Explore Teams | Vertically Integrated Projects
Below you will find all VIP teams in alphabetical order. You can search here for a particular team of interest, a team led by a particular faculty member, or simply explore all teams.
Use the filters on the left to select your particular area(s) of interest for research, design or inquiry. NOTE: If you select more that one checkbox, you will only see teams where both categories apply.
For example, if you select Humanities and Science, there may be 0 teams that are tagged with both of those categories.
Filters can also be used to see if the team is accepting new students (recommended default = checked), and if the team is a new team in the upcoming semester.
Skip to search and filter
Image
Agrivoltaics: Food, Energy, and Water Solutions
The Agrivoltaics VIP team focuses on sustainable solutions for food, energy, and water systems by exploring the interdisciplinary field of agrivoltaics. Students tackle questions related to climate impact on crops, water savings, crop suitability, soil health, geographic variations, solar array design, and stakeholder perspectives. Led by Greg Barron-Gafford, PhD.
Image
AI and World Models: Biosphere 3
Biosphere 2 is the world’s largest and most complex controlled environment, continuously evolving over the past 35 years. This VIP (and associated course) offers a unique and unprecedented opportunity to create a Digital Twin of such a complex system for the first time. By modeling the intricate interactions of Biosphere 2’s diverse biomes and engineered infrastructure, students will gain hands-on experience in advancing digital twin methodologies, data integration, and systems-level understanding of coupled natural and human-made environments. Watch this space to realize your passion for making the future Earth more resilient through transdisciplinary innovation. Led by Jeff Larsen, PhD candidate, and Ash Black, MS.
Image
AI and XR Studio
The AI and XR STUDIO team works with emerging technologies in the fields of artificial intelligence and extended reality to address challenges that have not been resolved by traditional methods of inquiry or technique, and may be understood differently through a humanistic lens. Led by Matthew Briggs, MFA, and Bryan Carter, PhD.
This team is currently full for the 2025-2026 school year.
Image
AI in Healthcare Simulation Education and Training
The AI in Healthcare Simulation Education and Training team builds smart learning tools for future clinicians: virtual patients you can actually talk to, AI that scores your interviews or sutures, and dashboards that make feedback instant and clear. The Arizona Simulation Technology & Education Center (ASTEC) is our high-tech home base, but our focus is on the AI projects shown on our website. Led by Winslow Burleson, PhD, and Allan Hamilton, MD, FACS.
This team is near capacity for Summer and Fall 2026, but you can complete a Google form to be considered if spaces become available.
Image
AI-Driven Healthcare Applications
The AI-Driven Healthcare Applications team focuses on developing AI technology that can perform a range of basic tasks, from detection and recognition of medical conditions to more intricate challenges such as segmentation. The team specializes in developing deep learning systems specifically tailored for embedded computer vision and various healthcare applications. Led by Dr. Eungjoo Lee, PhD.
Image
AI-Enhanced Simulation for Advanced Cardiac Surgery Training
AI-Enhanced Simulation for Advanced Cardiac Surgery Training specializes in developing AI-powered surgical simulation tools for cardiac surgery training. Their work focuses on creating immersive, adaptive, and realistic training environments using artificial intelligence, advanced simulations, and virtual/augmented reality. By integrating patient-specific data, they aim to replicate the complexity of real cardiac operations, improving surgical precision, decision-making, and patient safety. Led by Eungjoo Lee, PhD.
Image
ANNLab
The ANNLab (Advanced Nanoelectronics & Nanostructures Laboratory) specializes in both the synthesis and electronic device integration of novel low-dimensional electronic and quantum materials. Our primary focus is on bottom-up synthesized graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), where we achieve atomic precision in their design, molecule by molecule, with flexibility in design, and seamlessly integrate them into nanoelectronic devices. Led by Zafer Mutlu, PhD.
Image
Applied International Development Economics (AIDE) Lab
The AIDE Lab investigates global economic and environmental challenges which face individuals and households across the globe. A primary interest is measuring the climate adaptation and resilience of rural farmers. Led by Anna Josephson, PhD and Jeffrey D. Michler, PhD.
Image
Archaeological Mapping Lab
The Archaeological Mapping Lab at the University of Arizona studies ancient sites, especially the Sanctuary of Zeus at Mt. Lykaion in Greece through excavation, mapping, and digital analysis. Students work with excavation records, create maps and drawings, analyze artifacts and stratigraphy, and contribute to publications. The lab also works on projects in Corinth and Rome and is helping to develop Greece’s first national heritage park. Led by David Gilman Romano, PhD.
Image
Arizona Applied Psycholinguistics Lab
AAPL is a collaborative research endeavor to study how second and heritage languages (i.e., minority languages learned in a naturalistic context in infancy) are learned and processed by the brain. We use psycholinguistic methods with bilingual adults, often focused on Spanish as a heritage language. Led by Tania Leal, PhD.
This team is currently full for Fall 2025.
Image
Arizona Streamgage Catalog (AZStreamCAT)
AZStreamCAT aims to create a comprehensive map of streamgage and streamflow measurement locations in Arizona, linked to a catalog of metadata. This project addresses the need for accessible streamflow data to manage land, water, energy, agriculture, and wildlife resources. Led by Martha P.L. Whitaker, PhD.
Image
Assessing Resilience of Arizona Grasslands to Changes in the North American Monsoon
Our RainManSR project, a large-scale rainfall manipulation experiment at the Santa Rita Experimental Range, focuses on predicting the impact of extreme-duration drought on Southwest rangelands. Led by William K. Smith, PhD, Joel Biederman, PhD, Yang Song, PhD, Nathan Pierce, PhD, and Fangyue Zhang, PhD.
Image
BEST-CLIM: Best Ecosystem Structure for Climate Mitigation
In BEST-CLIM, researchers and students collaborate to determine the optimal vegetation structure for maximizing climate cooling potential in arid environments like the US Southwest. Students engaged in BEST-CLIM gain hands-on experience with fieldwork, lab work, data analysis and curation, as well as with dissemination of our findings to administrative, scientific, and public audiences. Led by Flurin Babst, PhD, Don Falk, PhD, William K. Smith, PhD, Willem van Leeuwen, PhD, and Alicja Babst-Kostecka, PhD.
Image
Biosphere 2 Rainforest Resilience: Capturing and Communicating Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change
The Biosphere 2 Rainforest Resilience VIP studies long-term ecosystem and individual responses to climate change using the unique environment of the Biosphere 2 rainforest. Students may investigate research questions using long-term environmental data from Biosphere 2, or new measurements taken within the Biosphere 2 rainforest. Led by Joost van Haren, PhD.
Image
Biosphere 2 Wonder Studio: A Visual Storytelling Studio Building Resilience through Video, Animation, and Data Visualization
The Wonder Studio's mission is to turn research into breathtaking visual narratives that captivate, educate, and inspire. Whether you're an artist, a scientist, an engineer, or just someone who loves to tell stories, The Wonder Studio is your space to explore bold ideas, experiment with new media, and push the boundaries of science communication. Led by Aaron Bugaj, MSM, and Nicole Antebi, MFA.
Image
Brain Communication Networks
The Brain Communication Networks VIP team allows students to apply genetics, basic coding skills, flow cytometry, and protein informatics to predict and then test interactions between cell types in the brain of a simple model organism. We will focus on discovering and mapping ligand-receptor pairs in the brain that are relevant for brain functioning, aging, and/or disease. Led by Martha Bhattacharya, PhD.
Image
Careers in Dance: Traveling Dance Ensemble
The Careers in Dance: Traveling Dance Ensemble project aims to support students interested in launching careers as dance artists and arts administrators by providing industry-specific tools and real-world internship experience. Led by Duane Cyrus, MFA and Tamara Dyke-Compton, MFA.
Image
Co-Design Collaborative (Co-Lab)
The Co-Design Collaborative (Co-Lab) VIP team works alongside organizations and communities in seeking to answer the question: How can we design more equitable and inclusive spaces for participation? The team will collaborate on projects related to reimagining the processes by which we organize to make progress on adaptive challenges facing our communities (e.g., racial and gender inequities, peace and security, food justice). Current projects include the #ShiftThePower Project, the College Student Hunger Project, and the Cultivating Food System Resilience Project. Led by Dr. Jasmine R. Linabary, PhD.
Image
Collaborative Anthropology of Reproduction and the Environment (CARE)
The CARE VIP focuses on understanding the intersection of climate change and reproductive decision-making, foregrounding the perspectives of young BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) in the Southwestern U.S. While some exposure to qualitative research is needed, skills that students will develop in this VIP include qualitative research design, discourse analysis, interviews, focus groups, data management, data analysis, and research presentation. Led by Janelle Lamoreaux, PhD.
This team is currently full for Fall 2025.
Image
Coral Reef Resilience: Biosphere 2 Science at Scale
The Coral Reef Resilience VIP aims to understand the interaction of biotic and abiotic factors on the physiology of corals. The three team leaders take complementary approaches from the fields of biology, geosciences and mathematics to understand how corals will be affected by future climate change and what we can do to promote their resiliency. Led by Jeremiah Hackett, PhD and Diane Thompson, PhD.
Image
Creative Wellbeing: Arts, Culture & Health
Are you interested in exploring how arts and creativity promote health and wellbeing? Want to help use the arts to engage with diverse communities and tell stories that support intercultural and accessible models of health promotion? Join the Creative Wellbeing Vertically Integrated Project, a collaborative, experiential and applied lab aiming to draw students from a range of disciplines to explore the role of arts and culture in supporting individual and community perspectives on health and wellbeing on and off campus. Led by Jennie Gubner, PhD.
New Team for Spring 2026!
Image
Cultivate & Evaluate - Tucson Village Farm VIP Team
The Cultivate & Evaluate – Tucson Village Farm VIP Team focuses on assessing the impact of student internships at Tucson Village Farm (TVF), a youth-centered seed-to-table program emphasizing agriculture, nutrition, culinary education, and community health. The VIP team will evaluate the impact that being a TVF intern has on college student education, wellbeing, and skills, so that we can continue to improve on the experience we provide, share our best practices with other Cooperative Extension programs, and use findings to promote TVF Internships to college students, faculty and staff. the team is open to all majors, and values collaboration, public speaking, data analysis, and visual communication skills. Led by Elizabeth Sparks, MEd, Kayle Skorupski, PhD, MS, RDN-AP, CNSC, FAND, Melanie Hingle, PhD, MPH, RD, Ashlee Linares-Gaffer, MS, RDN, FAND, and Rachel Leih, MEd, MPH.
Image
Cultivating Equitable Food Policy in Southern Arizona
The Cultivating Equitable Food Policy in Southern Arizona VIP is a collaboration between the University of Arizona Food Systems Research Lab and the Pima County Food Alliance. Current research questions focus on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges that are present in Southern Arizona's local food system. Led By Gigi Owen, PhD, Laurel Bellante, PhD, and Shelby Thompson.
This team is currently full for the 2025-2026 school year.
Image
Developing a Climate-Smart Practice Optimization Tool for Sustainable Agriculture in the US
The Developing a Climate-Smart Practice Optimization Tool for Sustainable Agriculture in the US VIP team aims to investigate how agricultural management practices (e.g., biochar addition, fertilization, irrigation, planting, and harvest) can achieve “climate-smart” objectives. Students will integrate observations with AI and process-based models to understand how nutrient use efficiency and water use efficiency can be optimized, and greenhouse gas emissions can be minimized to lead to more climate-smart agriculture. Led by Yang Song, PhD.
Image
Digital Audiology
The Digital Audiology team explores and develops novel technologies to increase accessibility and affordability in hearing healthcare. This initiative addresses the unintended barriers often found in traditional care pathways by leveraging tools such as 3D printing, 3D scanning, and digital media. With a focus on service delivery, user-centered research, and knowledge dissemination, the team investigates how innovative technologies can reshape hearing health access and engagement. Led by Bryan Wong, AuD, and Matthew Briggs, MFA.
Image
DISCAPAZ: Disability Experiences in the Borderlands
DISCAPAZ is a multimedia project aimed at centering the voices and narratives of disabled individuals and their families living along the Arizona-Sonoran border. The project also serves as an interdisciplinary, experiential learning program that facilitates authentic engagement with border communities to address community-identified needs and amplify disabled voices in the borderlands through ongoing digital storytelling. Led by Jacy Farkas, MA, and Celina Urquidez, MPH.
Image
EMIGRA
Conservation of wildlife that migrate across international boundaries can be challenged by inconsistent management across annual migratory ranges. Research by the EMIGRA VIP team informs efforts to overcome these challenges, and ultimately aims to develop principles for sustainable and equitable governance of transboundary migratory species. We focus on species that provide ecosystem services (e.g., wildlife viewing, pest suppression, pollination of food plants). Led by Jonathan Derbridge, PhD.
Image
Environmental and Social Justice
The Environmental and Social Justice VIP team focuses on creating community-driven solutions revolving around sustainability in 1) the US-Mexico Borderlands and 2) Portland, Oregon. These multi-stakeholder, interdisciplinary collaborations incorporate culture, history, science, and other topics in seeking sustainable solutions to identified challenges. Led by Caitlyn Hall, PhD.
This team is currently full for Fall 2025.
Image
EXCITE: NASA Measurements to Study Earth
The NASA-sponsored EXCITE team is deploying and operating ground-based network instruments atop the Gould-Simpson Building on the UA campus to study the atmosphere. We are building an interdisciplinary and diverse team of motivated students interested in 1) learning about these instruments, 2) aiding in monitoring their operation and assessing data quality, and 3) analyzing data to learn about atmospheric sciences and hydrology over Tucson, Arizona. Led by Armin Sorooshian, PhD, Avelino Arellano, PhD, and Sylvia Sullivan, PhD.
This team is currently full for the 2025-2026 school year.
Image
Falls Prevention Program
The Falls Prevention Program is a collection of three participatory research projects that aim to understand barriers preventing older adults from enrolling in fall prevention programs, and ways to address these barriers. Led by Tawab Saljuqi, MD, DrPH.
Image
Finding Research Made Easy
The student-led Finding Research Made Easy VIP Team asks: How can we streamline the process of connecting undergraduate students to research opportunities? Using AI and machine learning, full-stack web development, and database management with attention to system integration, this team provides students with an opportunity to explore development and launch of a useful tool for finding research experiences that complements what already exists at U of A. Led by Yona Kleinerman and Eiza Stanford. Advised by John Pollard, PhD, Kasi M. Kiehlbaugh, PhD, and Steve Rains, PhD.
Image
Food Safety and One Health
The Food Safety and One Health VIP Team aims to assess the prevalence of enteric pathogens that impact the safety of our food supply, through the lens of One Health. The approach recognizes the interconnectedness between human health, animal health, and the environment to take into account all of the factors that may influence the presence of pathogens in our food supply. Led by Margarethe Cooper, PhD.
Image
Food, Recreation, and Environment for Survivorship Health (FRESH)
Food, Recreation, and Environment for Survivorship Health (FRESH) aims to create a program promoting health and community resilience through community gardening, specifically addressing melanoma survivors' unique needs. We explore the links between health and environment, offering a unique opportunity to improve the quality of life for Arizonans. Led by Meghan Skiba, PhD, MS, MPH, RDN.
Image
Functional Anatomy and Visualization Lab
The Functional Anatomy and Visualization Lab VIP Team focuses on innovative ways to research and communicate complex anatomy in primate systems. Our lab uses medical and biological imaging techniques to answer questions pertaining to form, function, and evolution in living and fossil organisms. Led by Faye McGechie, PhD.
This team is currently full for the 2025-2026 school year.
Image
Gender Equity Research Lab (GERL)
The Gender Equity Research Lab (GERL) focuses on intersectional feminist analyses of equity in U.S. higher education and in the U.S. workforce. We do this to determine if diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) metrics have been achieved within and across various STEM fields. GERL also conducts program evaluation to assess the effectiveness of promising local interventions that seek to increase the number of girls and women in the STEM workforce. Led by Stephanie Murphy, PhD.
Image
Genomics of Thermotolerant Tomato Reproduction
The Genomics of Thermotolerant Tomato Reproduction VIP team focuses on developing heat-tolerant tomato cultivars by understanding the molecular mechanisms that control tomato reproduction. We will use genomics to define these molecular adaptations, and determine whether they are sufficient to enhance fruit production of thermosensitive cultivars at high temperature. Led by Dr. Ravishankar Palanivelu, PhD.
Image
Getting to Know U
The Getting to Know U VIP team aims to curate large volumes of data collected by higher education institutions. Our focus is building tools that progress from descriptive analytics (developing dashboards) to predictive analytics (predicting future trends) and ultimately to prescriptive analytics (performing what-if analyses). Led by Dr. Greg Heileman, PhD.
Image
Hack Arizona: The Premier Hackathon in the Southwestern United States
The Hack Arizona team plans, implements, evaluates, and innovates the premier Hackathon in the Southwestern United States. Team members can pick from four planning focus areas and gain valuable program and event planning experience. Planning focus areas including Marketing, Logistics and Operations, Sponsorship and Fundraising, and Technology Support. Led by Benjamin Richmond and Mayra Vargas, MPH.
Image
HealthCare Partnership –Continuing Education & Certification Program for Treatment of Commercial Tobacco and Nicotine Use Dependence
The HealthCare Partnership VIP team supports a continuing education program for health professionals, asking, "What are the most effective evidence-based nicotine addiction interventions we should teach, and how can continuing education enhance their implementation across diverse healthcare settings?" Please note that this team requires an intermediate level of Spanish reading and writing proficiency. Led by Zenén Salazar, MPH, and Alma Tejeda Padron, PhD.
Image
Historical Biogeography and Extinction Risk Assessment of Recently Extinct Animals
The Historical Biogeography and Extinction Risk Assessment of Recently Extinct Animals VIP team combines ecology/evolutionary biology and data science to understand events related to biodiversity loss. Students will focus on data collection, use of GIS tools, phylogenetic methods, comparative analysis, and use of species distribution models. Led by Cristian Román-Palacios, PhD.
This team is currently full for Fall 2025.
Image
Horizon Collective: Where Research Meets Community to Improve Mental Wellbeing
The goal of the Horizon Collective: Where Research Meets Community to Improve Mental Wellbeing VIP is to engage students in interdisciplinary, community-engaged research and action to understand, prevent, and reduce youth mental health challenges in Tucson, Arizona, while promoting resilience and mental well-being. Led by Alexandra Restrepo-Heano, MD, MSc, PhD.
New Team for Fall 2026!
Image
iGEM – Student-led Synthetic Biology
The iGEM VIP Team is a student-run team competing in the iGEM synthetic biology competition. This year's project uses genetic engineering to make organoids, 3D cell cultures with enormous potential to transform in-vitro modeling. If successful, this iGEM project could foundationally advance biology research, making way for new cures and therapies. Led by students Jack Douglass, Hendrick Read, Maxwell Chou, and Leo Edgin, and advised by Teodora Georgieva, PhD.
New Team for Spring 2026!
Image
Increasing Environmental Resilience through MISAS: Modular Integrated Sustainable Agricultural Systems
Four co-occurring trends related to environmental resilience have motivated the development of Modular Integrated Sustainable Agricultural Systems (MISAS) at UA. These include rising global population, food waste, fresh water availability, and increasing urban residence patterns. MISAS, a controlled environment agriculture (CEA) system, address all four of these issues. by integrating four food systems (fish, mushrooms, insects, plants) into a highly efficient, controlled circular economy system. Led by Goggy Davidowitz, PhD, Kevin Fitzsimmons, PhD, Barry Pryor, PhD, and Murat Kacira, PhD.
Image
INFORM Lab: Interdisciplinary Futures of Research and Method
The INFORM Lab VIP Team aims to foster a community focused on the intersection of technology, gender, and justice, aiming to understand and tackle social harm. It involves faculty and graduate students mentoring undergraduates in practical projects that merge research with real-world experiences and community engagement. Workshops on digital storytelling are important efforts to address problems like algorithmic bias and online gender-based violence. Led by Mohana Mukherjee, Ph.D. and Taylor Winfield, Ph.D.
New Team for Spring 2026!
Image
Integrated Climate Research: Ecology, Water, and Weather (ICREWW)
The Integrated Climate Research: Ecology, Water, and Weather (ICREWW) VIP team address the main question: How do climate variables change over time, and affect one another? Students may focus primarily on the ecological and phenological aspect, the environmental hydrology and water resources aspect, or the atmospheric weather and climate analysis aspects. Groups will interact with one another to identify the relationships across these interdisciplinary aspects related to climate change and the regional impacts in the Southwest U.S. Led by Martha Whitaker, PhD, Theresa Crimmins, PhD, Kyle Hartfield, MA, and Scott Jones, PhD.
Image
Investigating the Foodborne Parasite Cyclospora in Environmental Waters
This project's goal is to better understand the prevalence, transmission, and epidemiological traceback investigation of Cyclospora cayetanensis, a human foodborne and waterborne protozoan parasite that causes cyclosporiasis. Led by Gerardo Lopez, PhD.
Image
IsoTropics
The IsoTropics VIP Team analyzes tree rings using high-resolution isotope measurements to study past tropical climate. Our goal is to uncover how tropical environments have changed over time, and how trees have responded to those changes. Led by Soumaya Belmecheri, PhD, Kevin Anchukaitis, PhD, and Ana Isabel Gonzalez-Mendez, MA.
New Team for Spring 2026!
Image
iVoices and Immersive Truth Media Lab
The iVoices and Immersive Truth Media Lab VIP team engages students in exploring the digital social world. In the iVoices Media Lab project we produce, teach, and learn from students' stories about technologies in their lives. In the Immersive Truth project, we analyze and prebunk disinformation in the digital media landscape. Led by Diana Daly, PhD.
Image
Landscape Evolution Observatory (LEO) Terraformation VIP at Biosphere 2
The goal of this VIP is to understand feedback mechanisms between life, hydrology, and geochemistry, how those mechanisms scale, and how different disciplines converge to address scientific questions on landscape terraformation. Insights gained from LEO can help us learn new ways to address problems ranging from how to build sustainable life support systems for other planets to restoring severely degraded landscapes from mining or other processes. Led by Scott Saleska, PhD, Katerina Dontsova, PhD, and Wei-Ren Ng, MS.
Image
Learner Corpus Research Group
The Learner Corpus Research Group VIP Team brings together undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in developing their knowledge of corpus linguistics, a computational research methodology widely used in linguistics. The project involves the collection and analysis of learner corpora in languages other than English. A learner ‘corpus’ is a large dataset of spoken and written texts by language learners stored and accessed in electronic format. Research questions addressed will relate to language learners' use and development of language patterns in specific contexts. Led by Julieta Fernández, PhD, and Shelley Staples, PhD.
This team is currently full for Fall 2025.
Filter
US