Research NewsletterIssue: ORN-2025-11

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SAVE THE DATE

CTR Workshop on Translational Research and Technology Innovations for PFAS Decontaminations

Sponsored by

NSF ART (Accelerating Research Translation) Program at NJIT

National Academy of Inventor (NAI) – NJIT Chapter

Co-organizers

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)

Carol Walczyk, Vice President – Engineering, Veolia North America; Vice President – American Water Works Association

Date and Venue: April 24, 2025, 9.00 AM – 4.00 PM; Campus Center Atrium

Faculty, Postdoc and students invited for this great networking opportunity.

More than 150 people are expected to attend. Register and reserve your spot early.

Registration may close before the deadline.

Registration Required: Please RSVP and Register Here by April 9, 2025

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Brief Description: The Center for Translational Research is committed to promoting excellence in collaborative research, innovation partnerships, entrepreneurial pathways, education, training and infrastructure development to translate technology into applications with a high societal and economic impact. To follow up on the CTR mission to enhance the research, innovation and technology entrepreneurship ecosystem at NJIT, we have initiated a series of workshops on pathways to translational research and innovation partnerships, with panel discussions and breakout sessions giving faculty, postdocs and students an opportunity to interact with experts on early and advanced translational research, tech transfer, licensing and funding strategies for entrepreneurial activities. This CTR workshop is focused on translational research and innovative technologies for detecting and managing PFAS related contaminants in water, soil, air, infrastructure and consumable products.

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: The 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. Featured keynote presentations and panel sessions include stimulative and interactive discussions from:

• Government leaders addressing PFAS challenges and specific actions to safeguard public health and environment including elected officials and federal, state, regional departments and agencies.
• Industry leaders pursuing the development of PFAS decontamination and management technologies at global and start-up companies.
• Leaders from major research foundation and private organizations.
• Experts in academia from NJIT and leading NJ universities

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.

For further information, please contact Iris Pantoja (iris.pantoja@njit.edu)

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Recent NJIT PCT Provisional Patent Applications (Filed) 

Patent Title:    System and Method to Manage Wastewater

NJIT Ref No.:   25-014

Inventor(s):     Taylor, Joshua

Patent Application Status:   Filed Provisional Patent Application

Patent Application Filing Date:  3/11/2025

Application Filing No.:   63/769,996

Technology Licensing Status:  Available 

NSF: Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences

NIH: Investigator Gateway Awards for Collaborative T1D Research (R03)

Department of Defense/US Army/DARPA/ONR: Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Department of Defense Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI)

Department of Energy: 2025 Exploratory Research for Extreme-Scale Science

NASA: Several Pending ROSES 2025 RFPs; ROSES 2024: A.52 Advanced Component Technology

National Endowment of Humanities: Humanities Initiatives

Agentic AI adoption is a top priority for defense and intelligence leaders: We are at an inflection point in the global AI race — the defining technological battleground of this century. The rapid development and deployment of agentic AI is not just an imperative but a necessity for the U.S. to maintain its strategic edge in the great power competition.Global powers are increasingly focused on AI advancement as a key area of competition, and the U.S. will face increasing challenges from rivals who are rapidly advancing their capabilities. To stay ahead, the U.S. must prioritize the adoption of agentic AI — self-learning AI systems that autonomously handle a wide range of inquiries and tasks without human intervention. AI agents are not just tools, they are force multipliers that can accelerate operational advantages, enable faster and more accurate decision-making, and streamline logistics. They do this by strengthening and reinforcing defense and intelligence leaders’ greatest assets — their people. As Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) leaders navigate the complexities of modern defense and intelligence operations, the integration of AI agents will become increasingly critical. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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VA grants researchers 90-day reprieve from layoffs: A department spokesperson said the temporary extensions “will ensure continuity of all research efforts while VA conducts a comprehensive assessment of ongoing research initiatives to evaluate their impact on Veteran health care.” The Department of Veterans Affairs is providing term-limited researchers a temporary extension of their appointments if they are set to expire in the next 90 days, according to an email sent to VA personnel on Friday. In the memo, acting Chief Research and Development Officer Grant Huang said those with ‘Not to Exceed’ — or NTE — term limits, as well as those who are ‘Without Compensation’ — or WOC — employees would be eligible for a 90-day extension of their appointments if they are set to end in the following 90 days. More information is posted on the NextGov website.