University of South Florida Research

👨‍🎨 Visitors to the The Dalí Museum are helping shape the future of art exhibitions and advancing research in cognitive psychology through a groundbreaking eye-tracking study led by USF St. Petersburg psychology faculty.

Using cutting-edge technology developed with Dartmouth University, participants view Dalí’s surreal masterpieces while their gaze patterns are tracked. Some receive details about the artwork, others learn about Dalí’s life and some simply observe. After a second viewing, participants share how the art made them feel. 💚

This research aims to uncover how different types of information influence our emotional responses and appreciation of art, paving the way for more meaningful museum experiences.

Discover how USF Research is transforming the way we experience art: https://ow.ly/Co7y50ZCoHi

Ready to take your humanities research to the next level? 📚 Don’t miss “Funding Now, Success Later,” a hands-on grant development workshop led by Russell Wyland, a nationally recognized leader in humanities research and grantmaking.

🔍 Discover the latest trends in humanities funding, learn how to position your project for success and get expert tips on crafting compelling proposals. This interactive 2.5-hour session includes a Q&A and practical strategies you can use right away.

📅 Two chances to attend:
• USF Tampa campus – Oak View Room (3720 Spectrum Blvd.)
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 | 1:00–4:00 PM
• USF St. Pete campus – SLC 2100
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 | 1:00–4:00 PM

With 35 years at the National Endowment for the Humanities, Wyland has delivered 70+ grant writing workshops and led major collaborations with the Mellon Foundation, Library of Congress, and NSF. He’s the principal author of "Research Fellowships: An Evaluation of 2002–2004 Awards" and is currently writing an open-access Field Guide to Humanities Grant Writing, supported by USF.

This workshop is co-sponsored by the Research Development Institute and the Humanities Institute at USF. Learn more & register: https://ow.ly/8mnq50ZC2JT

We’re excited to announce that four outstanding USF researchers have been awarded the latest Early Stage Innovation Fund Awards! 🎉 Each recipient will receive up to $25,000 in seed funding to help bring their groundbreaking ideas closer to real-world impact. These projects are set to transform healthcare training, medical technology and veterinary medicine.

🌟 Meet the innovators and their projects:
🔹 **CaseyMD** – Led by USF College of Behavioral & Community Sciences Prof. Gerald Imaezue, this AI-powered clinical simulation platform is revolutionizing how healthcare students learn, offering realistic virtual patients, adaptive scenarios and personalized feedback to build essential skills before entering the field.

🔹 **NeuTrode** – Dr. Nate Schilaty and Prof. Albert Kim are developing a flexible, dry EEG electrode that promises more comfortable, reliable and cost-effective brainwave testing for both clinics and research labs.

🔹 **Gene Therapy for Canine Cognitive Decline** – Research scientist Aurelie Joly-Amado is advancing a novel gene therapy to treat cognitive dysfunction in aging dogs, with the potential to pave the way for future treatments in humans.

The Early Stage Innovation Fund, a partnership between the Florida High Tech Corridor and USF Research, supports promising research at a pivotal moment, helping ideas move from the lab to the marketplace.

Join us in celebrating these innovators who are shaping the future of health and science! Learn more about their work: https://ow.ly/eyMc50ZBCBV

USF Research Development Institute Director Sandy Justice was recently interviewed by Society of Research Administrators International - SRAI Catalyst Feature Editor Kimberly Read for a story on how universities can build or redesign a research development program: https://ow.ly/UYn650ZBEeF

Excited to welcome USF's newest faculty and share how USF Research supports innovation, collaboration & faculty success at New Faculty Orientation! 🤟We look forward to partnering with you as you shape the future of research at USF!

Dr. Amir Tabatabaei, assistant professor at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, is investigating whether dry needling, a technique that uses thin needles to target muscle knots, can safely and effectively relieve MS-related leg pain. 🦵Chronic pain is one of the most complex symptoms of MS, and current treatments often fall short. Tabatabaei’s research, funded by The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers, aims to find new solutions that go beyond pain relief and help patients regain function and independence.

Participants complete nine visits, including dry needling sessions and mobility assessments. 🚶‍♀️The study, in partnership with the USF Health Comprehensive MS Center, is still recruiting adults with lower-extremity pain lasting three months or more.

Learn more about this innovative research and how to participate: https://www.usf.edu/health/news/2026/can-dry-needling-relieve-multiple-sclerosis-pain-usf-health-researchers-are-testing-it.aspx

Can dry needling relieve multiple sclerosis pain? USF Health researchers are testing it USF Health researchers are studying whether dry needling can safely reduce chronic leg pain and improve mobility in people with multiple sclerosis. Led by Amir Tabatabaei and the USF Health School of Physical Therapy, the study hopes to validate a new approach to managing one of the disease’s most...

🌪️ As Florida enters the peak of hurricane season, Sarasota County transportation engineer Wafa Mahmoud is ready to face the unexpected. For over a decade, she’s been on the front lines after storms, documenting flooded streets and damaged traffic signals and ensuring help reaches those who need it most.

“Sarasota County experienced significant impacts from Hurricane Milton, and our teams faced the enormous task of assessing damage across hundreds of miles of roadway,” says Mahmoud, a USF doctoral student. “The faster we identify hazards, the quicker we can support our community’s recovery.”

Now, USF Assistant Professor Hao Zhou and the Center for Urban Transportation Research - CUTR are harnessing the power of AI to revolutionize storm recovery. In partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation and Sarasota County, Zhou’s team is developing AI-powered dashcams to help officials assess storm damage faster, restore traffic signals and prioritize repairs.

The AI dashcams, which will be tested this fall, create a searchable visual database, identify damage and generate reports that save precious time during recovery efforts. Zhou’s team is also developing smart routing tools for repair crews and using AI to analyze social media posts, giving agencies real-time insights into community needs that sensors might miss.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/ytlL50ZyUP2

Sign up now for this 5-week workshop!

Mondays, 1pm – 4pm on:
September 21st (in-person), September 28th (via Teams),
October 12th @ InfoSec World (in-person at ow.ly/MgEv50ZiGxu,
October 26th (via Teams) & November 2nd (in-person)
USF Tampa Campus

Deadline to Apply: 08/28/26
To Apply: ow.ly/MWyM50ZiGx0

For More Information:
[email protected]

🐢 It's hatchling emergence season in Florida, the most magical and perilous time of year for sea turtles. From May through October, thousands of baby turtles make the dangerous dash from nest to ocean, guided only by instinct and ancient cues.

“The story starts with the mother,” USF St. Petersburg biologist Deby Cassill explains. She may travel thousands of miles to return to the very beach where she was born, using Earth’s magnetic field as her map. Under the cover of night, she digs a deep nest with her back legs, lays her eggs, carefully covers them and disappears into the sea. 🌊

To improve her offspring's chances of survival, Cassill’s research reveals that sea turtle mothers “hedge their bets” by spreading nests across the beach, a strategy to outsmart predators and storms.

Weeks later, the hatchlings emerge into a world full of threats as they follow the horizon, the sound of waves and the scent of the sea, racing toward survival. Few will return decades later to continue the cycle. “Over her lifetime, a mother may lay 4,000 eggs, but only a handful of daughters will return to her beach,” Cassill says.

Discover the science and wonder behind this epic journey: https://ow.ly/UmwJ50Zv0PS

How Florida’s sea turtle hatchlings find the ocean in the dark Biologist Deby Cassill explains how hatchlings navigate to the ocean and her theory for how sea turtle mothers manage one of nature’s longest survival gambles.

The 2026 OneUSF Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium launched last week with the announcement of a $25,000 endowment for undergraduate research, generously established by USF doctoral alumna Rita Chattopadhyay. 🎉 The Bijoli Ashok Chatterjee and Barin Mukherjee Memorial Research Award, created in honor of her parents, will empower future innovators in STEM and medical advancement.

The symposium, organized by USF's Office of Student Engagement in Research & Innovation (SERI), brought together 151 scholars presenting 128 research projects across the campuses at University of South Florida Tampa and USF St. Petersburg. 🤟Participants included USF undergraduates, recent graduates, and students from 22 other institutions, all united by a passion for discovery and impact.

From fighting infection and reducing food waste to expanding healthcare access and advancing AI, the students' projects showcased the power of undergraduate research to solve today’s most pressing challenges. With support from dedicated faculty mentors and new investments like Chattopadhyay’s endowment, USF students are shaping a brighter future for our communities and beyond.

Discover more: https://ow.ly/PgSW50ZuEeK