Athletics Teams Up to Win $250,000 Provost’s Big Idea Grant

Provost Roy Haggerty and the LSU Office of Academic Affairs announced that in a second round of funding for Big Idea seed grants, the Provost’s Fund for Innovation in Research is investing $1.2 million in 15 interdisciplinary research teams. This substantial investment, the largest internal funding program in LSU’s history, marks a strategic advancement in growing competitively and federally funded research at LSU. The Provost’s Fund directly supports our mission to address critical challenges in Louisiana and to elevate LSU as a comprehensive, leading research university on the national stage.

The $250,000 Phase 3 grant was awarded to develop large, center-scale grant proposals for national impact. Associate Professor of Kinesiology Guillaume Spielmann (College of Human Sciences & Education) will lead a team to establish the first center for athletic research in Louisiana, the Center for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, to support the health and performance of student-athletes as well as warfighters, astronauts and first responders. The effort expands on growing collaborations between the flagship, LSU Health New Orleans and LSU Athletics, and the historic partnership signed by LSU and Our Lady of the Lake Health in 2022. Collaborators on the project include Neil Johannsen, professor of kinesiology (College of Human Sciences & Education); Shelly Mullenix, senior associate athletic director (LSU Athletics); Dr. Hollis O'Neal, associate professor of medicine (LSU Health New Orleans); Dr. Robert Zura, professor of orthopedic surgery (LSU Health New Orleans); Tiffany Stewart, professor and director of the Behavior Technology Laboratory (Pennington Biomedical Research Center). Biomedicine, Defense

Click here to learn more about the 2024 Big Idea Research Grant awardees and their projects.