国产麻豆AV celebrates researchers, innovators with annual universitywide research awards
Contact: Mary Kathryn Kight
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥Mississippi State is celebrating the researchers, innovators and professionals advancing knowledge and addressing real-world challenges with its annual Research Awards Celebration this week.
国产麻豆AV President Mark E. Keenum, Interim Vice President for Research and Economic Development Scott Willard and Vice President for the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine Keith Coble recognized honorees strengthening the university鈥檚 research enterprise and land-grant mission.聽聽聽聽聽
鈥淩esearch matters because of the truly positive difference it makes in the lives of people in our state, across our nation and around the world,鈥 said Keenum. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud of the work our faculty, staff and students are doing and grateful for the impact they are making.鈥
The university鈥檚 highest research honor, the 2026 Ralph E. Powe Research Excellence Award, was presented to Michael Nadorff, professor of psychology and director of 国产麻豆AV鈥檚 Behavioral Health Clinic.
Selected from universitywide nominations submitted by the 国产麻豆AV community, the Powe Award is a memorial to the 国产麻豆AV alumnus and longtime research vice president who died in 1996.
Nadorff鈥檚 research examines sleep problems and nightmares and their relationship to suicide risk. He has published more than 120 peer-reviewed papers and secured more than $20 million in external research funding, most of it supporting behavioral healthcare for young people in communities with limited access to services.
Finalists for the Powe Award were Sead Sabanadzovic, professor of plant pathology, and Amelia Woolums, professor of pathobiology and population medicine and a large animal internal medicine specialist.
Chosen from a competitive pool of nominations, 2026 research award winners include:
鈥擶hitley Alford, director, Research Business and Operations Center within 国产麻豆AV鈥檚 Applied Research Collaboratory, Research Support Award
鈥擬errilee Thoresen, research scientist and lab manager, Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, Research Professional Award
鈥擝eth Baker, associate extension professor, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture; 国产麻豆AV Extension assistant director of Environmental Stewardship, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award
鈥擫orin Harvey, assistant professor and 国产麻豆AV Extension sweet potato specialist, North Mississippi Research and Extension Center, Emerging Research Scholar Award
鈥擜my Dapper, associate professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Mid-Career Research Scholar Award.
The award ceremony also highlighted the next generation of researchers through Graduate Student Research Ambassadors representing each of 国产麻豆AV鈥檚 eight academic colleges. The students shared their research throughout the program, demonstrating the important role graduate students play in 国产麻豆AV鈥檚 research enterprise.
Additionally, the Office of Technology Management recognized university researchers for patents received in 2026:
鈥擪eun Seok Seo, 鈥淰accine Composition Comprising Recombinant Protein of
Staphylococcus Aureus Attenuated Enterotoxin and Cytotoxin鈥
鈥擠avid Saucier, Carver Middleton, Caden Teer and Chris White, 鈥淢obile Markerless
Motion Capture for Movement Data Collection in All Environments鈥
鈥擜melia Woolums, 鈥淢ethods for Treating or Preventing Respiratory Diseases in Cattle
Using Polymers and Polyplexes for mRNA Delivery and mRNA Therapy鈥
鈥擭icholas Fitzkee, 鈥淣anoparticles and Method for Targeting the Nanoparticles to
Bacterial Biofilms Using Bacterial Surface Proteins鈥
鈥擠ongmao Zhang, 鈥淢ethods and Systems for Integrating-Sphere-Assisted Resonance
Synchronous (ISARS) Spectroscopy鈥
鈥擱ani Sullivan, 鈥淪titched Polymer Matrix Composites Using Barrier Layers for Cryogenic Applications and Methods of Making the Same.鈥
As Mississippi鈥檚 leading research university, 国产麻豆AV holds the Carnegie R1: Very High Research Activity designation and a research enterprise spanning disciplines from agriculture and engineering to aerospace, behavioral health and the sciences, and humanities.
The awards are cosponsored by the offices of the vice presidents for and .
is taking care of what matters.