Undergraduate research opportunities for summer 2026 through Iowa EPSCoR Chemurgy 2.0 announced

Dordt University is one of several colleges and universities offering undergraduate research opportunities this summer as part of Iowa EPSCoR Chemurgy 2.0. Undergraduate students who are enrolled at primarily undergraduate institutions and are U.S. citizens are encouraged to apply.

Iowa EPSCoR Chemurgy 2.0 is a state-wide program on networked research experiences for undergraduates. Dordt is one of several Iowa institutions where researchers collaborate to build the knowledge, infrastructure, and capacity for the state to be a leader in advanced biomanufacturing. The National Science Foundation (NSF) is providing support in the form of a five-year, $20 million grant from the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) to researchers across the state of Iowa who will work to adapt and modernize the concept of “chemurgy,” a term coined by agricultural scientist and inventor George Washington Carver to describe applied chemistry that produces industrial materials from crops. The project is known as Chemurgy 2.0.

The projects listed below provide opportunities for students at PUIs to actively participate in the integration of bioscience research with advanced manufacturing through mentored faculty research, working together to make the state of Iowa a leader in the field of advanced biomanufacturing.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No.2242763.

Participating in an Iowa EPSCoR Undergraduate Research Experiences

An undergraduate student who is enrolled at a PUI and is a U.S. citizen is eligible to participate. Undergraduate students who participate in these summer research experiences find wonderful opportunities to engage in hands-on research where a project connects directly to a larger state-wide effort. Students also develop skills that are helpful for further study or future employment.

To apply for a Summer 2026 EPSCoR Undergraduate Research Experience, please visit this link. Be sure to complete one application for each project you wish to apply for.

Application deadline is 11:59 p.m. CST on January 31, 2026.

For questions related to the application, please contact Kielstra Center Program Coordinator Emily Mettler. For questions related to a particular project, please contact the faculty mentor(s).

EPSCOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES

A $6,000 stipend and housing allowance are included for all positions.

Molecular Studies of Respiratory Viral Proteins in Epithelial Membranes

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Manuela Ayee-Leong, Engineering, Dordt University

This project is part of a collaborative effort to make Iowa a leader in advanced biomanufacturing, and it gives undergraduate students the chance to study how respiratory viral proteins interact with epithelial cell membranes. Students will learn and use computational tools such as molecular dynamics simulations, protein docking, and statistical analysis to explore these systems. The main goal is to help students build valuable research skills while generating data that can contribute to future scientific publications.

Location: Dordt University, Sioux Center, IA

Engineering Bacillus subtilis as a Microbial Platform for Renewable Phenylpropanoid Biosynthesis

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Preeti Shinde, Biology, Dordt University

This project aims to engineer Bacillus subtilis as a microbial platform for the renewable biosynthesis of phenylpropanoid precursors. It will involve molecular biology, synthetic biology, and metabolic engineering to clone key pathway enzymes, verify their expression, and assess the production of metabolites. The work will establish a foundation for the scalable and sustainable microbial production of high value phenylpropanoids, aligning with Chemurgy 2.0 goals for biobased chemical innovation.

Location: Dordt University, Sioux Center, IA

Modeling polymerization using Dynamical Monte Carlo

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ali Tabei, UNI, seyed.tabei@uni.edu

In this project, we plan to use Dynamical Monte Carlo Modeling to obtain a better understanding of the kinetics of nucleoprotein binding and unbinding from mass photometry data.

Location: University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA

Modeling polymerization using Dynamical Monte Carlo

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Aleksandar Poleksic, UNI, aleksandar.poleksic@uni.edu

The goal of our project is to develop advanced machine learning methods for discovery and validation of biomedical interactions and associations in a comprehensive heterogeneous biomedical network consisting of genes, diseases, symptoms, drugs, side-effects, and other biomedical entities. Unlike existing ML methods that embed data of interest in classical (Euclidean) spaces, our methods will be grounded in novel mathematical theory for representing biomedical objects in spaces of different curvatures, including spherical and hyperbolic geometries. This research will explore whether such representation can enhance the accuracy of our in-house models, leading to better understanding of the underlying mechanism of human diseases.

Location: University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA

Synthesis of Isatins through the DMSO-Mediated Oxidation of Indigo

Faculty Mentor: Dr. James Shriver, Central College, shriverj@central.edu

Our proposal is to develop a mild and low-cost synthesis of isatins for utilization in our indirubin synthesis project. This will be accomplished utilizing our established indigoid synthetic method followed by the oxidation of indigo to isatin using DMSO as the oxidant.

Location: Central College, Pella, IA

The Synthesis of Superabsorbent Polymers from Renewable Sources

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jay Wackerly, Central College, wackerlyj@central.edu

This project will utilize synthetic organic chemistry and chemical analysis techniques in a laboratory setting. Broadly, the Wackerly lab is interested in utilizing carbon dioxide from the air and transforming it into a useful purpose. This project will involve using molecules derived from corn and converting them into novel polymeric products utilizing organic synthesis techniques. Utilizing the new polymer analysis instrumentation available at Central College, these polymers will be evaluated for their viability for use as superabsorbent polymers.

Location: Central College, Pella, IA