CAREER Awards Boost Studies in Robot Security, Drug Development

Five University of Texas at Dallas faculty members received 2025 Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support research to design innovative electric machines, improve robotic-system security, create temperature sensations for virtual reality users, advance digital-storage technology and synthesize new drugs.

The recipients of the five-year grants include Dr. Matthew Gardner, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering; Dr. Chung Hwan Kim, Dr. Jin Ryong Kim and Dr. Bingzhe Li, all assistant professors of computer science in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science; and Dr. Filippo Romiti, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

“We are proud of our most recent CAREER Award recipients and are excited to see what they will accomplish thanks to the NSF’s support,” said Dr. Joseph Pancrazio, vice president for research and innovation and professor of bioengineering. “With expertise ranging from chemistry to computer science and engineering, these researchers are developing new technologies that will positively impact society.”

Since 2010, UT Dallas faculty members have received 63 NSF CAREER awards, which support early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in their fields.

Dr. Matthew Gardner

Gardner’s $500,945 CAREER grant supports his work to build faster computer models that simulate magnetic fields, mechanical stresses and heat flow in electric machines. The models are intended to help engineers create new designs to save energy and reduce costs using a method called topology optimization, which determines the best shape or structure for an electric motor, generator or magnetic gearbox. As part of the project, Gardner will develop assignment modules to teach engineering students how to use coding for engineering calculations and analyses.

Dr. Chung Hwan Kim

Kim was awarded a $531,303 grant to develop new security tools to protect robotic systems from attacks that exploit software and hardware vulnerabilities. Most current security methods focus on either the software or physical parts of robots, but not both, leaving them vulnerable to attacks. Kim aims to build systems that can find weaknesses in how a robot’s computer and physical parts interact, detect attacks in real time, and investigate the attacks to improve the safety and trustworthiness of robotic systems in high-stakes environments.

Dr. Jin Ryong Kim

Kim received a $593,868 CAREER award for his project to design next-generation thermal user interfaces, such as lightweight gloves, sleeves or vests, that combine temperature and touch sensations to make virtual reality (VR) experiences more immersive and realistic. His approach uses thermal masking, where multiple vibrotactile actuators, components that produce movement, interact with a single thermal source to create the illusion of heat or cold at specific body locations. This technique enables precise and natural thermal sensations without requiring many power-hungry heat elements. The goal is to reduce bulk and energy demands while delivering compelling sensations to provide more practical and energy-efficient multisensory VR experiences.

Dr. Bingzhe Li

Li’s $623,733 CAREER award will fund his project to advance DNA storage technology. DNA storage involves storing digital information by encoding it into DNA molecules, making it possible to store and preserve vast quantities of information. The emerging technology is designed to solve challenges with storing digital data, which can degrade over time and requires large amounts of energy and physical space. The project also will provide a platform for teaching critical skills in system building and experimentation.

Dr. Filippo Romiti

Romiti, who is a Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas Scholar, is developing state-of-the-art chemical methods to synthesize complex biologically active molecules found in plants or animals that show promise as medicinal agents and other beneficial materials. His $678,600 CAREER grant supports his research to design, discover, test and improve novel chemical processes, particularly those that will merge single-unit, or monomeric, natural bioactive substances to generate complex heterodimeric natural products, as well as products that have no analog in nature. As part of the grant, Romiti is working with a nonprofit organization to establish an outreach program for local high school students to ignite their interest in chemistry, the art of organic synthesis and science in general.