UML Researchers Break New Ground

Across Disciplines, Faculty and Students Make a Difference in Today's World

CT scan for breast cancer — UMass researchers are developing contrast agents that are specifically designed to recognize breast cancer cells and bind to them to enhance their visibility in spectral CT scans.

01/03/2022

UML researchers are at the forefront of groundbreaking developments in numerous disciplines, from finding ways to end human trafficking to devising new techniques to detect breast cancer.

Faculty and student researchers are in the labs and out in the field collecting data, conducting tests, analyzing results and building prototypes — work that is leading to breakthroughs that are making a difference in the world.

Here’s a look at a few of their projects.

For more information on all of UMass Lowell key research, visit the Research website.

Engineering Prof Wins Grant for Alzheimer’s Research

With her $2.7 million grant for Alzheimer’s research, Assoc. Prof. Joyita Dutta will build models that predict how the disease progresses in the brain.

Chemistry Asst. Prof. Manos Gkikas and grad student

Researchers Develop Advanced Imaging Technique for Detecting Breast Cancer

A team of researchers led by Chemistry Asst. Prof. Manos Gkikas is developing an advanced X-ray imaging method that aims to improve the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer.

NIH Awards $2M for Bone Tissue Engineering

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Chemical Engineering Asst. Prof. Gulden Camci-Unal a five-year grant to support her research on repairing and regenerating bone.

Nursing Professor Uses Mobile Apps to Improve Health

Assoc. Prof. of Nursing Comfort Enah does research on low-cost, mobile health interventions to improve disparate health outcomes in low-income countries and communities.

UMass Lowell Criminology and Justice Studies Chair Sheldon Zhang and Assoc. Prof. Jason Rydberg,

Criminal Justice Faculty Aim to Prevent Labor Trafficking in Tunisia

Criminology and Justice Studies Chair Sheldon Zhang and Assoc. Prof. Jason Rydberg have won grants totaling $1.9 million to tackle human trafficking of domestic servants in Tunisia.

A man talks on the phone and works on a laptop at home while holding his daughter on his lap

Business Professors Examine Employees' Changing Expectations

Management Prof. Kimberly Merriman has been working with Asst. Prof. Tamara Montag-Smit and two students to investigate how remote work is changing the landscape for talent.

UMass Lowell Public Health Prof. Emerita Margaret Quinn

Public Health Researcher Makes Home Care Safer for Patients and Aides

Public Health Prof. Emerita Margaret Quinn does research to improve safety for home care aides and patients.

UML-Led Team Tracks Mercury Pollutants Worldwide

Daniel Obrist, chair of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, is leading a group studying how mercury gas is absorbed by plants, ultimately threatening wildlife and people who eat contaminated fish.

UML Education Assoc. Prof. Jill Lohmeier

Science Education Can Help Slow Climate Change

Education Assoc. Prof. Jill Lohmeier researches using art in public spaces to educate people about climate science.