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Ana Chervenak, Information Sciences Institute
Virtual Practice for Removable Partial Denture Design
Timothy Saunders, School of Dentistry
Paul Debevec, Institute for Creative Technologies
Wrigley Institute and Cinematic Arts Science/Art Conference
Tony Michaels, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Kathy Smith, School of Cinematic Arts
2007
Biology and Therapy of Pediatric Brain Tumors
Robert Seeger, Department of Oncology
Anat Erdreich-Epstein, Department of Pediatrics
Antonio Ortega, Department of Electrical Engineering
Cardiovascular Research Core at USC
Tzung Hsiai, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Fengzhu Sun, Department of Biological Sciences
Kelvin Davies, School of Gerontology
Mark Barr, Department of Surgery
Center for Quantum Information Science and Technology
Daniel Lidar, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Stephan Haas, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Todd Brun, Department of Electrical Engineering
Center for Sound at USC
Tomlinson Holman, School of Cinematic Arts
Joanna Demers, Thornton School of Music
Computation of Loads on the Musculoskeletal System of Humans and Animals Using 3-D Modeling
Henryk Flashner, Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Jill McNitt-Gray, Department of Kinesiology
Xiaoming Wang, Department of Biological Sciences
Reyes Enciso, School of Dentistry
Cultivating Interdisciplinary Technology Innovation: Collaboratory for Technology and Culture at USC
Anne Balsamo, School of Cinematic Arts
Doug Thomas, Annenberg School of Communication
Milind Tambe, Viterbi School of Engineering
Emotion, Decisionmaking, and the Brain
Antoine Bechara, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Ann Crigler, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Joseph Priester, Marshall School of Business
Thomas Lyon, Gould School of Law
Sheila Murphy, Annenberg School of Communication
Exercise-Induced Neuroplasticity in Individuals with Parkinsons
Beth Fisher, School of Dentistry
Michael Arbib, Viterbi School of Engineering
Richard Leahy, Viterbi School of Engineering
Generating Sustained Funding for Interdisciplinary Research via the Southern California Population Research Center
Lynne Casper, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Eileen Crimmins, School of Gerontology
Global Analysis of TGF-Beta Signaling-Mediated Cell Cycle Regulators during Palatogenesis
Yang Chai, School of Dentistry
Joseph Hacia, Keck School of Medicine
Gospel Music History Archive
Todd Grappone, USC Libraries
Ronald McCurdy, Thornton School of Music
Interdisciplinary Technology Center for Child-Centric Societal Applications
Shri Narayanan, Department of Electrical Engineering
Robert Rueda, School of Education
Gayla Margolin, Department of Psychology
Jo Ann Farver, Department of Psychology
Interdisciplinary USC Program in Microbiology
Steven Goodman, School of Dentistry,
Katrina Edwards, Department of Biological Sciences
Steven Finkel, Department of Molecular Biology
Investigating How Genes Interact with Child Abuse and Neglect to Influence Mental Health
Penelope Trickett, School of Social Work
Carol Prescott, Department of Psychology
Late Emergence of Circadian Heart Rhythm in Indonesian Infants
Toke Hoppenbrouwers, Department of Pediatrics
Michael Khoo, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Pilot Study: Angiotensin (1-7) Mediated Recovery from Radiation Exposure
Dolph Ellefson, Keck School of Medicine
Stan Louie, School of Pharmacy
Kathy Rodgers, Keck School of Medicine
Gere diZerega, Keck School of Medicine
A Prospective Study of Aging and Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders
Sarnoff Mednick, Department of Psychology
George Simpson, Department of Psychiatry
Role of DNA Repair Proteins in Age-Dependent DNA Damage and Cancer
Valter Longo, School of Gerontology
Michael Lieber, Department of Biochemistry
Lucio Comai, Department of Molecular Microbiology
USC Center for the Study and Treatment of Bone Related Disorders
Charles McKenna, Department of Chemistry
Parish Sedghizadeh, School of Dentistry
Stan Louie, School of Pharmacy
USC Games Institute
Gerard Medioni, Department of Computer Science
Scott Fisher, School of Cinematic Arts
USC Institute for the Digital Arts and Humanities
Phil Ethington, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Tara McPherson, School of Cinematic Arts
USC Maternal, Child and Adolescent International Family Centers
Andrea Kovacs, Department of Pediatrics
Kathleen Johnson, School of Pharmacy
Roseann Mulligan, School of Dentistry
Use of Ultrasound for Image-Guided Surgery
Jesse Yen, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Brent Liu, Department of Radiology
Shirin Towfigh, Department of Surgery
2006
Application of Nanotechnology to Direct the Growth of Engineered Bladder and Kidney Tissue from Stem Cells
Stephen Cronin, Department of Electrical Engineering-Electrophysics, Viterbi School of Engineering
Chester Koh, Department of Urology, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles/Keck School of Medicine
Imaging Protein Tyrosine Phosphorylation In Vivo
Amy Barrios, Department of Chemistry, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Nunzio Bottini, Department of Orthopaedics, Keck School of Medicine
The Influence of Fixed and Changing Environmental Stimuli on Walking and Freezing Behavior in Persons with Parkinson’s Disease
George Salem, Department of Biokinesiology & Physical Therapy, School of Dentistry
Giselle Petzinger, Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine
User-Centric Patient/Clinician Distribution Platform with Tele-Rehabilitation Application Case Study
Roger Zimmermann, Integrated Media Systems Center, Viterbi School of Engineering
Margaret McLaughlin, Annenberg School of Communication
Shri Narayanan, Departments of Electrical Engineering, Linguistics and Computer Science
Carolee Winstein, Department of Biokinesiology & Physical Therapy, School of Dentistry