The PAIR-UP Imaging Science program for Black imaging scientists is pleased to announce the
formation of five Peer Imaging Clusters (PIC) who will receive collaborative research grants to
pursue novel research projects. This program is a new inclusivity model that provides support to
teams of imaging scientists from different institutions who have not previously collaborated on a
research project. The collaborative research teams were assembled at the PAIR-UP Scientific
Conference on Hallmarks of Aging and Nutrition held March 15-18, 2023 in Tempe AZ. The
highly competitive selection process yielded 5 groups of talented scientists each of whom have
demonstrated exceptional promise in the imaging science field. The research grants range from
$50,000 to $325,000).
Selected from a large pool of applicants, the recipients represent a broad range of imaging
backgrounds and research interests. Their innovative projects are poised to contribute to
groundbreaking discoveries and advancements in imaging science. PICs 1-3 will use Quantum
Imaging, an emerging field, that has great potential for advancing the spatiotemporal imaging of
biological samples across scales from cells to tissues to intact organisms, revealing
unprecedented insights into human disease. These PICs plan to use quantum light or structured
light to develop new methods for studying in vivo biological systems. Each highly collaborative
team includes physicists, cell biologists, and physiologists, who will investigate immune
signaling, peripheral nerve damage, and diabetic necrosis.
When executed, these projects will impact multiple fields and deliver novel technologies
that will change how cell biology is done going forward. They also will directly address
important biomedical issues that are prevalent within marginalized communities in the United
States. The PIC teams are comprised of principle investigators at R1 institutions such as UCBerkeley, UC-Davis, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Boston University as well as
scientists from HBCUs such as Fisk University and Meharry Medical University.
PAIR-UP is excited to support these exceptional scientists as they embark on a new phase of
scientific discovery. Funding for the PICs is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore
Foundation and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. PAIR-UP is sponsored by ASCB.
Peer Imaging Cluster Group #1
Beyond diffraction limited imaging: Predicting cancer and immune cell phenotype
Deji Adekanye, University of Delaware
Adebowale O. Bamidele, Mayo Clinic
Edwin Fohtung, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Group Leader)
Joakin Mori, Boston University
Peer Imaging Cluster Group #2
Metadevices for longitudinal imaging of mitochondrial trafficking in peripheral nerves
Feather Ives, UC Berkeley
Samantha Lewis, UC Berkeley
Abdoulaye Ndao, UC San Diego (Group Leader)
Timothy Oladunni, Morgan State University
Crystal Rogers, UC Davis
Peer Imaging Cluster Group #3
Diabetic wound healing interrogation with quantum light and wavefront shaping
Angela Dixon, Case Western Reserve University
Moussa N’Gom, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Group Leader)
Michael J. Williams, ZEISS
Yvon Woappi, Columbia University
Peer Imaging Cluster Group #4
A Community Partnership in Achieving Precision Medicine: Addressing the Biological
Determinants of Health Disparities in African Americans
Steven Damo, Fisk University
Jamaine Davis (Group Leader), Meharry Medical College
Antentor Hinton, Vanderbilt University
Sharifa Love-Rutledge, University of Alabama in Huntsville
Chrystal Starbird, University of North Carolina.
Peer Imaging Cluster Group #5
Don’t let the sweet taste fool you: A look at the relationship between sweet taste bud receptors and gut health in African Americans
Tameka Clemons (Group Leader), University of Houston
Edward Ofori, Arizona State University
Blake Riggs, San Francisco State University
Wallace Sharif, Morehouse College
Tammi Taylor, Jackson State University