Physicist Secures DoE Funding

Alabama A&M University physicist Padmaja Guggilla (Dr. Paddy) has received $201,000 in funding from Department of Energy to increase, retain, and empower students traditionally marginalized in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields, particularly in physics.

The project represents a collaboration of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the University of Texas at El Paso, North Carolina Central University and Alabama A&M University and has a total budget of $750,000. One of the main components of the proposal is to provide a summer research experience at ORNL for students.

Dr. Guggilla will coordinate the activities with help from seven ORNL co-principal investigators. It will leverage interuniversity and national laboratory cooperation to increase the diversity of high-energy physics (HEP) researchers. Through this project, faculty will also join the trainees at ORNL during the summer.

Guggilla, professor of physics, is currently serving as associate dean of the College of Engineering, Technology and Physical Sciences (CETPS) for Student Success.  She also chairs the Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, as well as oversees multimillion- dollar grants from various funding agencies.