Three project teams that include CALS scientists have been awarded funding in the latest round of Research Forward. The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) hosts the Research Forward initiative to stimulate and support highly innovative and groundbreaking research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The initiative is supported by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) and will provide funding for 1–2 years, depending on the needs and scope of the project.

Projects involving CALS researchers are:

Precision evolution: Adapting agriculture at the speed of change
This project aims to advance agricultural systems by addressing the urgent need to meet growing global demands while minimizing environmental impacts. For thousands of years, plants have been improved for productivity, but little focus has been placed on tailoring traits to enhance animal nutrition and reduce agriculture’s environmental footprint. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies, this project integrates plant genetics, animal nutrition, microbiome physiology and artificial intelligence to develop plants that improve feed efficiency, reduce methane emissions from dairy cows, and enhance nitrogen use efficiency.

Principal Investigator:
Natalia de Leon, professor of plant and agroecosystem sciences

Co-Principal Investigators:
Sebastian Arriola, assistant professor of animal and dairy science
Joao Dorea, associate professor of animal and dairy science
Shawn Kaeppler, professor of plant and agroecosystem sciences
Hilario Mantovani, assistant professor of animal and dairy science
Francisco Penagaricano, associate professor of animal and dairy science
Sushmita Roy, professor of biostatistics and medical informatics
Rebecca Smith, assistant professor of plant and agroecosystem sciences

The future is hyperspectral: Development of platform-agnostic hyperspectral foundational models
Hyperspectral imaging is an emerging technology for Earth-observation that has the potential to revolutionize our ability to measure chemical, physical and biological characteristics of various materials. Currently, data from available hyperspectral platforms are incompatible, with the lack of data harmonization strategies leading to siloed workflows. This project uses an AI approach to develop the first hyperspectral “foundation” model to enable data harmonization and the generation of standardized data outputs, thereby preventing reinvention of the wheel for each platform, especially as new satellites and affordable airborne sensors come online.

Principal Investigator:
Philip Townsend, professor of forest and wildlife ecology

Co-Principal Investigators:
Matthias Katzfuss, professor of statistics
Prabu Ravindran, scientist III in the Botany Department

Co-Investigators:
Sunduz Keles, professor of statistics
Kyle Kovach, postdoctoral research associate in forest and wildlife ecology
Frederic Sala, assistant professor in computer science

Physical and human dynamics around melting ice and sea level rise in a warming world
In the face of ongoing global warming, coastal communities are increasingly threatened by rising sea levels and coastline retreat—irreversible changes that will persist for generations. Addressing these challenges requires innovative solutions that bridge the social and physical sciences. This project uses a transformative approach to develop next-generation climate models that incorporate critical insights into ice sheet dynamics—capabilities currently lacking in existing models.

Principal Investigator:
Andrea Dutton, professor of geoscience

Co-Principal Investigators:
Feng He, senior scientist at the Center for Climatic Research
Todd Newman, associate professor of science communication
Lucas Zoet, associate professor of geoscience

Co-Investigators:
Marianne Haseloff, assistant professor of geoscience
Shaun Marcott, associate professor of geoscience
Till Wagner, assistant professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences
Daniel Wright, professor of civil and environmental engineering