BSOS Faculty Research Supported by Second Grand Challenges Grants Program

Five faculty of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences were among those who received support from the second wave of the UMD Grand Challenges grants program. 

A total of $15 million in funding, to be used over the course of three years, was awarded to 11 projects in June 2026, with Institutional Awards receiving a total of $1.5 million, Impact Awards receiving a total of $1.05 million, and Team Awards receiving a total of $600,000.

BSOS congratulates our faculty members and projects who were recognized, as well as all winners across campus:

Institutional Grants

IN-PLACE: Interdisciplinary Network for Place-Based Learning, Action, & Community-Engaged EnvironMental Health 
PI: Jessica Magidson, BSOS
Co-PIs: Byoung-Suk Kweon, AGNR; Alexander Chan, AGNR; Jana VanderGoot, MAPP; Jayson Porter, ARHU; Andrea Lopez, BSOS; Amy Green, EDUC; Jennifer Roberts, SPHL; Noah Triplett, SPHL
IN-PLACE connects time spent in nature with evidence-based mental health care through community partnerships, research and campus programming to simultaneously address the interconnected challenges of mental health, environmental health and health disparities.

Impact Awards

Predictive Biology Hub for Human and Environmental Health 
PI: Joshua Weitz, CMNS
Co-PIs: Evan Economo, AGNR; Meredith Gore, BSOS; William Fagan, CMNS; Nikolas Francis, CMNS; Michelle Girvan, CMNS; Philip Johnson, CMNS; Haizhao Yang, CMNS; Nan Xu, ENGR
This initiative develops new predictive tools to mitigate pandemics, improve human health outcomes, and sustain vital ecosystems in the face of emerging global threats across biological scales, from pathogens and ecosystems to brain networks and bioinspired design.

Team Project Awards

Belonging for Immigrants and Refugees with Disabilities (BIRD) 
PI: Veronica Kang, EDUC
Co-PIs: Julie Park, BSOS; Sehrish Shikarpurya, EDUC
BIRD is a community-driven initiative that partners with grassroots organizations to provide culturally tailored support services, workforce training and policy advocacy for immigrants and refugees with disabilities to reduce systemic barriers and improve access to education, healthcare and community resources.

The Air We Share, A Public Health Revolution for the 21st Century 
PI: Donald Milton, SPHL
Co-PIs: Jelena Srebric, ENGR; Kathleen McPhaul, SPHL; Huang Lin, SPHL; Maureen Cropper, BSOS; Anna Alberini, AGNR; Abba Gumel, IHC
This project aims to revolutionize indoor air safety by advancing the science of airborne infection transmission, demonstrating clean air interventions in homes and healthcare settings, and building the research infrastructure and next-generation leadership needed to make safe indoor air a universal public health standard.

Published on Fri, Jun 26, 2026 - 10:31AM