PILOT 2

In vitro growth of Stem cells on nanofiber scaffolds

Investigator: Cherese Winstead, PhD

Mentor: Eric Kmiec, Ph.D.

Currently, as Chairperson of the Department of Chemistry and research faculty member at Delaware State University, Dr. Winstead has generated over $8.8 million in funding on projects for which she serves as Principal, co-investigator, or key personnel. Combined with proposals that are pending, her grant-seeking efforts over the past five years total nearly $13.1 million, and provide substantial evidence of her ability to generate funding for educational scholarship and research. My achievement in grant funding has stemmed from collaborative inter- and intra-institutional partnerships that support research and educational grants from such federal agencies as National Institute of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NASA), and NASA. Dr. Winstead has worked with numerous local, regional, and national agencies, community based organizations, and colleagues from various academic departments and institutions, revealing an important inter-agency and interdisciplinary approach toward science and educational research.

I have established strong ties with industry, academic, and government entities which have enabled fruitful collaborations in research and grant proposal writing.  In addition, I am an established peer-reviewer for the International Journal of NanoMedicine.  As a result of these previous experiences, I am an advocate of teamwork and collaborative research environments as well as the importance of frequent communication among project members and the construction of a realistic research plan, timeline, and budget.  In the area of community service, Dr. Winstead is Founder and President of the Young Chemists Society (YCS), a non-profit organization dedicated to the early education of students in the area of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Publications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/browse/collection/57762092/?sort=date&direction=ascending