George Mason University faculty members received 20 collaborative research awards through 4-VA@Mason for the 2026-27 academic year, following the largest number of submissions since the program launched more than a decade ago.
4-VA is a statewide consortium of nine Virginia higher education institutions that supports research collaboration across the humanities and sciences.
The program provides seed funding designed to bring researchers from different universities together, reduce duplication across institutions, and create experiential research opportunities for students.
Participating institutions include George Mason, Christopher Newport University, William & Mary, James Madison University, Old Dominion University, Radford University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Military Institute, and Virginia Tech.
Several George Mason faculty members are serving as lead principal investigators on newly funded projects.
Breana Bayraktar of the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning will lead a cross-institutional study examining AI-influenced feedback practices with researchers from UVA, JMU, and William & Mary.
Sungsoo Ray Hong of the College of Engineering and Computing will collaborate with Virginia Tech on multi-robot video sensemaking for urban missing-person searches.
Other projects include Emily Ihara’s work on Opening Minds Through Art in Virginia, Jennifer Salerno’s research into coral microbiomes and reef resilience, and Daniel W. Smith’s research into disinfection byproduct formation and toxicity.
Monique van Hoek will collaborate with Virginia Tech on using bacteria to produce a biocatalyst for rare-earth-element extraction.
Allison Ward will work with JMU, Radford, and UVA on improving clinical practicum experiences for reading specialist candidates.
Xuesu Xiao will collaborate with UVA on agile, proactive, and autonomous first-responder robots.
George Mason researchers are also participating as co-principal investigators on projects led by other 4-VA institutions.
Those efforts cover secure energy infrastructure, reproductive health, next-generation UAV networks, generative AI interfaces, leadership studies, autism support applications, urban greenspace, data center planning, large language model safety, and hardware security.
4-VA@Mason is additionally supporting an extension of Quentin Saunders’ research with UVA on a semi-autonomous hand exoskeleton designed to restore functional grasp for stroke survivors.
The next 4-VA proposal cycle for the 2027-28 academic year is expected to open in mid-December 2026.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our 4-VA program is a wonderful example of how supporting cross-institutional efforts can improve higher education and boost faculty and student research, which benefits our state and beyond.”
“Quentin and his team have made exciting advances in the development of a hand exoskeleton for stroke victims, which has been very well received in testing. However, with just a little more work, they believe the exoskeleton can be expanded for a much broader range of tasks for use in activities of daily living. It’s just this type of project that 4-VA can bring to life.”
Janette Muir, 4-VA@Mason Campus Coordinator and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
