Engineers from Pitt and the University of Central Florida have built an interactive “digital twin” of the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation to support sustainability assessments. Blending blueprints and models with sensor data and sustainability analyses, the team built a 3D virtual version of the building that researchers and facility staff can “walk” through, click on rooms and systems, and see color overlays, pop‑ups and alerts that reveal in real time where energy use, indoor air quality or materials require attention. Published in Energy and Buildings, the digital twin enables better decision-making regarding sustainability and building support and maintenance.

Read More >>

Study Maps How Scientific Creativity Evolves Across a Career

Lingfei Wu, School of Computing and Information, and his team analyzed the careers of 12.5 million scientists, distinguishing between "disruptive" papers (those that break sharply from prior work) and "novel" papers (those that weave existing ideas into new combinations). Their findings, published in Science, reveal that as scientists age, they produce fewer paradigm-breaking breakthroughs but grow more skilled at forging unexpected connections. Senior researchers also exhibit a "nostalgia effect," anchoring to literature from their early careers. Wu argues that because science depends on both older and younger scientists, the research community should foster intergenerational collaboration and remain open to international students and global talent.

Read More >>

Pushing Imaging Technology to New Limits

Six bioengineers in the Swanson School of Engineering — Jonathan Vande Geest, Takashi Kozai, Lance Davidson, Kang Kim, Bistra Iordanova and Tamer Ibrahim — are expanding what's possible with medical and biological imaging. Working across two-photon microscopy, confocal microscopy, ultrasound and MRI, the researchers share a conviction that no single modality is perfect, and each has pushed their tools beyond conventional limits to address problems ranging from arterial plaque rupture and dementia risk to vision loss and spinal cord injury.

Read More >>

New Academy Prepares Research Facility Directors for Leadership

The Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and Pitt Research have partnered to offer the Research Facility Director Academy, a five-day professional development program for shared laboratory research facility directors to build business knowledge and leadership skills. The academy’s May inaugural session was led by 16 core facility directors from across campus with foundational skills in strategy, accounting, marketing, operations, leadership and teamwork. Next year’s session, planned for May 2027, will extend the academy to facility directors at other universities.

Read More >>

Honors and Appointments

• NASA dedicated an area on Mars in honor of Sanford Asher, Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. Asher was a pioneer of ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy, which directly contributed to the Mars rover project. Read More >>

• Maureen Lichtveld, dean and Jonas Salk Chair in Population Health in the School of Public Health, was elected to serve a second three-year term on the National Academy of Medicine Council. An internationally recognized environmental health scientist, Lichtveld’s research focuses on national and global environmental health research, examining the cumulative impact of chemical and nonchemical stressors on communities facing environmental health threats and disasters with a special focus on vulnerable populations. Read More >>

• Josh Bleiberg, School of Education, won a National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship. These fellowships support early-career scholars whose projects address critical issues in the history, theory or practice of formal or informal education at the national and international levels. Read More >>

• Allen DiPalma, executive director of research security and trade compliance in Pitt Research, was named Deputy Director of NSF SECURE Analytics. The program's objective is to deliver data collection, analysis and reporting services that enable the research community to make risk-informed decisions regarding research security and address foreign interference in U.S.-funded research.

• Tatsuya Sakurahara, Swanson School of Engineering, received a competitive Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from Oak Ridge Associated Universities. The $5,000 award will support Sakurahara’s work to develop a computational risk-assessment tool for nuclear facilities. Read More >>

How Pitt Students Really Feel About AI

Pitt Digital supported the GenAI Conversations study, a faculty-driven initiative to better understand how Pitt students experience generative AI in their academic lives. A research team spanning the University’s Pittsburgh, Bradford, Johnstown and Greensburg campuses conducted in-depth focus groups with 95 students, exploring how they use AI, how it shapes their relationships with faculty and peers, and what they need from their institution. The findings are nuanced and worth attention: students are engaging with AI thoughtfully, navigating genuine ethical questions, wrestling with deeply mixed feelings about AI and asking for clearer guidance and more open dialogue. 

Read More >>

Research Symposium Celebrates Postdoctoral Professionals

Nineteen Pitt community members were honored at the 19th annual Postdoctoral Research Symposium, hosted by the University of Pittsburgh Postdoctoral Association and the Office of Academic Career Development, Health Sciences. The event showcased 103 posters across 40 departments and nine schools, recognized 15 postdocs with Professional Development Awards, and celebrated leadership, mentorship, advocacy and a newly introduced service award.

Read More >>

Lower Dopamine Linked to Teen Risk-Taking That Fades with Age

A School of Medicine study in Nature Communications upends the longstanding assumption that it’s teens with lower baseline dopamine levels, not higher, who are more likely to experiment with alcohol, cannabis and other substances. Analyzing data from more than 800 adolescents tracked over up to nine years, lead author Ashley Parr found that as dopamine levels increased with age, substance use tended to decline, suggesting that experimentation may compensate for lower reward activity in the brain, rather than reflecting it.

Read More on EurekAlert! >>

Freeze-Dried Synthetic Platelets Could Save Lives

Researchers at Pitt, Case Western Reserve University and Haima Therapeutics have shown that artificial platelets can be freeze-dried and remain stable and effective for at least a year at room temperature and at least two months at high temperatures, making them portable enough for use at accident scenes or on the battlefield. The team was co-led by School of Medicine's Matthew D. Neal and their findings were published in Advanced Science.

Watch Video on Yahoo News >>

Visit Our New Hub for Grants, Awards and Proposal Support

Whether you're pursuing a major grant, preparing for a prestigious award, or exploring funding opportunities, Pitt Research’s new research development hub brings everything together in one place. Explore resources, subscribe to weekly funding newsletters, and connect with our team to elevate your research portfolio.

Visit the website to learn more.