ARA Recruits Innovators Across the Strongest Industries in the State

ARA Academy Inducts Three New ARA Innovation Scholars to Its Esteemed Membership

The Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA) has added three new members to the ARA Academy, strengthening the state’s growing momentum as a center for world-class research and discovery. Inducted as ARA Innovation Scholars, the honorees were specifically recruited to the state by their host universities and selected to the ARA Academy for their research contributions to economic growth areas vital to Arkansas’ success.

“Arkansas continues to emerge as a recognized leader in high-tech innovation that substantially improves lives on a global scale,” said Bryan J. Barnhouse, ARA President and CEO. “Our new Innovation Scholars bring focus to that vision.”

The ARA Innovation Scholars inducted into the ARA Academy are Dr. Mohammadreza Daroonparvar, Arkansas State University (A-State); Dr. Ren Xu, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS); and Dr. Kaicong Wu, University of Arkansas (UA).Each researcher was recruited from outside the state and selected for science that is centered on one or more Industry Growth Areas identified in an exhaustive report commissioned by ARA.

“Research in Arkansas delivers the most benefit when it runs in tandem with our state’s economic strengths,” explained Mr. Barnhouse. “ARA Innovation Scholars are poised to make substantive contributions in manufacturing lighter and stronger steel, creating life-saving breast cancer treatments, and developing sustainable architecture. These industrial sectors are sweet spots in which Arkansas is already firmly rooted and investments in research talent will help them grow as part of the state’s overall economic development story!”

The ARA Innovation Scholars Program is an incentive added to a university’s offer to recruit emerging research stars in key job-growth markets, enabling universities to strengthen connections with Arkansas companies and advanced industry clusters. Those selected as an ARA Innovation Scholar receive a $200,000 award over a three-year period and membership to the ARA Academy – a community of strategic research leaders who are supported by ARA programming and strive to maximize the value of discovery and progress in the state.

“ARA Innovation Scholars provide Arkansas with focused opportunities to convert research discoveries into strategic, commercial applications,” said Mr. Barnhouse. “We’re talking about providing the state with high-salaried jobs and the potential to make seismic shifts in our own innovation economy.”

Research fuels existing industry by introducing new products and capabilities for established companies. Douglas Hutchings, Ph.D., ARA Academy Director, views the ARA Innovation Scholars Program as an important connector between the state’s research community and Arkansas’ private sector. For example, Dr. Daroonparvar’s research in thermal and cold spray coatings serves as cornerstone science for the new Arkansas State University Center for Advanced Materials and Steel Manufacturing, which fosters partnerships with steel companies in Northeast Arkansas.

“The goal is to create intellectual property ready in collaboration with industry through project development, joint ventures, licensing, commercialization, and possibly new companies located right here in Arkansas,” said Dr. Hutchings, who is also an entrepreneur. “The nation will soon see that pioneering research is being conducted in Arkansas, much of which is being spearheaded by members of the ARA Academy.”

The ARA Academy, which also includes ARA Scholars and ARA Fellows, brings together 33 prolific and accomplished researchers from six academic campuses in Arkansas: University of Arkansas (UA), the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture (UADA), the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), UA Little Rock (UA Little Rock) and Arkansas State University (A-State). In addition, the ARA Academy also includes researchers from the FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) in Jefferson County, AR, the largest FDA research facility located outside of Washington, D.C.

Meet the New ARA Innovation Scholars

Dr. Mohammadreza Daroonparvar, Arkansas State University, serves as an Assistant Professor of Materials Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Arkansas State University. After earning his Ph.D. from UTM in 2013, he has held various academic and industry roles in the United States, including Postdoctoral Associate and Adjunct Professor at Auburn University, as well as Senior Coating Engineer specializing in thermal and cold spray coatings. His scholarly contributions include over 100 journal articles, three book chapters, and four conference papers.

Dr. Ren Xu, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, is the newly appointed division director of Translational Cancer Research for the Cancer Institute. He is also a professor in the College of Medicine’s Radiation Oncology Department. Prior to joining UAMS, he worked as a tenured professor of pharmacology for the University of Kentucky’s Markey Cancer Center and College of Medicine. Xu’s primary research focus is the study of microenvironmental cues and their modulation of breast cancer progression, with an overarching goal to identify novel strategies for inhibiting breast cancer metastasis and drug resistance.

Dr. Kaicong Wu, University of Arkansas, is a trained architect who is also a computational designer and researcher. His current research focuses on regenerative design informed by generative computing, artificial intelligence, and robotic assembly, with the goal of uncovering architectural design solutions that are more customizable and highly reversible. He joins the University of Arkansas as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design.

About Arkansas Research Alliance

Founded in 2008, Arkansas Research Alliance is dedicated to elevating a fundamental belief: Research Matters. Operating as a public-private partnership, ARA invests in research that stimulates innovation, encourages collaboration, and strengthens economic opportunity. Learn more about ARA and its mission to elevate the state’s research community for economic growth at aralliance.org.

IMAGE [from left to right]: Dr. Mohammadreza Daroonparvar, Arkansas State University (A-State); Dr. Kaicong Wu, University of Arkansas (UA); Dr. Ren Xu, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)