{"id":28163,"date":"2025-05-12T11:00:50","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T15:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/?p=28163"},"modified":"2025-05-09T14:34:38","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T18:34:38","slug":"marshall-university-faculty-earn-prestigious-nsf-career-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/2025\/05\/marshall-university-faculty-earn-prestigious-nsf-career-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Marshall University faculty earn prestigious NSF CAREER Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"
Two early career Marshall University scientists have received prestigious CAREER Awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF), recognizing their groundbreaking research and their promise as outstanding educators and leaders in science. Dr. Eugene Shakirov and Dr. Kyle Palmquist, both faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences<\/a> at Marshall\u2019s College of Science, will between them receive nearly $1.8 million combined over five years to advance their and their students\u2019 research.<\/p>\n

The Faculty Early\u202fCareer\u202fDevelopment (CAREER) Program \u2014 NSF\u2019s \u201cCAREER Award\u201d \u2014 is the NSF\u2019s flagship honor for rising faculty stars. Fewer than 500 of these awards are made nationwide each year, and each recipient secures up to five years of funding to pursue bold, high\u2011impact ideas. What sets the CAREER Award apart is its dual mandate: every proposal must blend frontier research with an equally rigorous plan for education and community outreach. Winning projects are therefore judged not only on scientific merit but also on their power to inspire students, broaden participation in STEM, and translate discoveries into real\u2011world benefit. Earning a CAREER Award signals that an early\u2011career scholar is already leading their field and is poised to shape the next generation of scientists and innovators.<\/p>\n

Shakirov\u2019s research explores telomeres, structures found at the ends of chromosomes, much like the protective caps at the end of shoelaces. Telomeres protect genetic information during cell division, playing a crucial role in aging and resilience to stress. Shakirov’s project examines how telomere length might influence plant growth and reproduction, potentially leading to improved agricultural productivity in changing environmental conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cTelomeres could hold the key to making crops more resilient and productive,\u201d Shakirov said. \u201cOur research could help farmers optimize flowering and seed production, ensuring better yields even under stressful conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

More broadly, understanding telomeres may help us develop therapies that slow telomere shortening or safely boost telomerase activity, possibly preventing age\u2011related disorders and extending healthy human lifespan.<\/p>\n

Palmquist’s work addresses urgent environmental challenges facing big sagebrush ecosystems in the western United States. Her research aims to comprehend the interactions between invasive species, wildfires and environmental changes, and how these factors endanger big sagebrush habitats. These habitats are vital for wildlife and the ranching industry and have significant economic implications.<\/p>\n

\u201cWildfire is a significant driver of big sagebrush habitat loss in the western United States. Our goal is to find strategies to mitigate the impacts of wildfire and invasive species in these critical habitats,\u201d Palmquist said. \u201cBy identifying effective grazing practices and management approaches, we aim to protect big sagebrush ecosystems that wildlife and communities depend on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just the costs of fighting wildfire total over $3 billion every year to the federal government alone. Once state and local firefighting efforts and broader economic consequences are counted, wildfires impose in tens of billions in costs on the nation each year.<\/p>\n

Both projects will engage Marshall University students in impactful hands-on research and education, through new courses, immersive field experiences, and outreach activities designed to inspire future scientists.<\/p>\n

Shakirov joined Marshall University in 2019 after completing his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Texas A&M University and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas at Austin, focusing on telomere biology and stress responses. Palmquist, who specializes in plant and fire ecology, also joined the university in 2019 following her Ph.D. in Ecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Wyoming.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese NSF CAREER awards reflect the caliber of research and educational innovation happening at Marshall University,\u201d said Dean Wesley Stites of Marshall\u2019s College of Science. \u201cWe are incredibly proud of Dr. Shakirov and Dr. Palmquist for receiving these prestigious honors, which underscore the university\u2019s growing reputation for scientific excellence. These awards will benefit not just these two faculty members, but also our students, for many years to come.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two early career Marshall University scientists have received prestigious CAREER Awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF), recognizing their groundbreaking research and their promise as outstanding educators and leaders in science. Dr. Eugene Shakirov and Dr. Kyle Palmquist, both faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences at Marshall\u2019s College of Science, will between them receive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72,42,71,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-accolades","category-cos","category-faculty-staff","category-news-releases"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/198"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28163"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28165,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28163\/revisions\/28165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}