By Tracy Meyer
Ten research collaborations between Princeton University faculty and their peers at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have been selected to receive support through the Princeton Alliance for Collaborative Research and Innovation (PACRI). These are the first projects to be launched through the groundbreaking alliance announced in May 2022.
Each of the collaborations will be co-led by a team of researchers from Princeton and one of five HBCU partnering institutions: Howard University, Jackson State University, Prairie View A&M University, Spelman College and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
Spanning the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities and engineering, the projects take up some of the most difficult challenges of our day, from cybersecurity to climate change to public health and the social safety net. The projects also draw on the diverse expertise and perspectives of the research teams, pairing academics from different disciplines.
“We started the Princeton Alliance to generate trailblazing ideas from collaborators who otherwise might not have the opportunity to work together — and researchers from across Princeton and our HBCU partners responded,” said Tod Hamilton, professor of sociology and a faculty co-founder of the PACRI program.