News

(Left) Seung Duk Lee, M.D., Ph.D., a VCU Health Hume-Lee robotics surgeon, with Kush Savsani, a research assistant and incoming student at the VCU School of Medicine, are among the recipients of the latest round of Commercialization Fund awards. (Photo by Jeff Kelley)

From cancer to road safety, VCU innovators explore solutions with new round of funding

June 4, 2024

Spring 2024 grants from the Commercialization Fund aim to propel campus inventions into the marketplace.

Ivelina Metcheva, Ph.D., assistant vice president for innovation at VCU TechTransfer and Ventures; Lauren Siff, M.D., representing the winning team SurgicalED VR; and Brent Fagg, assistant director for innovation at VCU TechTransfer and Ventures, at the VCU Startup Accelerator’s first Pitch Day competition. (VCU TechTransfer and Ventures)

Virtual-reality surgical trainer earns top spot in first Pitch Day event for VCU faculty entrepreneurs

May 29, 2024

Urogynecology team led by Lauren Siff is among the inaugural cohort of the Startup Accelerator, which propels campus innovation toward commercial markets.

Skye Thurston, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering and physics, was among the student researchers to feature their work at two recent poster symposiums. (Photo by Dina Weinstein, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Hundreds of posters reveal one compelling story of VCU student research

May 7, 2024

Undergraduate and graduate symposiums, part of annual VCU Research Weeks, highlight projects that touch on an array of disciplines, notable history and scientific potential.

Four current VCU students and two alums have received NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. (File photo)

Four VCU students and two recent alums selected for prestigious National Science Foundation funding

May 1, 2024

The Graduate Research Fellowship Program supports their advancement in STEM disciplines.

Sheila Hernandez-Rubio will spend two years conducting research with the NIH after graduation, looking into health disparities in Black and Hispanic communities. (Kevin Morley, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Class of 2024: Family and diversity inspire Sheila Hernández-Rubio on her path toward medicine and community

April 30, 2024

With a NIH project starting soon, pre-med student embraces how undergraduate research and multicultural groups shaped her VCU experience.

VCU chemistry professor Mychal Smith, who began doing strongman competitions in 2018, recently attended the Arnold Amateur World Championships, finishing 11th in his group. (Owens Media)

Powerhouse professor Mychal Smith is one of the world’s strongest men

April 3, 2024

Smith, a teaching assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry, balances his time in the classroom with an unlikely hobby: amateur strongman competitions.

Jaelyn Jenifer said that when she transferred to VCU, “I wanted to put myself in a position to be challenged.” (Kevin Morley, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

How I found my research: Jaelyn Jenifer hopes to be a ‘guardian of public health’

March 7, 2024

Undergraduate student researcher and aspiring forensic toxicologist studies medications used in the treatment of HIV infections.

Roudabeh Moazeni-Ph.D.,VCU College of Engineering; Xuewei Wang, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Chemistry; Brent Fagg, senior licensing associate, and Ivelina Metcheva, Ph.D., assistant vice president for innovation, both with VCU TechTransfer and Ventures; Rodney Davis, VCU translational research fellow, Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering; P. Srirama Rao, Ph.D., vice president for research and innovation; L. Franklin Bost, professor emeritus in biomedical engineering innovation and development at the VCU Institute for Engineering and Medicine; Chandra Briggman, Activation Capital president and CEO. Seated: Gerard Eldering, entrepreneur-in-residence, and Magdalena Morgan, Ph.D., director of licensing, both with VCU TechTransfer and Ventures.

VCU’s new Startup Accelerator will propel university research that has market potential

March 6, 2024

Program to ‘fast-track’ emerging companies reflects how innovation and entrepreneurship are growing as VCU sets funding records.

In the Laboratory for Forensic Toxicology Research, Alaina Holt demonstrates an analysis of e-liquids containing unlisted ingredients. (Photo by Kevin Morley, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Class of 2023: Alaina Holt’s research into vaping and THC-related products is helping keep the public safe

Dec. 4, 2023

Holt’s research mentor, Michelle Peace, said the doctoral student's tenacity, passion and positive energy have helped “make the magic happen” in the Laboratory for Forensic Toxicology Research.

Amanda Harris, Ph.D., a teaching associate professor of chemistry, meets with students in the Science Hub as part of student hours in VCU’s new STEM building on Franklin Street. (Photo by Thomas Kojcsich, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

In ‘breaking’ traditional office hours, VCU is helping students succeed

Nov. 13, 2023

The new approach – “student hours” – in VCU’s Science Hub in the new STEM building is being embraced by students and faculty alike.