Funded proposals address environmental issues at the interface of two or more Gund research themes: climate solutions, sustainable agriculture, health and well-being, resilient communities, and equity and justice.
In eight years, Gund Catalyst Awards have issued over $1.8 million in startup funds, supporting 28 innovative projects and over 140 UVM scholars. These projects have generated over $40M in external funds and inspired real-world action.
In 2025, the Gund Institute launched the Gund Impact Awards, which aim to move solutions-oriented research to real-world action. Impact projects apply and scale solutions to environmental challenges based on demonstrated proof of concept and collaboration between UVM researchers and external partners.
The Gund Impact Award competition will provide $100,000 per project, plus funding for a two-year postdoctoral fellow at UVM. The Gund Institute intends to fund one project this award cycle, to run March 1, 2026 – August 31, 2028 (30 months).
This competition is currently closed.
Funded Research
Explore our research by clicking on the PDF or scroll through awards by year.
See summary of previous research awards (PDF)2025
How Land Conversion in the Brazilian Cerrado Affects Childhood Health
Land Use Change and Early Childhood Health Outcomes: A Brazil Case Study
Dates Active: October 2024-Current
Project Leads: Kelsey Gleason (PI), Gillian Galford (Co-PI)
UVM Team: Mojtaba Zeraatpisheh (postdoc), Ariane de Alemeida Rodrigues (postdoc), Uyoyoghene Adeyemo (Ph.D. student), Lara de Macedo Monteiro (Ph.D. student), Hannah Turner (research specialist), Nick Preschel (undergraduate research assistant)
External Collaborators: Ludmilla Rattis, Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM); Daniel Veriera, EMBRAPA
Gund Themes: Sustainable Agriculture, Health and Well-being, Resilient Communities, Equity and Justice
Summary: Researchers are investigating if and how land use changes in Brazil’s Cerrado, South America’s largest savanna and second largest biome after the Amazon, are impacting children’s health, specifically incidences of diarrheal disease and chronic malnutrition. Using remote data, spatial analysis, and machine learning tools, the researchers will combine environmental, socioeconomic, and geospatial data to show how land use is changing in the region and affecting children’s health.
Products:
Presentation at the 2025 American Geophysical Union conference: “Using Machine Learning to Explore Socioeconomic and Environmental Influences on Diarrheal Disease in the Brazilian Cerrado”
Media:
April 28, 2025, Gund Institute Names 2025 Catalyst Award Winners, UVM News
February 17, 2026, From Classroom to Conference: UVM Junior Presents at National Scientific Meeting, UVM News
Understanding How Flooding Affects Vermont’s Soils
Understanding and addressing the impacts of flooding on greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient loss, and microbial community dynamics in agricultural soils
Dates Active: 2025-Current
Project Leads: Matthew Scarborough (PI), Heather Darby (Co-PI)
UVM Team: Carol Adair, Lindsey Ruhl, Agustina Montedonico Beiro
External Collaborators: None
Gund Themes: Climate Solutions, Sustainable Agriculture
Summary: As flooding becomes more common and extreme in Vermont, farmers are increasingly dealing with water-saturated fields. Using soil cores collected from the Borderview Research Farm in Alburg, Vermont, researchers are investigating how flooding affects soil nutrients, the soil microbiome, and the release of greenhouse gas emissions from soils. Researchers are also testing how soils treated with biochar and manure fare when flooded.
Media:
April 28, 2025, Gund Institute Names 2025 Catalyst Award Winners, UVM News
By the numbers
- $1.8M Awarded to 28 Catalyst Awards
- 305 Collaborators from 23 UVM departments and 100+ organizations
- 40:1 Return on investment from subsequent grants
More Information
Eligibility and Requirements
Impact Awards eligibility requirements include:
- The Principal Investigator (PI) on each proposal must be a Gund Fellow.
Each proposal must include one or more UVM co-PIs or collaborators from a different discipline and one or more non-UVM co-PIs or collaborators. Non-academic partners preferred.
Previous Catalyst Award projects (current and past) are eligible to apply.
Gund Impact Awards intend to support research-based solutions that have already demonstrated proof of concept, meaning that solutions have been tested, e.g. via a pilot project, and are ready to be expanded.
Full details are available in the InfoReady application portal.
How to Apply
Full details and instructions on how to apply for a Gund Impact Award, including an FAQ document, are available in the InfoReady application portal.
Required Files:
Project proposal (see InfoReady for instructions)
Budget and Justification (use template provided in InfoReady)
Collaborators list (use template provided in InfoReady)
2-page CVs for PI, co-PIs, and collaborators (as applicable)
- Completed signature page (template in InfoReady)
One-page letter of support from non-UVM partner(s)
Note: Applicants must follow all relevant procedures within their academic units, including pre-award processes.
Questions?
Contact Gund Program Specialist Bailey Rowland with questions at any time. bailey.rowland@uvm.edu or to explore other funding opportunities, contact OVPR's Research Development office.