Provost's Office announces Clusters of Excellence grant-funded projects

The Office of the Provost announced on March 26 the projects selected for funding in Central's inaugural Clusters of Excellence Grant Competition.

The primary objective of the competition is to solve today’s toughest challenges by drawing on faculty expertise and providing students with hands-on experiences. Faculty and staff are encouraged to conduct innovative, interdisciplinary research and education to make positive impacts in addressing a societal challenge and to elevate Central’s excellence in applied research and community engagement. By bringing together multi-disciplinary teams, these cohorts of scholars and students will focus on new intellectual and relevant themes that cut across disciplines, departments, and schools.

The call for proposals sought ideas that would foster greater innovation, collaboration, technology transfer, and the overall advancement of scholarly and effective work. This inaugural process has led to the establishment of five Clusters of Excellence and provided valuable insight into faculty interests, academic strengths, and areas of expertise.

More calls for proposals will be issued soon for the following five clusters: Industry 4.0, Cybersecurity, and/or Artificial Intelligence; Global Health; Climate and Ecological Resiliency; Transformational Models in Education; and Economic Inequality.

2026-2027 Clusters of Excellence Grant Funded Projects

Central Cyber-Workforce Accelerator
Cluster: Industry 4.0 and Cybersecurity

Lead PI: Dr. Chad A. Williams, Associate Professor of Computer Science
Co-PI: Dr. Stan Kurkovsky, Professor of Computer Science
Co-PI: Dr. Haoyu Wang, Professor and Chair of Manufacturing & Construction Management
Co-PI: Dr. Xiaobing Hou, Professor of Computer Electronics & Graphics Technology
Co-PI: Dr. Michael Gendron, Professor and Chair of Management Information Systems

The Central Cyber-Workforce Accelerator addresses the critical gap between cybersecurity education and workforce readiness through a Studio Hybrid Model where industry partners guide student teams on real Industry 4.0 security challenges. Building on Central's proven Software Engineering Studio and NSF-funded SPSG framework, students from Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Robotics, Computer Engineering Technology, Networking, and MIS complete semester-long projects with partners spanning utilities (Eversource), aerospace (Pratt & Whitney), insurance (Travelers, The Hartford), and manufacturing. The cluster produces graduates with cross-sector Industry 4.0 competencies while strengthening Connecticut's critical infrastructure security.

ERA-M2: Ecological Resilience Assessments through Mathematical Modeling
Cluster: Climate and Ecological Resiliency

Michelle Kraczkowski, Associate Professor, Department of Biology
Viktoria Savatorova, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences

ERA-M2 brings together applied mathematics, biology, environmental and climate science to advance understanding and management of Connecticut’s aquatic ecosystems. Working in collaboration with the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the cluster will identify pressing ecological questions and produce data-driven analyses that DEEP currently lacks due to limited staff capacity. The first-year project focuses on American Shad, integrating field surveys, laboratory work, and mathematical and statistical modeling to evaluate population dynamics, environmental stressors, and climate resilience. Central students will gain applied-learning experience through fieldwork, data analysis, and modeling, with opportunities that also align with the new Climate Studies program. Designed for long-term sustainability, ERA-M2 will gradually broaden faculty participation, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration and advancing Central’s mission of student preparation and community impact.