Texas Global Awards Grants to 17 Faculty Members

Texas Global supports faculty at The University of Texas at Austin by providing funding for international research, teaching, publishing, and event collaborations that advance the University’s mission of global engagement. During the Fall 2025 funding cycle, Texas Global awarded $135,500 to 17 faculty members across five colleges and schools. 

To date, faculty across 17 colleges and schools have received a total of more than $1.9M in awards for global engagement initiatives. The Texas Global Funding Opportunities page provides a complete overview of the grants and forms of financial support available to UT Austin faculty.   

Faculty Research Seed Grant 

Texas Global’s Faculty Research Seed Grant provides funding across all disciplines to UT Austin faculty and their global research collaborators to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The grant helps develop new partnerships and strengthen existing relationships between UT Austin and higher education institutions and organizations around the world. Texas Global awards Faculty Research Seed Grants on a semiannual basis, once in the fall semester and once in the spring semester. 

Fall 2025 recipients:

Hal Alper 

Professor, Chemical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering 
“Combining Engineered Enzymes and Moist-Solid Systems for Advanced Plastic Recycling” 
In partnership with McGill University, Canada 

Michael Baker 

Assistant Professor of Practice, Arts and Entertainment Technologies, College of Fine Arts “Smart Sensors, Simple Solutions: Edge AI for Global Musculoskeletal Health” 
In partnership with Malmö University, Sweden  

Brian Don 

Assistant Professor, Human Development and Family Sciences, College of Natural Sciences 
“Implementing a Global Citizen Science Approach to Transform Understanding of Close Relationships” 
In partnership with the University of Melbourne, Australia 

Kasey Faust 

Associate Professor, Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering 
“Breaking Barriers, Building Futures: A U.S.–India Partnership for Understanding Attrition and Success in Rural Healthcare Training” 
In partnership with Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital, India 

Will Flanagan 

Research Scientist, Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory, Cockrell School of Engineering 
“Improved Measurements for Nuclear Energy Digital Twins at the Institute Laue-Langevin” 
In partnership with the Institute Laue-Langevin, France 

Devleena Samanta 

Assistant Professor, Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences 
“Harnessing Nature and Nanotechnology to Overcome Drug-Resistant Colorectal Cancer” 
In partnership with Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico 

Filippo Mangolini 

Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering 
“Ionic Liquid-Based Bio-Lubricants for Electromobility Applications” 
In partnership with Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico 

Nuttada Panpradist  

Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering 
“AI-Powered Cough-Based Tuberculosis Triage and Digital Twin–Guided Community Case Identification” 
In partnership with Mahidol University, Thailand 

Hong Qiao 

Associate Professor, Molecular Biosciences, College of Natural Sciences 
“Energy and Epigenetic Coordination in Ethylene Signaling: A Framework for Plant Resilience and Sustainable Agriculture” 
In partnership with National Taiwan University, Taiwan 

Mark Ravina 

Professor, History, College of Liberal Arts 
“Computational Historical Cartography: Expanding Our Cartographic Language” 
In partnership with the University of Manchester, United Kingdom 

Hao Zhu 

Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering 
“Next-Generation Data Centers with Integrated High-Efficiency Solar Power Systems and Power Grid Analysis” 
In partnership with National Taiwan University, Taiwan 

Global Virtual Exchange 

The Global Virtual Exchange (GVE) initiative contributes to the University’s mission of integrating global perspectives and innovative teaching practices into the curriculum. GVE funds support faculty in co-creating Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses with peers at universities around the world. The courses foster meaningful, sustainable, and accessible international experiences for UT Austin students and those at partnering institutions, deepening students’ understanding of subject matter and expanding their global perspectives while they engage in project-based learning.  

Fall 2025 recipients:

Nathan Hutson  

Adjunct Assistant Professor, Community and Regional Planning, School of Architecture 
“A Coordinated Plan to Reconstruct Ukrainian Cities” 
In partnership with Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture, Ukraine 

Alice McCoy‑Bae 

Assistant Professor of Instruction, Asian Studies, College of Liberal Arts 
“Beyond Borders: Empowering Korean Heritage Learners through Global Virtual Collaboration” 
In partnership with the University of Ulsan, South Korea, and Hokkai School of Commerce, Japan  

Faculty Travel Planning Grant 

Texas Global’s Faculty Travel Planning Grants can benefit UT Austin faculty members working to establish connections abroad to satisfy eligibility requirements for Texas Global funding opportunities. These grants afford faculty the unique opportunity to explore possibilities, develop connections and seek potential initiatives within their international networks in order to produce other high-quality Texas Global funding proposals.  

Fall 2025 recipients:

Yuliya Lanina 

Assistant Professor of Practice, Arts and Entertainment Technologies, College of Fine Arts 
In partnership with Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal 

Ann Thijs 

Assistant Professor of Instruction, Integrative Biology, College of Natural Sciences 
In partnership with Monteverde Institute, Costa Rica 

Gian‑Claudia Sciara 

Associate Professor, Community and Regional Planning, School of Architecture 
In partnership with University of Vienna, Austria