Indiana University Research has named the second annual cohort of faculty recipients who will lead or create opportunities for undergraduate students as part of its Layered-Learning Program for Undergraduate Researchers. This internal funding initiative expands hands-on research opportunities for undergraduate students while fostering mentorship across multiple levels of experience.

The program supports innovative, faculty-led projects that integrate undergraduate students into collaborative research environments alongside graduate students and faculty mentors. By emphasizing tiered learning, the initiative helps students build skills progressively while contributing to meaningful research across disciplines.

“This program reflects our commitment to provide students with immersive, high-impact research experiences early in their academic careers,” said Russell J. Mumper, IU vice president for research. “By embedding undergraduates in collaborative research teams, we’re not only enhancing their education and distinctive learning opportunities but also strengthening the future of research and discovery at IU as a R1 and AAU institution.”

The Layered-Learning Program is administered by IU’s Office for Research Development, which works to expand access to research funding and support interdisciplinary collaboration across campuses.

“This initiative is about creating structured pathways for students to engage deeply with research while learning from peers and mentors at different stages,” said Chris Liu, associate vice president in the Office for Research Development. “The projects selected this year highlight the breadth of IU’s research enterprise and the powerful role undergraduates can play within it. We applaud the faculty leaders of these projects for their vision and commitment to bridge the academic and research missions of IU.”

Meet the 2026 Layered-Learning Program recipients:

Misty Hawkins

An associate professor in the School of Public Health-Bloomington, Misty Hawkins will direct “POWER-UP Leaders: Preparing Our Workforce through Evidence-Based Research — Undergraduate/Graduate Partnerships for Neurocognitive-Informed Obesity Clinical Trial Science.” This community-based obesity research program will position undergraduates as co-leaders; they will support participants, assist with data collection such as body composition analyses and nutrition assessment, and help facilitate treatment sessions while gaining exposure to clinical research practices.

The project will be conducted in collaboration with College of Arts and Sciences faculty Lorenzo Lorenzo-Luaces and the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. POWER-UP Leaders will partner with several centers, including the Center for Health by Design, the Irsay Institute, the Nutrition and Exercise Research Center, and the Center for Community-Engaged Dissemination and Implementation Research.

Jennifer Lau

Jennifer Lau, professor of biology in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington, and Andre Franco and Kim Novick, professors in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. will lead “It’s About Time — Phenological effects of climate change on forest plant and arthropod communities.”

Students in this program will launch a long-term sampling initiative to examine how the timing of life-cycle events in plants and invertebrates shifts due to climate change. The research will explore interactions across ecological layers, from soil ecosystems to forest canopies, offering a comprehensive view of environmental change.

Michael Snow

A professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington, W. Michael Snow will lead “A Student-Constructed Gamma Detector Array for the NOPTREX Time Reversal Experiment.” His project will engage students in developing a gamma ray detector to support experiments investigating time-asymmetric interactions in nature.

Undergraduate researchers will contribute to building advanced instrumentation; gain hands-on experience in experimental physics and cutting-edge scientific inquiry; and develop skills in budgeting, project management and technical prototyping relevant for technical R&D activities found in companies and research labs.

Allison Baker

Allison Baker, associate professor of fine arts at the Herron School of Art and Design at IU Indianapolis, will lead “Transformative Public Sculpture.” This project will emphasize community-based site research, where students will explore material testing, fabrication and documentation. Working in small teams, participants will engage in workshops and reflective writing to inform the conceptual development and installation of public art pieces.

Jill Fehrenbacher

An associate professor of biochemistry, molecular biology and pharmacology in the IU School of Medicine at IU Indianapolis, Jill Fehrenbacher will direct “Indiana University Musculoskeletal LaunchPad.” The program will introduce students to the fundamentals of the musculoskeletal system before advancing to independent research projects. Participants will apply data science techniques to real-world biomedical challenges through weekly sessions and an immersive research experience.