Faculty Grants - CAPPA - The University of Texas at Arlington
Source: http://www.uta.edu/academics/schools-colleges/cappa/research/faculty-grants
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:27
Faculty Grants - CAPPA - The University of Texas at Arlington
Faculty Grants
Faculty Research Grants
We are committed to research excellence within the College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs. Our grants provide vital support to faculty members for innovative research projects.
2026 Geisel Faculty Fellows
Drs. Nubras Samayeen, Malini Roy, and Xueyin Bai
Proposal: "Voids to Vitality 2030: Healing Downtown Arlington."
Dr. Julene Paul
Proposal: "Cross-Functional Workforce Models for Rural Texas Public Transit Agencies: Impacts on System Efficiency, Service Reliability, and Workforce Resilience."
2026 Dean's Interdisciplinary Initiative Grant Recipients
Drs. Wei Zhai, Ariadna Reyes-Sánchez, and Atefe Makhmalba
Proposal: "AI-driven Informal House Sensing for Community Resilience: An Interdisciplinary Study."
2025 Geisel Faculty Fellows
Dr. Jiseul Kim and Dr. Evan Mistur
Proposal: "Tax Increment Financing and Equitable Development: The Case of Dallas."
Dr.
Ariadna Reyes-Sanchez
Proposal: "Insecure Communities: A Mixed-Method Assessment of Physical Energy Insecurity in El Paso."
Dr. Jiwon Suh
Proposal: "Understanding Informal Healthcare and Roles of Health Fairs for Underserved Communities."
2025 Deans Interdisciplinary Grant Recipients
Dr.
Jiwon Suh (PI), Department of Public Affairs and Planning & Somang Yang (co-PI), School of Architecture
Proposal: "Testing an Intervention of Hydroponic Indoor Garden System in Low-Income Family Houses for Informal Healthcare and Food Accessibility."
2024 Geisel Faculty Fellows
PI: Joowon Im, Co-PI(s): Dennis Chiessa, Letora Anderson, Diane Jones Allen
Proposal: "
Community-Based Comprehensive Plan for the Garden of Eden, FW: Protecting the community’s legacy through sustainable landscape planning"
PI: Julene Paul
Proposal: "
Housing Precarity and Transit-Oriented Development in North Texas: Mobile Home Residents’ Perceptions of TOD in Tarrant County
”
2024 Deans Interdisciplinary Grant Recipients
Lead PI: Mahmoud Bayat, Co-PI: Jianling Li
Innovative Efficient Computational Structural Design for Affordable Housing Development (Phase 1)
PI: Julia Lindgren, PI: Hannah Lebovits
Proposal: "
Design Playbook: Housing for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care"
2023 Geisel Faculty Fellows
Ariadna Reyes-Sanchez
Proposal: "Confronting Precarity in North Texas: Stories of Adaptation and Incremental Housing in Informal Settlements"
Austin Allen, Alan Klein
Proposal: "A Neighborhood Stabilization Overlay for the Joppee Community in Dallas, Texas”
Letora Anderson
Proposal: "JJ. Culbertson Foundation and Downtown Streetscape Enhancements"
Joowon Im
Proposal: “Blue-Green Neighborhood Beautification Design Guidelines and Pilot Project - The Bottom District, Dallas"
Karabi Bezboruah, Emily Nwakpuda
Proposal: “Reimagining Current and Future Resident Engagement in the Arlington Texas Cultural District"
Oswald Jenewein
Proposal: “Visualizing Climate Change in the Build Environment”
Julia Lindgren, Dennis Chiessa
Proposal: “Aurora - Undertaking Future Opportunities: A Strategic Growth Framework for Aurora, Texas - Now Named BRAVE/R Together Project”
Ariadna Reyes-Sanchez (PI), Evan Mistur (PI)
Proposal: "Examining Environmental Injustices: Mapping hyper-local air quality in low-income informal communities in Dallas County."
2023 Deans Interdisciplinary Grant Recipients
Oswald Jenewein (PI), Ariadna Reyes-Sanchez (Co-PI), Michelle Hummel (Co-PI)
Proposal: "Innovative Approaches towards Sustainable Cities: Integrating AI in Participatory Engagement Processes to Enhance Resiliency in the Built Environment"
Mahmoud Bayat (PI), Jianling Li (Co-PI)
Proposal: "
Enhancing Resilience: A Digital Twins Framework of Transportation Networks with a Focus on Economic and Socioeconomic Impacts"
2022 Geisel Faculty Fellows
Julia Lindgren
Proposal: "Black + Brown Engagement in Civic Processes and the Subsequent Impact on Neighborhood Development"
Julia Lindgren, Dennis Chiessa, Lizzie MacWillie
Proposal: "Proposing Interventions for Affordable Density in DFW Neighborhoods"
Charles MacBride, Brad Mccorkle
Proposal: “An Arlington Micro-Community: Documenting Wynn Terrace"
Hannah Lebovits
Proposal: "A Smart Growth Assessment and Policy Process Map for the City of Lavon, Texas"
Narjes Abbasabadi, Atefe Makhmalbaf, Dennis Chiessa
Proposal: "A Community Engaged Approach Critical to Energy Efficiency Systems"
Previous Calls for Proposals
Fall 2025 Call for Proposals: Geisel Grants for Community Impact and Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative
Grant Proposal Template
Opportunity 1: Geisel Grants for Community Impact
Proposal Submission Portal Link
Description
The purpose of Professor Emeritus Paul Geisel’s gift is to “enhance research opportunities on issues affecting municipalities across Texas and the US Southwest region.” CAPPA aims to advance Dr. Geisel’s vision by encouraging continued community engagement by our students and faculty in addressing challenging issues that impact our local and regional communities, particularly those affecting underserved communities. Projects may include, but are not limited to, providing technical assistance; engaging in community design work to address a specific issue (flooding, housing, parks, etc.); or developing plans identified by the community to resolve a particular need (zoning, economic revitalization, historic preservation, etc.
Each Geisel grant should be budgeted in the range of $3,000 ~ $5,000. Up to five proposals during this cycle will be awarded. Student and faculty engagement in a project that impacts a municipality or underserved community in Texas, or the US Southwest region is essential. The project may occur through a traditional course, a studio, a capstone project, or a partnership with external entities such as nonprofits. Faculty who are awarded the grant will be recognized as “Geisel Faculty Fellow.”
The awards can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, etc. but not faculty salary.
Rural areas, neighborhoods and targeted communities, small towns, and cities of less than 150,000 are of particular interest. We are particularly interested in serving General Law cities (under 5,000 population with limited staff); rural areas outside the DFW Metroplex; small cities that are on the path of growth from metro areas and have limited staff/resources to prepare and respond.
Requirements:
All CAPPA faculty are eligible to apply (TT/T and APT; while both full- and part-time are eligible, preference is given to full-time faculty).
The project team
must
include CAPPA faculty and students.
Projects must be comprised of a significant collaboration with a public entity such as a small town or city, regional authority, or nonprofit such as a community development corporation.
Recipients of the Geisel grants will submit
A final report (3-5 pages) that will be posted on our website, and
A choice of either a 36” X 42” poster
OR
a 2-minute video that document the project process and outcomes. The poster will be displayed on the 2
nd
floor of the CAPPA building, and the video will be posted on CAPPA’s website and social media.
The final deliverables are due within a month after the contracted semester of the award ends.
Deliverables will become CAPPA property.
Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI and two proposals per faculty members as Co-PI.
Selection Criteria:
Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.
Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
Research idea has promising community impact.
Research plan is plausible within one semester.
PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.
Past Awardees
:
2024 Geisel Grant Fellows
Joowon Im (LARC), Dennis Chiessa (SoA), Letora Anderson (LARC), Diane Jones Allen (LARC), “Community-Based Comprehensive Plan for the Garden of Eden, FW: Protecting the community’s legacy through sustainable landscape planning.”
Julene Paul (PAPL), “Housing Precarity and Transit-Oriented Development in North Texas: Mobile Home Residents’ Perceptions of TOD in Tarrant County.”
Opportunity 2: Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative
Proposal Submission Portal Link
Description
The purpose of the Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative is to promote CAPPA’s interdisciplinary collaboration in research. This year, one $10,000 grant will be awarded to faculty members in CAPPA to conduct interdisciplinary, innovative research that has a potential to pursue external research funding opportunities in the near future (to position them for high-impact research and raise their chance to secure external funding).
The awards can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, faculty salary or faculty’s travel.
Requirements:
Principal investigator (PI) must be a
full-time
T/TT faculty and faculty with research assignment in CAPPA. Co-PIs can be full-time/part-time faculty. Collaborators can be post-docs or visiting scholars who are faculty members or post-docs in their respective unit at UTA. Preference will be given to PIs who are Assistant or Associate Professors.
One PI and at least one co-PI are required for each interdisciplinary proposal. PI and co-PI(s) must be in different academic programs within CAPPA. Although collaborating with others outside of CAPPA is acceptable, the purpose of this research initiative is to promote collaboration across different disciplines within CAPPA.
Student involvement is highly encouraged.
Required deliverables include
a final report, and
one 36” X 42” poster OR a video that document the research process and outcomes.
In lieu of a final report, accepted or published conference papers are acceptable.
The final deliverables are due within a month after the award ends as indicated in the proposal.
The poster will be displayed on the 2
nd
floor of the CAPPA building, and the video will be posted on CAPPA’s website and social media.
PI/co-PIs agree to submit or co-submit a research proposal (resulting from this seed grant) to an external funding agency (state/ federal/foundation/industry) within two years after the research ends.
Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI.
Selection Criteria:
Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.
Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
Research idea embraces interdisciplinary activities.
Research idea is innovative.
Research has high potential to generate new areas of research and lead to future external funding opportunities. (New areas of research are highly encouraged if they lead to future external funding opportunities?)
Research plan is achievable within one-year time frame.
PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.
Past Awardees
:
2024 Dean’s Interdisciplinary Grant Fellows:
Mahmoud Bayat (SoA) & Jianling Li (PAPL), “Innovative Efficient Computational Structural Design for Affordable Housing Development (Phase 1).”
Julia Lindgren (SoA) & Hannah Lebovits (PAPL), “Design Playbook: Housing for Youth Aging out of Foster Care.”
Evaluation of Proposals:
The review committee members
for both opportunities
include Karabi Bezboruah (chair), Atefe Makhmalbaf, Taner Ozdil, and Jiwon Suh. Committee members are not eligible to serve as PI in both opportunities but could serve as co-PI. In such case they would recuse themselves to avoid any conflict of interest. The committee members have an advisory role, and CAPPA dean will make the selection of winning proposals.
Please click on the
Grant Proposal Template
to download the proposal outline.
Deadline for submissions: March 17, 2025, at 5pm.
Award Notices: April 18, 2025
Research/ Projects Begin: August 2025
Please address any questions you may have to the chair, Karabi Bezboruah, at
bezborua@uta.edu
.
Spring 2025 Call for Proposals: Geisel Grants for Community Impact and Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative
GRANT PROPOSAL TEMPLATE
Opportunity 1: Geisel Grants for Community Impact
Proposal Submission Portal Link
Description:
The purpose of Professor Emeritus Paul Geisel’s gift is to “enhance research opportunities on issues affecting municipalities across Texas and the US Southwest region.” CAPPA aims to advance Dr. Geisel’s vision by encouraging continued community engagement by our students and faculty in addressing challenging issues that impact our local and regional communities, particularly those affecting underserved communities. Projects may include, but are not limited to, providing technical assistance; engaging in community design work to address a specific issue (flooding, housing, parks, etc.); or developing plans identified by the community to resolve a particular need (zoning, economic revitalization, historic preservation, etc.)
Each Geisel grant should be budgeted in the range of $3,000 ~ $5,000. Up to five proposals during this cycle will be awarded. Student and faculty engagement in a project that impacts a municipality or underserved community in Texas, or the US Southwest region is essential. The project may occur through a traditional course, a studio, a capstone project, or a partnership with external entities such as nonprofits. Faculty who are awarded the grant will be recognized as “Geisel Faculty Fellow.”
The awards can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, etc. but not faculty salary.
Rural areas, neighborhoods and targeted communities, small towns, and cities of less than 150,000 are of particular interest. We are particularly interested in serving General Law cities (under 5,000 population with limited staff); rural areas outside the DFW Metroplex; small cities that are on the path of growth from metro areas and have limited staff/resources to prepare and respond.
Requirements:
All CAPPA faculty are eligible to apply (TT/T and APT; while both full- and part-time are eligible, preference is given to full-time faculty).
The project team must include CAPPA faculty and students.
Projects must be comprised of a significant collaboration with a public entity such as a small town or city, regional authority, or nonprofit such as a community development corporation.
Recipients of the Geisel grants will submit:
A final report (3-5 pages) that will be posted on our website, and
A choice of either a 36” X 42” poster
OR
a 2-minute video that document the project process and outcomes. The poster will be displayed on the 2
nd
floor of the CAPPA building, and the video will be posted on CAPPA’s website and social media.
The final deliverables are due within a month after the contracted semester of the award ends.
Deliverables will become CAPPA property.
Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI and two proposals per faculty members as Co-PI.
Selection Criteria:
Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.
Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
Research idea has promising community impact.
Research plan is plausible within one semester.
PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.
Opportunity 2: Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative
Proposal Submission Portal Link
Description:
The purpose of the Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative is to promote CAPPA’s interdisciplinary collaboration in research. This year, one $10,000 grant will be awarded to faculty members in CAPPA to conduct interdisciplinary, innovative research that has a potential to pursue external research funding opportunities in the near future (to position them for high-impact research and raise their chance to secure external funding).
The awards can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, faculty salary or faculty’s travel.
Requirements:
Principal investigator (PI) must be a
full-time
T/TT faculty and faculty with research assignment in CAPPA. Co-PIs can be full-time/part-time faculty. Collaborators can be post-docs or visiting scholars who are faculty members or post-docs in their respective unit at UTA. Preference will be given to PIs who are assistant and associate professors.
One PI and at least one co-PI are required for each interdisciplinary proposal. PI and co-PI(s) must be in different academic programs within CAPPA. Although collaborating with others outside of CAPPA is acceptable, the purpose of this research initiative is to promote collaboration across different disciplines within CAPPA.
Student involvement is highly encouraged:
Required deliverables include: (i) a final report, and (ii) one 36” X 42” poster OR a video that document the research process and outcomes.
In lieu of a final report, accepted or published conference papers are acceptable.
The final deliverables are due within a month after the award ends as indicated in the proposal.
The poster will be displayed on the 2
nd
floor of the CAPPA building, and the video will be posted on CAPPA’s website and social media.
PI/co-PIs agree to submit or co-submit a research proposal (resulting from this seed grant) to an external funding agency (state/ federal/foundation/industry) within two years after the research ends.
Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI.
Selection Criteria:
Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.
Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
Research idea embraces interdisciplinary activities.
Research idea is innovative
Research has high potential to generate new areas of research and lead to future external funding opportunities. New areas of research are highly encouraged if they lead to future external funding opportunities
Research plan is achievable within one-year time frame.
PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.
Evaluation of Proposals:
The review committee members
for both opportunities
include Karabi Bezboruah (chair), Shadi Nazarian, Taner Ozdil, and Jiwon Suh. Committee members are not eligible to serve as PI in both opportunities but could serve as co-PI. In such case they would recuse themselves to avoid any conflict of interest. The committee members have an advisory role, and CAPPA dean will make the selection of winning proposals.
Deadline for submissions is
November 15, 2024, at 5pm.
Please address any questions you may have to the chair, Karabi Bezboruah, at
bezborua@uta.edu
.
2024 Call for Proposal: Geisel Grants for Community Impact and Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative
Opportunity 1: Geisel Grants for Community Impact
Proposal Submission Portal Link
The purpose of Professor Emeritus Paul Geisel’s gift is to “enhance research opportunities on issues affecting municipalities across Texas and the US Southwest region.” CAPPA aims to advance Dr. Geisel’s vision by encouraging continued community engagement by our students and faculty in addressing challenging issues that impact our local and regional communities, particularly those affecting underserved communities. Projects may include, but are not limited to, providing technical assistance; engaging in community design work to address a specific issue (flooding, housing, parks, etc.); or developing plans identified by the community to resolve a particular need (zoning, economic revitalization, historic preservation, etc.)
Each Geisel grant should be budgeted in the range of $3,000 ~ $5,000. Up to two proposals during this cycle will be awarded. Student and faculty engagement in a project that impacts a municipality or underserved community in Texas, or the US Southwest region is essential. The project may occur through a traditional course, a studio, a capstone project, or a partnership with external entities such as nonprofits. Faculty who are awarded the grant will be recognized as “Geisel Faculty Fellow.”
The awards can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, etc. but not faculty salary.
Rural areas, neighborhoods and targeted communities, small towns, and cities of less than 150,000 are of particular interest. We are particularly interested in serving General Law cities (under 5,000 population with limited staff); rural areas outside the DFW Metroplex; small cities that are on the path of growth from metro areas and have limited staff/resources to prepare and respond.
Requirements:
All CAPPA faculty are eligible to apply (TT and NTT; while both full- and part-time are eligible, preference is given to full-time faculty).
The project team must include CAPPA faculty and students.
Projects must be comprised of a significant collaboration with a public entity such as a small town or city, regional authority, or nonprofit such as a community development corporation.
Recipients of the Geisel grants will submit a final report (3-5 pages) and one 36” X 42” poster that document the project process and outcomes.
The final deliverables are due within a month after the contracted semester of the award ends.
Deliverables will become CAPPA property.
Recipients agree to participate in future programs and events that feature the Geisel grants outcomes such as CAPPA Research Day.
Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI and two proposals per faculty members as Co-PI.
Selection Criteria:
Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.
Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
Research idea has promising community impact.
Research plan is plausible within one semester.
PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.
Opportunity 2: Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative
Proposal Submission Portal Link
Description
The purpose of the Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative is to promote CAPPA’s interdisciplinary collaboration in research. Calls for proposals in two consecutive years are expected. This year, one $10,000 grant will be awarded to faculty members in CAPPA to conduct interdisciplinary, innovative research that has a potential to pursue external research funding opportunities in the near future (to position them for high-impact research and raise their chance to secure external funding).
The award can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, faculty salary or faculty’s travel.
Requirements:
Principal investigator (PI) must be a
full-time
T/TT faculty and faculty with research assignment in CAPPA. Co-PIs can be full-time/part-time faculty. Collaborators can be post-docs or visiting scholars who are faculty members or post-docs in their respective unit at UTA. Preference will be given to PIs who are assistant and associate professors.
One PI and at least one co-PI are required for each interdisciplinary proposal. PI and co-PI(s) must be in different academic programs within CAPPA. Although collaborating with others outside of CAPPA is acceptable, the purpose of this research initiative is to promote collaboration across different disciplines within CAPPA.
Student involvement is highly encouraged.
Required deliverables include a report and one 36” X 42” poster that document the research process and outcomes. In lieu of a report, accepted or published conference papers are acceptable.
The final deliverables are due within a month after the award ends as indicated in the proposal.
The poster as deliverable will become CAPPA property.
PI/co-PIs agree to submit or co-submit a research proposal (resulting from this seed grant) to an external funding agency (state or federal) within two years after the research ends.
Recipients agree to participate in future programs or events that feature the research outcomes such as CAPPA Research Day.
Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI.
Selection Criteria:
Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.
Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
Research idea has embraces interdisciplinary activities.
Research idea is innovative.
Research has high potential to open up new areas of research and lead to future external funding opportunities. (New areas of research are highly encouraged if they lead to future external funding opportunities)
Research plan is achievable within one-year time frame.
PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.
Evaluation of Proposals:
The review committee members
for both opportunities
include Austin Allen (chair), Karabi Bezboruah, Shadi Nazarian and Qisheng Pan. Committee members are not eligible to serve as PI in both opportunities but could serve as co-PI. In such case they would recuse themselves to avoid any conflict of interest. The committee members have an advisory role, and CAPPA dean will make the selection of winning proposals.
Deadline for submissions is Friday, February 16th 5pm. Please address any questions you may have to the chair, Austin Allen
austin.allen2@uta.edu
Grant Proposal Template
Review Committee
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Karabi Bezboruah
Professor
Associate Dean for Faculty Success and Research, Director of PhD Programs
Public Affairs and Planning
Email:
bezborua@uta.edu
Phone #:
(817) 272-3301
Office:
320
Profile
Jiwon Suh
Associate Professor of Public Affairs
Public Affairs and Planning
Email:
jiwon.suh@uta.edu
Phone #:
817-272-2801
Office:
326
Profile
Taner R. Özdil,
Ph.D., ASLA
Associate Professor of Landscape
Associate Director for Research for Center for Metropolitan Density
Email:
tozdil@uta.edu
Phone #:
817-272-2801
Office:
417
Profile
Atefe Makhmalbaf
Associate Professor
School of Architecture
Email:
atefe.makhmalbaf@uta.edu
Phone #:
817-272-2801
Office:
CAPPA 321
Profile
Overview
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Faculty Research Grants
Center for Advanced Design, Research, and Evaluation (CADRE)
Watershed Urbanism
Water and Human Settlements
Arlington Urban Design Center
Center for Transportation, Equity, Decisions and Dollars (CTEDD)
Center for Metropolitan Density
David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture
Digital Architecture Research Consortium
Institute of Urban Studies
Address
College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs
601 W. Nedderman Drive
Suite 203
Arlington, TX 76019-0108
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Faculty Grants
Faculty Research Grants
We are committed to research excellence within the College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs. Our grants provide vital support to faculty members for innovative research projects.
2026 Geisel Faculty Fellows
Drs. Nubras Samayeen, Malini Roy, and Xueyin Bai
Proposal: "Voids to Vitality 2030: Healing Downtown Arlington."
Dr. Julene Paul
Proposal: "Cross-Functional Workforce Models for Rural Texas Public Transit Agencies: Impacts on System Efficiency, Service Reliability, and Workforce Resilience."
2026 Dean's Interdisciplinary Initiative Grant Recipients
Drs. Wei Zhai, Ariadna Reyes-Sánchez, and Atefe Makhmalba
Proposal: "AI-driven Informal House Sensing for Community Resilience: An Interdisciplinary Study."
2025 Geisel Faculty Fellows
Dr. Jiseul Kim and Dr. Evan Mistur
Proposal: "Tax Increment Financing and Equitable Development: The Case of Dallas."
Dr.
Ariadna Reyes-Sanchez
Proposal: "Insecure Communities: A Mixed-Method Assessment of Physical Energy Insecurity in El Paso."
Dr. Jiwon Suh
Proposal: "Understanding Informal Healthcare and Roles of Health Fairs for Underserved Communities."
2025 Deans Interdisciplinary Grant Recipients
Dr.
Jiwon Suh (PI), Department of Public Affairs and Planning & Somang Yang (co-PI), School of Architecture
Proposal: "Testing an Intervention of Hydroponic Indoor Garden System in Low-Income Family Houses for Informal Healthcare and Food Accessibility."
2024 Geisel Faculty Fellows
PI: Joowon Im, Co-PI(s): Dennis Chiessa, Letora Anderson, Diane Jones Allen
Proposal: "
Community-Based Comprehensive Plan for the Garden of Eden, FW: Protecting the community’s legacy through sustainable landscape planning"
PI: Julene Paul
Proposal: "
Housing Precarity and Transit-Oriented Development in North Texas: Mobile Home Residents’ Perceptions of TOD in Tarrant County
”
2024 Deans Interdisciplinary Grant Recipients
Lead PI: Mahmoud Bayat, Co-PI: Jianling Li
Innovative Efficient Computational Structural Design for Affordable Housing Development (Phase 1)
PI: Julia Lindgren, PI: Hannah Lebovits
Proposal: "
Design Playbook: Housing for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care"
2023 Geisel Faculty Fellows
Ariadna Reyes-Sanchez
Proposal: "Confronting Precarity in North Texas: Stories of Adaptation and Incremental Housing in Informal Settlements"
Austin Allen, Alan Klein
Proposal: "A Neighborhood Stabilization Overlay for the Joppee Community in Dallas, Texas”
Letora Anderson
Proposal: "JJ. Culbertson Foundation and Downtown Streetscape Enhancements"
Joowon Im
Proposal: “Blue-Green Neighborhood Beautification Design Guidelines and Pilot Project - The Bottom District, Dallas"
Karabi Bezboruah, Emily Nwakpuda
Proposal: “Reimagining Current and Future Resident Engagement in the Arlington Texas Cultural District"
Oswald Jenewein
Proposal: “Visualizing Climate Change in the Build Environment”
Julia Lindgren, Dennis Chiessa
Proposal: “Aurora - Undertaking Future Opportunities: A Strategic Growth Framework for Aurora, Texas - Now Named BRAVE/R Together Project”
Ariadna Reyes-Sanchez (PI), Evan Mistur (PI)
Proposal: "Examining Environmental Injustices: Mapping hyper-local air quality in low-income informal communities in Dallas County."
2023 Deans Interdisciplinary Grant Recipients
Oswald Jenewein (PI), Ariadna Reyes-Sanchez (Co-PI), Michelle Hummel (Co-PI)
Proposal: "Innovative Approaches towards Sustainable Cities: Integrating AI in Participatory Engagement Processes to Enhance Resiliency in the Built Environment"
Mahmoud Bayat (PI), Jianling Li (Co-PI)
Proposal: "
Enhancing Resilience: A Digital Twins Framework of Transportation Networks with a Focus on Economic and Socioeconomic Impacts"
2022 Geisel Faculty Fellows
Julia Lindgren
Proposal: "Black + Brown Engagement in Civic Processes and the Subsequent Impact on Neighborhood Development"
Julia Lindgren, Dennis Chiessa, Lizzie MacWillie
Proposal: "Proposing Interventions for Affordable Density in DFW Neighborhoods"
Charles MacBride, Brad Mccorkle
Proposal: “An Arlington Micro-Community: Documenting Wynn Terrace"
Hannah Lebovits
Proposal: "A Smart Growth Assessment and Policy Process Map for the City of Lavon, Texas"
Narjes Abbasabadi, Atefe Makhmalbaf, Dennis Chiessa
Proposal: "A Community Engaged Approach Critical to Energy Efficiency Systems"
Previous Calls for Proposals
Fall 2025 Call for Proposals: Geisel Grants for Community Impact and Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative
Grant Proposal Template
Opportunity 1: Geisel Grants for Community Impact
Proposal Submission Portal Link
Description
The purpose of Professor Emeritus Paul Geisel’s gift is to “enhance research opportunities on issues affecting municipalities across Texas and the US Southwest region.” CAPPA aims to advance Dr. Geisel’s vision by encouraging continued community engagement by our students and faculty in addressing challenging issues that impact our local and regional communities, particularly those affecting underserved communities. Projects may include, but are not limited to, providing technical assistance; engaging in community design work to address a specific issue (flooding, housing, parks, etc.); or developing plans identified by the community to resolve a particular need (zoning, economic revitalization, historic preservation, etc.
Each Geisel grant should be budgeted in the range of $3,000 ~ $5,000. Up to five proposals during this cycle will be awarded. Student and faculty engagement in a project that impacts a municipality or underserved community in Texas, or the US Southwest region is essential. The project may occur through a traditional course, a studio, a capstone project, or a partnership with external entities such as nonprofits. Faculty who are awarded the grant will be recognized as “Geisel Faculty Fellow.”
The awards can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, etc. but not faculty salary.
Rural areas, neighborhoods and targeted communities, small towns, and cities of less than 150,000 are of particular interest. We are particularly interested in serving General Law cities (under 5,000 population with limited staff); rural areas outside the DFW Metroplex; small cities that are on the path of growth from metro areas and have limited staff/resources to prepare and respond.
Requirements:
All CAPPA faculty are eligible to apply (TT/T and APT; while both full- and part-time are eligible, preference is given to full-time faculty).
The project team
must
include CAPPA faculty and students.
Projects must be comprised of a significant collaboration with a public entity such as a small town or city, regional authority, or nonprofit such as a community development corporation.
Recipients of the Geisel grants will submit
A final report (3-5 pages) that will be posted on our website, and
A choice of either a 36” X 42” poster
OR
a 2-minute video that document the project process and outcomes. The poster will be displayed on the 2
nd
floor of the CAPPA building, and the video will be posted on CAPPA’s website and social media.
The final deliverables are due within a month after the contracted semester of the award ends.
Deliverables will become CAPPA property.
Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI and two proposals per faculty members as Co-PI.
Selection Criteria:
Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.
Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
Research idea has promising community impact.
Research plan is plausible within one semester.
PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.
Past Awardees
:
2024 Geisel Grant Fellows
Joowon Im (LARC), Dennis Chiessa (SoA), Letora Anderson (LARC), Diane Jones Allen (LARC), “Community-Based Comprehensive Plan for the Garden of Eden, FW: Protecting the community’s legacy through sustainable landscape planning.”
Julene Paul (PAPL), “Housing Precarity and Transit-Oriented Development in North Texas: Mobile Home Residents’ Perceptions of TOD in Tarrant County.”
Opportunity 2: Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative
Proposal Submission Portal Link
Description
The purpose of the Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative is to promote CAPPA’s interdisciplinary collaboration in research. This year, one $10,000 grant will be awarded to faculty members in CAPPA to conduct interdisciplinary, innovative research that has a potential to pursue external research funding opportunities in the near future (to position them for high-impact research and raise their chance to secure external funding).
The awards can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, faculty salary or faculty’s travel.
Requirements:
Principal investigator (PI) must be a
full-time
T/TT faculty and faculty with research assignment in CAPPA. Co-PIs can be full-time/part-time faculty. Collaborators can be post-docs or visiting scholars who are faculty members or post-docs in their respective unit at UTA. Preference will be given to PIs who are Assistant or Associate Professors.
One PI and at least one co-PI are required for each interdisciplinary proposal. PI and co-PI(s) must be in different academic programs within CAPPA. Although collaborating with others outside of CAPPA is acceptable, the purpose of this research initiative is to promote collaboration across different disciplines within CAPPA.
Student involvement is highly encouraged.
Required deliverables include
a final report, and
one 36” X 42” poster OR a video that document the research process and outcomes.
In lieu of a final report, accepted or published conference papers are acceptable.
The final deliverables are due within a month after the award ends as indicated in the proposal.
The poster will be displayed on the 2
nd
floor of the CAPPA building, and the video will be posted on CAPPA’s website and social media.
PI/co-PIs agree to submit or co-submit a research proposal (resulting from this seed grant) to an external funding agency (state/ federal/foundation/industry) within two years after the research ends.
Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI.
Selection Criteria:
Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.
Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
Research idea embraces interdisciplinary activities.
Research idea is innovative.
Research has high potential to generate new areas of research and lead to future external funding opportunities. (New areas of research are highly encouraged if they lead to future external funding opportunities?)
Research plan is achievable within one-year time frame.
PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.
Past Awardees
:
2024 Dean’s Interdisciplinary Grant Fellows:
Mahmoud Bayat (SoA) & Jianling Li (PAPL), “Innovative Efficient Computational Structural Design for Affordable Housing Development (Phase 1).”
Julia Lindgren (SoA) & Hannah Lebovits (PAPL), “Design Playbook: Housing for Youth Aging out of Foster Care.”
Evaluation of Proposals:
The review committee members
for both opportunities
include Karabi Bezboruah (chair), Atefe Makhmalbaf, Taner Ozdil, and Jiwon Suh. Committee members are not eligible to serve as PI in both opportunities but could serve as co-PI. In such case they would recuse themselves to avoid any conflict of interest. The committee members have an advisory role, and CAPPA dean will make the selection of winning proposals.
Please click on the
Grant Proposal Template
to download the proposal outline.
Deadline for submissions: March 17, 2025, at 5pm.
Award Notices: April 18, 2025
Research/ Projects Begin: August 2025
Please address any questions you may have to the chair, Karabi Bezboruah, at
bezborua@uta.edu
.
Spring 2025 Call for Proposals: Geisel Grants for Community Impact and Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative
GRANT PROPOSAL TEMPLATE
Opportunity 1: Geisel Grants for Community Impact
Proposal Submission Portal Link
Description:
The purpose of Professor Emeritus Paul Geisel’s gift is to “enhance research opportunities on issues affecting municipalities across Texas and the US Southwest region.” CAPPA aims to advance Dr. Geisel’s vision by encouraging continued community engagement by our students and faculty in addressing challenging issues that impact our local and regional communities, particularly those affecting underserved communities. Projects may include, but are not limited to, providing technical assistance; engaging in community design work to address a specific issue (flooding, housing, parks, etc.); or developing plans identified by the community to resolve a particular need (zoning, economic revitalization, historic preservation, etc.)
Each Geisel grant should be budgeted in the range of $3,000 ~ $5,000. Up to five proposals during this cycle will be awarded. Student and faculty engagement in a project that impacts a municipality or underserved community in Texas, or the US Southwest region is essential. The project may occur through a traditional course, a studio, a capstone project, or a partnership with external entities such as nonprofits. Faculty who are awarded the grant will be recognized as “Geisel Faculty Fellow.”
The awards can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, etc. but not faculty salary.
Rural areas, neighborhoods and targeted communities, small towns, and cities of less than 150,000 are of particular interest. We are particularly interested in serving General Law cities (under 5,000 population with limited staff); rural areas outside the DFW Metroplex; small cities that are on the path of growth from metro areas and have limited staff/resources to prepare and respond.
Requirements:
All CAPPA faculty are eligible to apply (TT/T and APT; while both full- and part-time are eligible, preference is given to full-time faculty).
The project team must include CAPPA faculty and students.
Projects must be comprised of a significant collaboration with a public entity such as a small town or city, regional authority, or nonprofit such as a community development corporation.
Recipients of the Geisel grants will submit:
A final report (3-5 pages) that will be posted on our website, and
A choice of either a 36” X 42” poster
OR
a 2-minute video that document the project process and outcomes. The poster will be displayed on the 2
nd
floor of the CAPPA building, and the video will be posted on CAPPA’s website and social media.
The final deliverables are due within a month after the contracted semester of the award ends.
Deliverables will become CAPPA property.
Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI and two proposals per faculty members as Co-PI.
Selection Criteria:
Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.
Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
Research idea has promising community impact.
Research plan is plausible within one semester.
PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.
Opportunity 2: Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative
Proposal Submission Portal Link
Description:
The purpose of the Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative is to promote CAPPA’s interdisciplinary collaboration in research. This year, one $10,000 grant will be awarded to faculty members in CAPPA to conduct interdisciplinary, innovative research that has a potential to pursue external research funding opportunities in the near future (to position them for high-impact research and raise their chance to secure external funding).
The awards can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, faculty salary or faculty’s travel.
Requirements:
Principal investigator (PI) must be a
full-time
T/TT faculty and faculty with research assignment in CAPPA. Co-PIs can be full-time/part-time faculty. Collaborators can be post-docs or visiting scholars who are faculty members or post-docs in their respective unit at UTA. Preference will be given to PIs who are assistant and associate professors.
One PI and at least one co-PI are required for each interdisciplinary proposal. PI and co-PI(s) must be in different academic programs within CAPPA. Although collaborating with others outside of CAPPA is acceptable, the purpose of this research initiative is to promote collaboration across different disciplines within CAPPA.
Student involvement is highly encouraged:
Required deliverables include: (i) a final report, and (ii) one 36” X 42” poster OR a video that document the research process and outcomes.
In lieu of a final report, accepted or published conference papers are acceptable.
The final deliverables are due within a month after the award ends as indicated in the proposal.
The poster will be displayed on the 2
nd
floor of the CAPPA building, and the video will be posted on CAPPA’s website and social media.
PI/co-PIs agree to submit or co-submit a research proposal (resulting from this seed grant) to an external funding agency (state/ federal/foundation/industry) within two years after the research ends.
Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI.
Selection Criteria:
Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.
Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
Research idea embraces interdisciplinary activities.
Research idea is innovative
Research has high potential to generate new areas of research and lead to future external funding opportunities. New areas of research are highly encouraged if they lead to future external funding opportunities
Research plan is achievable within one-year time frame.
PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.
Evaluation of Proposals:
The review committee members
for both opportunities
include Karabi Bezboruah (chair), Shadi Nazarian, Taner Ozdil, and Jiwon Suh. Committee members are not eligible to serve as PI in both opportunities but could serve as co-PI. In such case they would recuse themselves to avoid any conflict of interest. The committee members have an advisory role, and CAPPA dean will make the selection of winning proposals.
Deadline for submissions is
November 15, 2024, at 5pm.
Please address any questions you may have to the chair, Karabi Bezboruah, at
bezborua@uta.edu
.
2024 Call for Proposal: Geisel Grants for Community Impact and Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative
Opportunity 1: Geisel Grants for Community Impact
Proposal Submission Portal Link
The purpose of Professor Emeritus Paul Geisel’s gift is to “enhance research opportunities on issues affecting municipalities across Texas and the US Southwest region.” CAPPA aims to advance Dr. Geisel’s vision by encouraging continued community engagement by our students and faculty in addressing challenging issues that impact our local and regional communities, particularly those affecting underserved communities. Projects may include, but are not limited to, providing technical assistance; engaging in community design work to address a specific issue (flooding, housing, parks, etc.); or developing plans identified by the community to resolve a particular need (zoning, economic revitalization, historic preservation, etc.)
Each Geisel grant should be budgeted in the range of $3,000 ~ $5,000. Up to two proposals during this cycle will be awarded. Student and faculty engagement in a project that impacts a municipality or underserved community in Texas, or the US Southwest region is essential. The project may occur through a traditional course, a studio, a capstone project, or a partnership with external entities such as nonprofits. Faculty who are awarded the grant will be recognized as “Geisel Faculty Fellow.”
The awards can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, etc. but not faculty salary.
Rural areas, neighborhoods and targeted communities, small towns, and cities of less than 150,000 are of particular interest. We are particularly interested in serving General Law cities (under 5,000 population with limited staff); rural areas outside the DFW Metroplex; small cities that are on the path of growth from metro areas and have limited staff/resources to prepare and respond.
Requirements:
All CAPPA faculty are eligible to apply (TT and NTT; while both full- and part-time are eligible, preference is given to full-time faculty).
The project team must include CAPPA faculty and students.
Projects must be comprised of a significant collaboration with a public entity such as a small town or city, regional authority, or nonprofit such as a community development corporation.
Recipients of the Geisel grants will submit a final report (3-5 pages) and one 36” X 42” poster that document the project process and outcomes.
The final deliverables are due within a month after the contracted semester of the award ends.
Deliverables will become CAPPA property.
Recipients agree to participate in future programs and events that feature the Geisel grants outcomes such as CAPPA Research Day.
Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI and two proposals per faculty members as Co-PI.
Selection Criteria:
Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.
Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
Research idea has promising community impact.
Research plan is plausible within one semester.
PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.
Opportunity 2: Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative
Proposal Submission Portal Link
Description
The purpose of the Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative is to promote CAPPA’s interdisciplinary collaboration in research. Calls for proposals in two consecutive years are expected. This year, one $10,000 grant will be awarded to faculty members in CAPPA to conduct interdisciplinary, innovative research that has a potential to pursue external research funding opportunities in the near future (to position them for high-impact research and raise their chance to secure external funding).
The award can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, faculty salary or faculty’s travel.
Requirements:
Principal investigator (PI) must be a
full-time
T/TT faculty and faculty with research assignment in CAPPA. Co-PIs can be full-time/part-time faculty. Collaborators can be post-docs or visiting scholars who are faculty members or post-docs in their respective unit at UTA. Preference will be given to PIs who are assistant and associate professors.
One PI and at least one co-PI are required for each interdisciplinary proposal. PI and co-PI(s) must be in different academic programs within CAPPA. Although collaborating with others outside of CAPPA is acceptable, the purpose of this research initiative is to promote collaboration across different disciplines within CAPPA.
Student involvement is highly encouraged.
Required deliverables include a report and one 36” X 42” poster that document the research process and outcomes. In lieu of a report, accepted or published conference papers are acceptable.
The final deliverables are due within a month after the award ends as indicated in the proposal.
The poster as deliverable will become CAPPA property.
PI/co-PIs agree to submit or co-submit a research proposal (resulting from this seed grant) to an external funding agency (state or federal) within two years after the research ends.
Recipients agree to participate in future programs or events that feature the research outcomes such as CAPPA Research Day.
Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI.
Selection Criteria:
Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.
Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
Research idea has embraces interdisciplinary activities.
Research idea is innovative.
Research has high potential to open up new areas of research and lead to future external funding opportunities. (New areas of research are highly encouraged if they lead to future external funding opportunities)
Research plan is achievable within one-year time frame.
PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.
Evaluation of Proposals:
The review committee members
for both opportunities
include Austin Allen (chair), Karabi Bezboruah, Shadi Nazarian and Qisheng Pan. Committee members are not eligible to serve as PI in both opportunities but could serve as co-PI. In such case they would recuse themselves to avoid any conflict of interest. The committee members have an advisory role, and CAPPA dean will make the selection of winning proposals.
Deadline for submissions is Friday, February 16th 5pm. Please address any questions you may have to the chair, Austin Allen
austin.allen2@uta.edu
Grant Proposal Template
Review Committee
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Karabi Bezboruah
Professor
Associate Dean for Faculty Success and Research, Director of PhD Programs
Public Affairs and Planning
Email:
bezborua@uta.edu
Phone #:
(817) 272-3301
Office:
320
Profile
Jiwon Suh
Associate Professor of Public Affairs
Public Affairs and Planning
Email:
jiwon.suh@uta.edu
Phone #:
817-272-2801
Office:
326
Profile
Taner R. Özdil,
Ph.D., ASLA
Associate Professor of Landscape
Associate Director for Research for Center for Metropolitan Density
Email:
tozdil@uta.edu
Phone #:
817-272-2801
Office:
417
Profile
Atefe Makhmalbaf
Associate Professor
School of Architecture
Email:
atefe.makhmalbaf@uta.edu
Phone #:
817-272-2801
Office:
CAPPA 321
Profile
Overview
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Center for Advanced Design, Research, and Evaluation (CADRE)
Watershed Urbanism
Water and Human Settlements
Arlington Urban Design Center
Center for Transportation, Equity, Decisions and Dollars (CTEDD)
Center for Metropolitan Density
David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture
Digital Architecture Research Consortium
Institute of Urban Studies
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College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs
601 W. Nedderman Drive
Suite 203
Arlington, TX 76019-0108
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