MESSAGE FROM THE VICE CHANCELLOR OF RESEARCH |
A Tribute to Chancellor Emeritus Kristin Sobolik
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As many of you know, I will become UMSL’s interim Chancellor effective July 1, a role for which I am honored to assume on behalf of the UMSL community. But before I begin this role, I want to pay tribute to Dr. Kristin Sobolik.
I am grateful to Dr. Sobolik for her visionary leadership and commitment to advancing UMSL’s research mission. Dr. Sobolik has been a passionate and tireless champion for building research infrastructure, growing funding and cultivating research partnerships that elevate discovery and impact.
Under Dr. Sobolik’s leadership, UMSL experienced historic growth in external funding, philanthropy, and state legislative support, increasing research expenditures by 295%, private philanthropy by 135%, and receiving unprecedented state legislate support to transform the UMSL campus.
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Dr. Christopher Spilling, Interim Chancellor & Vice Chancellor for Research, Economic & Community Development
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By building strategic partnerships across industry, government, nonprofit and academic sectors, Dr. Sobolik has positioned UMSL as a leader in emerging areas of geospatial technology, engineering, and active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) advanced manufacturing. Her leadership has helped create new opportunities for research, innovation, workforce development, and development of real-world solutions that continue to strengthen the St. Louis region and beyond.
Chancellor Sobolik’s dedication to building a vibrant, collaborative research ecosystem leaves an enduring legacy. On behalf of the entire ORECD team, we are deeply appreciative of Dr. Sobolik’s leadership, partnership, and unwavering belief in what the UMSL research community can achieve.
I know that I speak for many at UMSL and in the St. Louis region -- Dr. Kristin Sobolik will be missed, and her vision and impact will continue to inspire our work for years to come.
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & EVENTS |
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NSF is hosting a variety of application webinars including for the NSF Career competition.
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Gain insights on preparing responsive letters of intent.
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This month's research impact video features Dr. Chris Spilling and the UMSL Chemistry department working in partnership with the API Innovation Center in efforts to reshore Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) toward safeguarding the U.S. drug supply.
Special thanks to the investigators who participated in this series and to Derek Holtman, MarCom and Mary Nguyen, ORECD for producing these videos.
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Dr. Kara Moskowitz is a historian who researches international development, global politics, and modern Africa with a focus on the people too often left out of the story. She uses multi-sited archival research, oral histories, and ethnography to uncover more nuanced histories of global development, which move beyond a focus on those in power and the dominant institutions to explore how ordinary people resisted and reshaped development.
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What is the most exciting thing that you are working on right now? |
Two things, actually. I am collaborating with geographers and historians at King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, and Leipzig University who are interested in similar research questions. Also, I am completing a book about the history of structural adjustment in Kenya, a subject that remains understudied by historians.
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What motivates you to do this work? |
My work is animated by two core commitments: confronting global inequality and elevating the stories of historical actors from the Global South.
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I love to travel, spend time with family, and I am a huge women’s soccer fan. I have attended four World Cups (one men’s and three women’s) in three different countries: USA ’94, USA ’90, Canada 2015, and France 2019.
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Dr. Cynthia Dupureur is a biochemist and faculty fellow in the Graduate School. Her research explores the potential uses of newly synthesized fluorescent compounds and their applications as probes of biological processes including cellular imaging. She is also the inventor of a patented technology that introduces versatile, highly fluorescent, chemically stable molecules that can be precisely tuned for applications ranging from advanced bioimaging and biosensing to environmental monitoring.
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What led you to this work? |
My research interests involved using fluorescence as a means of detection of biological processes. When I learned of my colleague Janet Wilking’s synthetic work on fluorescent compounds, I was intrigued by their potential uses.
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What is the most interesting thing you are working on right now? |
Seeing how a fluorescent molecule can show what is going on in a cell is one of the most astonishing things I have seen in my career. It feels like peeking under Nature’s hood.
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What do you do outside of the lab? |
I enjoy ethnic food, the arts, being outside, biking and yoga. I teach yoga at the Rec Center and play the ukulele.
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Letters of Inquiry for core research grants in multiple areas.
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Research grants on reducing inequality and improving use of research evidence.
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Applications for the Lego Foundation Fellowship for early-and mid-career researchers to strengthen understanding of how children thrive across diverse contexts.
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Spencer Foundation
Deadline: Aug 12, 2026: Intent to Apply - Sept 16, 2026: Full Proposals
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Vision Grants: collaborative large-scale research studies to make education systems more accessible.
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Aug 27, 2026: Concept Papers for Transfer Pathways to the Liberal Arts
Dec 1, 2026: Concept Papers for Cornerstone: Learning for Living initiative.
Dec 1, 2026, Mar 1 & Aug 1, 2027: Concept Papers for Knowledge for Freedom Initiative
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Mathematical and physical sciences, life sciences, neuroscience, and autism research.
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Broad pragmatic studies, substance abuse, comparative clinical effectiveness research.
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FUNDING AGENCY & ORECD ANNOUNCEMENTS |
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Proposed changes to the Federal Uniform Guidance regulations governing federal research funding are set for implementation in October 2026 with significant implications for research institutions.
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The FY2027 proposed federal fringe benefit rate is 26.62% with 7.65% FICA, for a total of 34.27% of salary and wages. New fringe rates for proposal budgeting will use 35%.
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Research — 57.5%
Instruction — 44%
Other Sponsored Activity — 30%
Off-Campus — 26%
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Up-to-date staff directory and department assignments for pre- and post- award.
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The federal government is implementing research security programs to protect federally funded research from foreign interference. Investigators are required to complete annual research security training within the 12-month period preceding the date a grant application is submitted.
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This fellowship aims to strengthen civic infrastructure and advance economic mobility in the St. Louis region. While faculty are not eligible, please share with your networks.
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The Office of Research and Economic & Community Development (ORECD) works to empower UMSL’s research community with the resources, tools and support to conduct rigorous, impactful research and bring your discoveries and creative works to market as useful products, services and solutions that improve people’s lives.
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