Aug 25, 2025
The Institute for Matter and Systems (IMS) has selected six interdisciplinary research projects to receive funding including four new research initiatives and two new programs. This funding is part of a larger IMS effort to identify and support visionary leaders driving groundbreaking research and innovation.
IMS focuses on transformational technological and societal systems that arise where innovative materials, devices, and processes converge.
“Interdisciplinary research often struggles to find a home,” said Michael Filler, IMS deputy director. “IMS aims to fill that gap—through programs like the CPI, we provide a place where unconventional collaborations from across Georgia Tech and beyond can take root, grow, and ultimately redefine what’s possible.
The funded initiatives come from four colleges and 11 schools across the Institute, and from GTRI. These research projects were selected based on their innovative approaches, potential impact, and alignment with IMS’ mission to push the boundaries of science and technology. They will receive funding, access to state-of-the-art facilities, and other support from IMS to bring their projects to life.
IMS supports interdisciplinary research both in nationally recognized areas of need and those just emerging. It scaffolds research from the ground up, from seed funding for new initiatives to infrastructure support for research programs and embedded support for research centers. The four newly announced initiatives are funded at the lowest level of IMS’ three-tiered model.
The two new research programs were previous IMS research initiatives that have been elevated to the program level. The successful elevation to research program highlights the funding pipeline and its design to support novel interdisciplinary research. As initiatives, these researchers were given seed funding and support for workshops, visioning and team nucleation, they demonstrated dedication to their research and team building. As IMS research programs, these projects will have the opportunity to expand their operations including with support for team expansions, proposals, and some staff support.
“The IMS funding pipeline is about giving researchers a ladder where none exists—support to take the first step with a new idea, and the structure to keep climbing as their work matures,” said Filler. “By providing that scaffold, we enable bold, interdisciplinary teams to turn early sparks of discovery into thriving research programs with real-world impact.”
The new research initiatives and programs:
Research Initiatives
Multifunctional Materials for Efficient Buildings | Akanksha Menon, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Adaptive Biomacromolecular and Cellular Networks | Anant Paravastu, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Vinayak Agarwal, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Andrew McShan, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry; and Itamar Kolvin, School of Physics
Precision Agriculture in Controlled Environments | Antonio Facchetti, School of Materials Science and Engineering; Yongsheng Cheng, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Anju Toor, School of Materials Science and Engineering
Electrochemical Manufacturing of Materials and Resource Recovery | Hailong Chen, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Research Programs
Autonomous Research for Materials | Mark Losego, School of Materials Science and Engineering; Shreyas Kousik, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering; Animesh Garg, School of Interactive Computing
Magnetometry and Spectrum-Based Quantum Sensing Platforms| Zhigang Jiang, School of Physics; Martin Mourigal, School of Physics; Yan Wang, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering