PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (October 14, 2026) – Since its inception, Prairie View A&M University’s Rapid-Response Grant Program (RAPID) has been helping Panthers push promising ideas from concept to creation.

Established by Dr. Magesh Rajan, vice president of Research & Innovation (VPRI), the initiative provides short-term funding to help PVAMU faculty, staff, and students jump-start innovative projects.

The Division of Research & Innovation has selected eight projects for Cycle 2 of the VPRI-RAPID Innovation Funding Program, providing PVAMU researchers the early support they need to turn ideas into prototypes, patents, and technologies with real-world impact.

The new cohort includes nine researchers, including a student, from the Roy G. Perry College of Engineering and the Marvin and June Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences. Their projects cover artificial intelligence, advanced materials, clean energy, biotechnology, engineering and immersive learning. 

The breadth of their research reflects the expanse of innovation brewing at The Hill, a prestigious Carnegie R2 institution marking 150 years of academic excellence and breakthrough research.

The Cycle 2 innovators are:

  • Colby Woodard and Annamalai Annamalai, Roy G. Perry College of Engineering — FPGA Neural Network MPPT 
  • Daniel Doe, Roy G. Perry College of Engineering — AI-Driven Adaptive VR Learning Platform
  • Yunxiang Gao, Marvin and June Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences — Supramolecular CNT/Microgel Soft Pastes
  • Lujun Zhai, Roy G. Perry College of Engineering — SmartEdge-AI Chip
  • Sameh Abdelwahed, Marvin and June Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences — Novel DNMT1 Inhibitors
  • Gururaj Neelgund, Marvin and June Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences — Engineered MXene for CO₂ Capture
  • Lai Jiang, Roy G. Perry College of Engineering — Optimized Mortise-and-Tenon Hardwood Joints
  • Annamalai Annamalai and Sheikh Tareq Ahmed, Roy G. Perry College of Engineering — SmartCast Reinforcement Learning Broadcast Protocol

Awardees are expected to move their innovations forward, show measurable technical progress, and submit invention disclosures to Research & Innovation. The division then evaluates each disclosure for possible intellectual property protection.

Through the VPRI-RAPID program, R&I is creating a viable pathway to move promising PVAMU discoveries toward real-world application, commercialization, and ultimately, broader societal impact.

As Prairie View works toward R1 status, investments such as VPRI-RAPID strengthen that momentum, building a culture of invention across disciplines while growing the University’s portfolio of intellectual property and fostering new opportunities for faculty and students beyond the classroom.

By Christine Won