Bridging Innovation and Impact

Empowering Research, Collaboration, and Future Leaders

About the TREAD Program:

The City College of New York's TREAD program, supported by a $5 million grant from the US Department of Education aims to elevate CCNY's research status through a multifaceted approach. This initiative fosters innovative partnerships, encourages cross-campus collaboration, and provides comprehensive graduate training. TREAD also offers seed grants and PhD fellowships to further elevate CCNY’s research profile.

The program is designed to drive translational and convergence research across the campus, with a particular focus on convergent areas of excellence: Green Energy, Nanobiotechnology, and Cybersecurity. By supporting these critical fields, TREAD aims to position CCNY as a leader in cutting-edge research that addresses key global challenges.

Our Mission

The core themes of TREAD were developed in partnership with a multidisciplinary faculty working group from across our campus, including from our schools of engineering, science, social science, and education, and serve as a roadmap for bringing CCNY to R1 status. Specifically, our pathway to R1 includes the following elements:

Translational Research

Advance research that moves discoveries from the lab to real-world applications, addressing critical challenges in society and industry.

Cross-Campus Collaboration & Convergence Science:

Foster interdisciplinary partnerships and promote convergence science by connecting experts across various disciplines within and beyond CCNY.

An Ecosystem of Graduate Training and Support

Build a comprehensive recruitment pipeline and support system for PhD students, providing robust training, mentorship, and opportunities to collaborate with industry and government partners, ensuring their success in impactful careers.

Leadership Team

Elizabeth Biddinger

Managing Director

Ahmed Mohamed

Managing Director

Rosario Gennaro

Executive Committee
Cybersecurity

Robert Messinger

Executive Committee
Green Energy

Stephen O’Brien

Executive Committee
Nanobiotech & Converge to Translate Faculty Advisor

John Udara Mendis

Director of Ph.D. Recruitment, Success, and Industry Partnerships

Renee Edwards

Evaluator

Rosemarie Wesson

PI

Jan Valle

Education Inclusivity Director

Students

Cohort #1 (Fall 2024)

Zoe Schoales

Research Focus:
Nanobiotechnology

Cora Ruiz

Research Focus:
Cybersecurity

Mary Elizabeth “Mayeth” Martin

Research Focus:
Green energy

Mentors: 2024

Cybersecurity

Rosario Gennaro

Computer Science

Tushar Jois

Electrical Engineering

Green Energy

Ahmed Mohamed

Electrical Engineering

Elizabeth Biddinger

Chemical Engineering

Nanobiotechnology

Stephen O’Brien

Chemistry

Ryan Williams

Biomedical Engineering

Areas of Excellence

Cybersecurity

Expanding expertise to new applications in the areas of excellence and convergence research in the cybersecurity domain

Green Energy

Storage, distribution & utilization of renewable or low-carbon energy sources

Nanobiotechnology

Translational nanomedicine with high-throughput experimentation

Do Your PhD in NYC

Many of City College’s faculty and departments engage in world-class research. CCNY has nationally ranked PhD programs with funded fellowship opportunities.

List of Programs

Engineering

Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership

PhD Programs through the CUNY Graduate Center (Research at CCNY Campus)

Special Programs

Research & Funding Opportunities

C2T Seed Funding Competition & Graduate Fellowships Grants Converge to Translate

Fellowship Support:

$35,000 Seed Funding for Translational & Convergent Research Projects

Professional Development

Converge-2-Translate (C2T) Workshops (Tenatative)

 

WorkshopConverge-2-Translate TopicBrief Explanation
1 (Nov 8th)Our energy challengeFossil fuel dependence, climate change and the quest for alternative energy.
2Deconstructing Ableism in STEMInterrogating ableism and its impact on student success, pedagogical strategies for accessible STEM.
3Cyber frameworksCybersecurity research and education across application scenarios.
4Decarbonization part I: the electrified economy and energy storageReducing fossil fuel dependence through renewables and batteries.
5Accelerating paths to human healthcareTranslational medicine, the pharmaceutical industry's future goals and challenges.
6Machine learning and proteinsThe incorporation or Al into science and technology, including the building blocks of life.
7Distributed manufacturing, supply chains and catastrophic shocks Global supply chains, how they work and what happens if they are interrupted.
8Decarbonization part Il: urban systemsBullding sustainable and restlient cities.

News & Events:

Regular updates, news highlights, upcoming events, and conferences.
Contact Us: A contact form and essential contact information will be placed at the bottom of every page for easy access.

TREAD Kickoff

Converge to Translate (C2T) 2024

Call for Funding

PHD Fellowship &
Competition Deadline

Workshop

C2T Our Energy Challenge Workshop

Convergence Research

What is Convergence Research?
Convergence research is an approach aimed at tackling complex research problems, particularly those that address societal challenges. It is characterized by two main aspects:

Problem-Driven Focus

Convergence research is motivated by a specific, compelling problem, which could stem from fundamental scientific inquiries or urgent societal issues.

Cross-Disciplinary Integration

This approach emphasizes the deep integration of diverse disciplines, bringing together researchers from various fields to foster effective communication and collaboration. As experts work on a shared research challenge, their knowledge, theories, methods, data, and research communities begin to merge. This collaboration can lead to the development of new frameworks, paradigms, or even entirely new disciplines, as common approaches and a unified scientific language emerge.

Characteristics of Successful Convergence Projects

Need for a convergent approach:

The research team clearly articulates the need to integrate significantly diverse science and engineering disciplines to tackle a specific scientific challenge or societal issue, highlighting why a convergent approach is essential.

Readiness to engage in convergence research

he team demonstrates its preparedness to conduct the proposed research, showing that all relevant disciplines are represented. Evidence of this readiness may include past interdisciplinary projects, joint publications among team members, specialized expertise within the team relevant to the problem, or the co-development of research infrastructure.

Integration of knowledge, tools, and modes of thinking:

The team effectively showcases how the knowledge from its contributing disciplines is deeply integrated, with strong interconnections and mutual reinforcement of tools and techniques. The approach should be novel, illustrating a seamless blend of disciplines’ knowledge and ways of thinking to create a unified research methodology.

Involvement of the next generation of convergence researchers:

The project involves undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows, providing them with opportunities to learn convergence research methods. The project should clearly outline the tools, techniques, and concepts outside their primary disciplines that they will be exposed to, ideally creating a model learning environment that can be replicated in other convergence research initiatives.

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