Research supported by NH-INBRE
All of the NH-INBRE Goals are strongly supported by the Developmental Research Projects Program (DRPP), which funds competitive cutting-edge biomedical research proposed and led by faculty at Partner institutions that enables intense engagement by both students and faculty at Partners.
NH-INBRE funding establishes research programs that successfully compete for other funding sources as the research develops.
Research projects are of three types:
(1) Research Projects require a 50% effort commitment from the faculty principal investigator.
(2) Pilot Projects require a 25% effort commitment from the faculty principal investigator.
(3) Collaborative Projects are Research or Pilot Projects that include a collaborating faculty member from Dartmouth or UNH.
Alternative Funding Mechanisms:
(1) Seed Grant: to provide 1-year of funding (potentially renewable) to test new research idea(s) – entirely original areas of investigation for the investigator or a substantially new extension of previous work. No salary support.
(2) Targeted Incentive Grant: to expedite submission of-
- Manuscripts (especially data driven; reviews will be considered; however not letters to the editor, etc
- New/ Revised Grant Applications to national funding sources (NIH, NSF, and/or foundations)
Current Research Projects
- PILOT PROJECT
Michael Brian, University of New Hampshire at Durham
Examining the effects of daily step accumulation on blunting the effects of an obesogenic lifestyle - SEED Grant
Kell DaCosta, Colby-Sawyer College
Acute effects of moderate exercise intensity on congnition and brain activity - COLLABORATIVE PILOT PROJECT
Sarah Gunnery, New England College
Developing Strategies to Improve Facial Masking in Parkinson’s Disease
Collaborator: Harlan Fichtenholtz, Keene State College
Scientific Advisors: Stephen Lee, Dartmouth Health
Professional Mentor: Jim Newcomb, New England College - SEED Grant
Matt Hurley, Saint Anselm College
pH-Triggered Release and Cytotoxicity Studies of Surfactant-Silica Nanoparticles - PILOT PROJECT
Patricia Kelshaw, University of New Hampshire at Durham
Utilizing Wearable Technology for Passive Evaluation of Sleep Disruptions Following Concussion - PILOT PROJECT
Wei Lu, Keene State College
Assessing the Efficacy and Challenges of Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) in Healthcare Cybersecurity
Scientific Advisor: Sergey Bratus, Dartmouth College
Professional Mentor: Jason Pellettieri, Keene State College - SEED Grant
David Lutz, Colby-Sawyer College
Estimating the Costs of Damages to Human Health from Wildfires through Long-term Medicare and Medicaid Data - PILOT PROJECT
Jennifer Pace, Saint Anselm College
Synthesis and Evaluation of Flufenamic Acid Analogues for Hippo Pathway Inhibition.
Scientific Advisor: Maria Pellegrini, Dartmouth College
Professional Mentor: Derk Wierda, Saint Anselm College - SEED Grant
Brian Penney, Saint Anselm College
CONNECTIVE TISSUE MICROARCHITECTURE- FROM MOLLUSCS TO MAMMALS - PILOT PROJECT
Amy Rohlfing, Saint Anselm College
Elucidating the role of co-germinants during initiation of Clostridioides difficile spore germination - SEED Grant
Mark Scimone, University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Identifying underlying neural biomechanical vulnerabilities to trauma - PILOT PROJECT
Hye Young Shin, Rivier University
Targeting overexpressed cytokines as potential therapeutics for the glioma and glioblastoma patients.
Scientific Advisor: Matthew Havrda, Dartmouth College
Professional Mentor: Brian Ernsting, Rivier University - SEED Grant
Mike Son, Plymouth State University
Development of novel recombination tools in non-model and environmental Vibrio spp. - SEED Grant
Sarah Tarullo, Plymouth State University
Determining glucocorticod receptor mediated cell stress pathway activation in breast cancer - PILOT PROJECT
Jill Thorson, University of New Hampshire at Durham
Assessing prosody in children with speech sound disorders - SEED Grant
Jing Wang, University of New Hampshire at Durham
Fostering Ethical Adoption of Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Assistive Robots (AIAR) Grounded in Person-Centered Dementia Care
Past Research Projects
Years 2023 - 2024
- SEED GRANT - No Cost Extension
Christopher Chabot, Plymouth State University
The role of post-translational phosphorylation in biological clocks. - TARGETED INCENTIVE GRANT
Priyanka Chowdhury, Keene State College
Does diet impact susceptibility to Arsenic toxicity? – Insight from keystone freshwater grazer Daphnia. - SEED GRANT - No Cost Extension
Suzanne Cooke, University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Antibiotic activity of bacteria from microplastic biofilms. - SEED GRANT - No Cost Extension
Nicholas Daniel, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Assessment of Sous Vide Water Baths for Acute Rewarming of Frostbitten Extremities. - COLLABORATIVE PILOT PROJECT
Sarah Gunnery, New England College
Perceptions of Deliberate Facial Expressions in People with Parkinson's Disease
Collaborator: Harlan Fichtenholtz, Keene State College
Scientific Advisors: Stephen Lee, Dartmouth Health
Professional Mentor: Jim Newcomb, New England College - SEED GRANT
Kristen Johnson, University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Establishing the role of FOXN2 in the negative regulation of ciliogenesis. - PILOT PROJECT
Tatiana Jones, Rivier University
Influence of extracellular RNA on inflammatory profile of the macrophages co-cultured with lung type 2 epithelial cells.
Scientific Advisor: Joshua Obar, Dartmouth College
Professional Mentor: Brian Ernsting, Rivier University - PILOT PROJECT
Wei Lu, Keene State College
Securing the Internet of Medical Things in Healthcare with Machine Learning.
Scientific Advisor: Sergey Bratus, Dartmouth College
Professional Mentor: Jason Pellettieri, Keene State College - SEED GRANT
Kyle MacLea, University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Host Range Effects of Sequence Divergence in Bacteriophage Host Recognition Systems. - PILOT PROJECT
Jennifer Pace, Saint Anselm College
Synthesis and Evaluation of Flufenamic Acid Analogues for Hippo Pathway Inhibition.
Scientific Advisor: Maria Pellegrini, Dartmouth College
Professional Mentor: Derk Wierda, Saint Anselm College - TARGETED INCENTIVE GRANT
Shallee Page, Franklin Pierce University
The Gene bir-2 is an Effector in the C. elegans Immune System. - SEED GRANT
Brian Patenaude, Rivier University
Incorporation of Zinc-Porphyrin into Poly(ethylene terephthalate) and Poly(methyl methacrylate) Plastics for the Photodynamic Inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus. - PILOT PROJECT
Hye Young Shin, Rivier University
Targeting overexpressed cytokines as potential therapeutics for the glioma and glioblastoma patients.
Scientific Advisor: Matthew Havrda, Dartmouth College
Professional Mentor: Brian Ernsting, Rivier University - PILOT PROJECT
Won Hyuk Suh, University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Developing Bioinks Comprising Human Stem Cells, Peptides, Protiens, and Polysaccharides.
Scientific Advisor: Jay Hoying, Advanced Solutions Life Sciences
Professional Mentor: Kyle MacLea, University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Years 2022 - 2023
- SEED GRANT
Christopher Chabot, Plymouth State University
The role of post-translational phosphorylation in biological clocks. - SEED GRANT
Suzanne Cooke, University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Antibiotic activity of bacteria from microplastic biofilms. - SEED GRANT
Nicholas Daniel, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Assessment of Sous Vide Water Baths for Acute Rewarming of Frostbitten Extremities. - COLLABORATIVE PILOT PROJECT
Sarah Gunnery, New England College
Perceptions of Deliberate Facial Expressions in People with Parkinson's Disease
Collaborator: Harlan Fichtenholtz, Keene State College
Scientific Advisors:
Professional Mentor: Jim Newcomb, New England College - SEED GRANT
Ahasan Habib, Keene State College
Determining Cell Viability and Proliferation of Pre-crosslinked 3D Bio-printed Scaffolds. - SEED GRANT
Tatiana Jones, Rivier University
Self-Extracellular RNA alters proinflammatory profile of macrophages stimulated with TLR2 and TLR4 agonists. - PILOT PROJECT
Wei Lu, Keene State College
Securing the Internet of Medical Things in Healthcare with Machine Learning.
Scientific Advisor: Sergey Bratus, Dartmouth College
Professional Mentor: Jason Pellettieri, Keene State College - PILOT PROJECT
Jennifer Pace, Saint Anselm College
Synthesis and Evaluation of Flufenamic Acid Analogues for Hippo Pathway Inhibition.
Scientific Advisor:
Professional Mentor: Derk Wierda, Saint Anselm College - PILOT PROJECT
Priyanka Roy Chowdhury, Keene State College
Determinants of susceptibility to transgenerational Arsenic exposure.
Scientific Advisors: Brian Jackson, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth; Kate Buckman, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Professional Mentor: Jason Pellettieri, Keene State College - SEED GRANT
Hye Young Shin, Rivier University
Detection of Differential Cytokine Expressions in Cancer Stem Cells of Rat and Patient-derived Human glioma cell lines, and its application in finding therapeutics. - SEED GRANT
Won Hyuk Suh, University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Methacrylated Hyaluronan Hydrogels and Short Peptide Gelators for Human Neural Stem Cell Engineering. - PILOT PROJECT
Joseph Troisi, Saint Anselm College
Sex Differences in the Discriminative Stimulus Effects of Nicotine: An evaluation of acquisition, extinction, and recovery. - SEED GRANT
Chery Whipple, Colby-Sawyer College
Impact of PFOA and PFHxA on C. elegans.
Years 2021 - 2022
- SEED GRANT
Michelle Beck, Rivier University
Exposure and physiological effects of element contamination associated with urbanization. - SEED GRANT
Michael Brian, University of New Hampshire
The effects of body composition on blood pressure and arterial stiffening in young adults. - COLLABORATIVE PILOT PROJECT
Geoffrey Cook, New England College
Bioprospecting for novel antimicrobial peptides in corals and other marine organisms.
Collaborator:Feixia Chu, University of New Hampshire;
Scientific Advisors: Ambrose Cheung, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Professional Mentor: Jim Newcomb, New England College - SEED GRANT
Nicole Jaskiewicz, Plymouth State University
The role of Hexosamine Biosynthesis Pathway in the Heat Stress Response of Granulosa Cells. - PILOT PROJECT
Kristen Johnson, University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Understanding the mechanisms of FOXN2 regulation of EMT in pancreatic cancer.
Scientific Advisors: Steve Leach, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth; Kenneth Olive, Columbia University Medical Center
Professional Mentor: Kyle MacLea, University of New Hampshire at Manchester - SEED GRANT
Tatiana Jones, Rivier University
Extracellular RNA as a potential inducer of Interleukin 6 (IL6) production by activated macrophages. - PILOT PROJECT
James Jukosky, Colby-Sawyer College
Exploring eastern newt antimicrobial peptides and immune system role in regeneration.
Scientific Advisors: Steve Fiering, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth; William Green, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Professional Mentor: Benjamin Steele, Colby-Sawyer College - TARGETED INCENTIVE GRANT
James Newcomb, New England College
Nudibranch opsins: identification, localization, and potential roles in extraocular photoreception and circadian rhythms. - PILOT PROJECT
Britney Privett, Saint Anselm College
Biophysical characterization of metal binding to ZNF750, a ZNF implicated in tumorigenesis.
Scientific Advisor: Dale Mierke, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Professional Mentor: Derk Wierda, Saint Anselm College - SEED GRANT
William Schmidt, Rivier University
Effect of Tropomyosin Lysine Acetylation on Binding to Filamentous Actin. - SEED GRANT
Won Hyuk Suh, University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Self-Assembling Peptide Amphiphile Hydrogels for 3D Printing Nerve Tissue Organoids. - PILOT PROJECT
Chery Whipple, Colby-Sawyer College
The impact of the emergent contaminants, PFOA and PFHxA, on development, growth, and viability in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
Scientific Advisors: Erik Griffin, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth; Nora Traviss, Keene State College
Professional Mentor: Benjamin Steele, Colby-Sawyer College
Years 2020 - 2021
- SEED GRANT
Sarah Gunnery, New England College
The Effects of Facial Masking on Health Related Quality of Life in Care Partners of People with Parkinson’s Disease. - SEED GRANT
Matthew Hurley, Saint Anselm College
Developing and Evaluating Surfactant Vesicles for Targeted Drug Delivery Applications. - SEED GRANT
Jeremiah Johnson, University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Using Artificial Intelligence to Understand the Neurological Basis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. - PILOT PROJECT
Meenalosini Vimal Cruz, Keene State College
Development of Artificial Intelligence-based Remote Health Monitoring System (AIRHMS).
Scientific Advisors: Saeed Hassanpour, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Professional Mentor: Jason Pellettieri, Keene State College - SEED GRANT
Matthew Young, New England College
Exploring the Molecular Dynamics of Hydrogel Capture of Human Anti-bacterial Peptides
Years 2018 - 2020
- PILOT PROJECT
Michael Brian, Plymouth State University
Effects of varying intensity exercise on glycemic control & blood pressure regulation in sedentary young adults at-risk for Metabolic Syndrome.
Scientific Advisors: Sushela Chaidarun, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth; Mark Craeger, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Professional Mentor: Christopher Chabot, Plymouth State University - PILOT PROJECT
Heather Doherty, Plymouth State University
Detection of CTGF SNPs and correlation to clinical variables in the Framingham Heart Study Omni Cohort 1.
Scientific Advisors: Brock Christensen, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth; John Batsis, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Professional Mentor: Christopher Chabot, Plymouth State University - COLLABORATIVE PILOT PROJECT
Harlan Fichtenholtz, Keene State College
Neural Mechanisms of Emotional Vigilance in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Scientific Advisors: Matthew Friedman, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center; Kevin Fleming, White River Junction VA Medical Center
Professional Mentor: Jason Pellettieri, Keene State College - PILOT PROJECT
Leila Jabbour, Franklin Pierce University
Expression Pattern of △FosB in Human Post Mortem Tissue from Opioid Overdose.
Scientific Advisor: Kyle Smith, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Professional Mentor: Catherine Koning, Franklin Pierce University - PILOT PROJECT
Kyle MacLea, University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Factors Affecting the Propagation of [PSI+] Prions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Scientific Advisors: Surachai Supattapone, Geisel School of Medicine at Geisel; Charles Barlowe, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Professional Mentor: Steven Pugh, University of New Hampshire at Manchester - PILOT PROJECT
Daniel Seichepine, University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Effects of Parkinson’s disease subtype on executive function and personality attributes.
Scientific Advisor: Stephen Lee, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Professional Mentor: Steven Pugh, University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Years 2015 - 2020
- COLLABORATIVE PILOT PROJECT
Paul Baures, Keene State College
Advancement of a novel fatty acid synthase inhibitor.
Collaborator and Mentor: William Kinlaw, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth - PILOT PROJECT
Deborah McCarter, Saint Anselm College
Enhancing follow-up mechanisms for women at risk for postpartum depression.
Mentor: Mark Hegel, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Years 2015 - 2018
- COLLABORATIVE PILOT PROJECT
Lori Bergeron, New England College
C-di-GMP mediated biofilm formation in Pseudomonas fluorescens
Collaborator and Mentor: George O’Toole, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth - PILOT PROJECT
Daniel Broek, Saint Anselm College
Cell survival through a dicentric chromosome phase
Mentor: Duane Compton, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth - COLLABORATIVE PILOT PROJECT
Chris Chabot, Plymouth State University
Molecular and cellular mechanisms of circadian and circatidal rhythms.
Collaborator and Mentor: Winsor Watson, University of New Hampshire - COLLABORATIVE PROJECT
James Newcomb, New England College
Neural mechanisms of circadian rhythms and interactions between clocks.
Collaborator and Mentor: Winsor Watson, University of New Hampshire - PILOT PROJECT
Amy Piispanen, Franklin Pierce University
Regulation of the Cek1 MAP kinase cascade and morphogenesis in Candida albicans
Mentor: Paula Sundstrom, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth - COLLABORATIVE PILOT PROJECT
Anthony Scioli, Keene State College
An efficacy and feasibility study of a hope-centered intervention for adolescents
Collaborator and Mentor: Anna Adachi-Mejia, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth - PILOT PROJECT
Thomas Shell, Saint Anselm College
Targeted treatment of cancer and neurological disorders.
Mentor: Marc Spaller, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth - RESEARCH PROJECT
Mike Son, Plymouth State University
The effects of clinically relevant SNPs on virulence capabilities of V. cholerae
Mentor: Deborah Hogan, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth - PILOT PROJECT
Lawrence Welkowitz, Keene State College
Behavioral and cortical effects of computerized language training for autism.
Mentor: Laura Flashman, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Years 2013 - 2015
- PILOT PROJECT
James Jukosky, Colby-Sawyer College
Developing novel antimicrobials derived from burying beetles.
Mentor: Steven Fiering, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth - PILOT PROJECT
Jason Pellettieri, Keene State College
Light-Induced Pigment Cell Apoptosis.
Mentor: David Mullins, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth - PILOT PROJECT
Mike Son, Plymouth State University,
Characterization of increased virulence mechanisms in clinical V. cholerae.
Mentor: Deborah Hogan, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Years 2010 - 2015
- COLLABORATIVE PILOT PROJECT
Susan Arruda, Franklin Pierce University
Characterizing a novel G protein-coupled receptor in Drosophila vision.
Collaborator and Mentor: Patrick Dolph, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth - COLLABORATIVE PILOT PROJECT
Lori Bergeron, New England College
Metal dependent gene expression in A. naeslundii.
Collaborator and Mentor: George O’Toole, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth - RESEARCH PROJECT
Daniel Broek, Saint Anselm College
A yeast-based screen for identification of mammalian genes that regulate ploidy.
Mentor: Duane Compton, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth - RESEARCH PROJECT
Chris Chabot, Plymouth State University
Molecular and cellular mechanisms of circadian and circatidal rhythms.
Mentor: Winsor Watson, University of New Hampshire - PILOT PROJECT
Marjorie King, Plymouth State University
Reliability of center of foot pressure in the older adult population.
Mentor: Jon Lurie, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth - COLLABORATIVE PILOT PROJECT
James Newcomb, New England College
Molecular & neural mechanisms of circadian rhythms in a gastropod model organism.
Collaborator and Mentor: Winsor Watson, University of New Hampshire - COLLABORATIVE PROJECT
Susan Whittemore, Keene State College
Identification of signaling pathways affected by early exposure to prevalent PAHs.
Collaborator and Mentor: Leslie Henderson, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Years 2010 - 2013
- COLLABORATIVE PROJECT
Nicholas Baer, Colby Sawyer
The role of ecological, chemical and landscape factors in determining methyl mercury bioaccumulation in stream food webs.
Collaborator: Celia Chen, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth - PILOT PROJECT
Katie Rose Boissonneault, Plymouth State University
Genetic Transformation of the Toxic Diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries. - PILOT PROJECT
Heather Frasier Chabot, New England College
Health and its association with physiologic distress and bystander intervention in domestic violence. - PILOT PROJECT
Loren Launen, Keene State College
A molecular characterization of the structure and function of aromatic hydrocarbon degrading microbes present in the tidal wetlands of the Great Bay estuary. - PILOT PROJECT
Bill Thomas, Colby-Sawyer College
An analysis of a-catenin functions in transfected DLC1 carcinoma cells. - PILOT PROJECT
Joseph Troisi, Saint Anselm College
Pavlovian and operant interactions of discriminant stimulus effects of nicotine and ETOH in rats: Analyses of conditioned reinforcement, extinction, and response recovery. - COLLABORATIVE PROJECT
Adam Wenzel, Saint Anselm College
The influence of body mass index on changes in macular pigment, serum carotenoids and c-reactive protein.
Collaborator: Joanne Curran Celentano, University of New Hampshire