2026 Regional Catalyst Grant Awardees
- Sustainable Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Diphenylamide Quorum Sensing Inhibitors
This project is led by Matthew Tracy, University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown.
Antibiotic resistance is a growing global health threat, and quorum sensing inhibitors (QSIs) have emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy by targeting bacterial communication pathways that regulate virulence. Building on prior work that identified lead amide-containing compounds from marine bacteria, this project will synthesize a larger and more structurally diverse library of potential QSIs using a sustainable, microwave-assisted synthetic route, and evaluate them for cytotoxicity, antibiotic activity and quorum sensing inhibition. The work will have undergraduate students playing a central role throughout. Beyond research outcomes, the project has a strong pedagogical component, with findings to be integrated into organic chemistry, microbiology and medicinal chemistry laboratory courses at UPJ.
- An AI-Visual Control System for Fluidized-Bed Reactors
This project is led by Hui Liu, University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown.
Fluidized-bed reactors are widely used in industrial processes such as biomass gasification, combustion and petrochemical production, but traditional control methods struggle to reliably maintain optimal flow patterns due to the complexity of fluid-particle interactions. This project proposes a novel AI-visual control system that uses real-time video capture and machine learning to directly monitor and regulate flow patterns inside fluidized-bed reactors, enabling more accurate control, higher material conversion, lower energy consumption and improved operational safety. The resulting prototype — with no comparable system currently on the market — is intended for patenting and eventual commercialization across the bioenergy, petrochemical, polymer and fine chemicals industries
- Elucidating the Metabolic Pathway for the Novel Psychoactive Substance Fluorexetamine
This project is led by Erin Divito, University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg.
Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) — synthetic drugs designed to mimic controlled substances — present significant challenges to forensic toxicologists and death investigators because their metabolic profiles are often unknown, making detection in biological samples difficult. This project will develop and validate an analytical method for detecting fluorexetamine and its metabolites in whole blood, meeting the standards required by forensic toxicology accreditation bodies. Beyond generating publishable, field-ready detection methods, the project will provide undergraduate students with hands-on training in forensic analytical techniques, supporting career pathways in forensic science, medicine and pharmacology.
- The Digital Studies Collaboratory
This project is led by Sean DiLeonardi, University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg.
The Digital Studies Collaboratory will be a fellowship program to connect students enrolled in the Certificate in Digital Studies with faculty research projects requiring targeted, short-term support in areas such as web development, dataset cleaning, and audio/video production. Unlike traditional semester-long research assistantships, this model is designed to meet the sporadic and variable nature of digital humanities research workflows, enabling projects to advance quickly from one stage to the next. This work will help to build stronger collaborative track records and improve competitiveness for future external funding such as an National Endowment of the Humanities Digital Translation grant.