Issue: ORN-2026-09
NJIT Research Newsletter includes recent awards, and announcements of research related seminars, webinars, national and federal research news related to research funding, and Grant Opportunity Alerts (with links to sections). The Newsletter is posted on the NJIT Research Website https://research.njit.edu/funding-opportunities.
CTR Workshop on PFAS Challenges:
Translational Research and Technology Innovations for PFAS Decontaminations
Full Announcement and Preliminary Program: Click Here
Sponsored by
NSF ART (Accelerating Research Translation) Program at NJIT
National Academy of Inventor (NAI) – NJIT Chapter
Co-organizers and Co-Chairs
Atam Dhawan, Senior Vice Provost for Research, NJIT; Executive Director – Center for Translational Research
Nick DeNichilo, Vice Co-Chair, NJIT Board of Trustees; Former President &CEO at Mott MacDonald – North America (retired)
Siavash Isazadeh, Ph.D., P.E., Sr. Technical. Director, Technical, Strategy & Innovation, Veolia-North America
Richard Calbi Jr. P.E., P.P., Director of Operations – Ridgewood Water, NJ
Stewart Abrams, Director of Remediation Technology, Langan Engineering & Environmental Service
Date and Venue: April 24, 2026, 8.00 AM – 5.00 PM; Ballroom A&B, NJIT Campus Center
Breakfast and Light Lunch Provided
Registration Requested: Please Click Here to Register Now
The Center for Translational Research (CTR) workshop on PFAS Challenges is focused on translational research and innovative technologies for detecting and managing PFAS related contaminants in water, soil, air, infrastructure and consumable products. The CTR Workshop will engage faculty, research staff, undergraduate and graduate students and postdocs and external partners including major NJ universities, industry, utilities, business accelerators, government and community stakeholders who are pursuing or are interested in translational research and innovative technology development for removing the PFAS related contaminations in water, soil, air, infrastructure and environment for sustainable societies.
Who Should Attend: Faculty, research staff, undergraduate and graduate students and postdocs and external partners including major NJ universities, industry, utilities, business accelerators, government and community stakeholders who are pursuing or are interested in translational research and innovative technology development for removing the PFAS related contaminations in water, soil, air, infrastructure and environment for sustainable societies should attend and would be benefited from the workshop.
Why You Should Attend: As a follow up to the 2025 CTR PFAS Workshop on PFAS Challenges, the 2026 CTR workshop will focus on the recent advances and developments in PFAS detection, monitoring, destruction and remediation technologies with a new strategic initiative of establishing the New Jersey PFAS Partnership Innovation Consortium (NJ PFAS-PIC) as an industry-university-government-community ecosystem.
The CTR 2026 workshop attendees will have the opportunity to learn about recent developments and current and future challenges in PFAS decontamination technologies and associated regulatory policies for its societal impact from the leaders in industry, academia and government sectors.
In addition, the Industry-University-Community Showcase on Technology Innovations in PFAS Decontamination will feature more than 30 companies, academic research centers and laboratories, and global, national, state and regional utilities working in the cutting-edge of technology innovations and deployment for addressing the critical challenges of PFAS management in environment, soil, water, consumable products and infrastructure.
Seats are limited. Please Register Here Now.
NSF: Pathways to Enable Secure Open-Source Ecosystems (PESOSE)
NIH: Facilities or Research-Resource Facilities (C06); Forecast: NextTech: Translational Development of Next-Generation Diagnostic and Therapeutic Devices (R18)
Department of Defense/US Army/DARPA/ONR: Emerging Weapons and Munitions Systems and Soldier Lethality Related Technologies
Department of Energy: Early Career Research Program (ECRP); Consortium for Nuclear Forensics
NASA: B.2 Heliophysics Foundational Research
Tech bills of the week: quantum computing research; AI workforce development; and more: Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, introduced a bill on Monday to amend the National Quantum Initiative Act of 2018 to include stronger provisions for quantum modeling and simulation.
Quantum modeling and simulation involves programming computers to mimic what a fault-tolerant quantum system could do. As a real fault-tolerant, cryptographically-relevant quantum computer is still in development, simulation and modeling systems offer insight into the applications of a quantum computer that can sufficiently process a large number of qubits. “This legislation would ensure quantum molecular simulations and modeling are included in the National Quantum Initiative,” a press release from Feenstra’s office said. “Quantum molecular simulations and modeling will enable scientists to study chemical elements and reactions with unprecedented precision. By harnessing the power of quantum computing, researchers can better understand molecular behavior, including nitrogen fixation, a key process in producing fertilizer for our agriculture industry.”
Expanding AI education and career development opportunities: Sens. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., introduced a bill on Wednesday to improve education and workforce development for emerging technologies — specifically artificial intelligence and quantum computing — via expanded National Science Foundation programming. The NSF AI Education Act would expand scholastic programs to support a domestic workforce fluent in AI and other technologies. Diverse academic institutions, including minority-serving institutions, non-profits, traditional schools and emerging research centers are all eligible to apply for the grant awards the bill proposes. More information is posted on the NextGov website.
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NIST director nominee commits to support AI standards-setting, manufacturing: The nominee to lead the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Purdue University Professor Arvind Raman, told lawmakers at a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing on Thursday that he is committed to advancing the agency’s metrology development for artificial intelligence technologies.
In committing to furthering the U.S.’s leadership in AI, Raman said he prioritized situating American AI policy and metrics as the leading global standard, a position NIST officials also emphasized during the Biden administration. “When America leads in setting global tech standards, it means that the rules — international rules of commerce — are literally being based on American values: free markets, private sector, innovation, privacy, freedom of speech,” Raman said. “When we leave a vacuum for that leadership that allows for other standards that are not based on these values, they're based on state-based ideas… so it's vitally important, from a values point of view, that America leads in standard setting, in advanced technologies.” Raman underscored the economic imperative of having the U.S. be the leader in AI standards setting, highlighting interoperability and compliance benefits in addition to supporting democratic values in emerging tech systems. More information is posted on the NextGov website.
National Science Foundation
National Institutes of Health
Department of Defense
Department of Energy
NASA
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