Launching New Teams
Stage Three: Internal Funding

Collaborative Accelerator celebrates all of our newly formed teams, and showcases how Florida State is rising to meet our Collaborative Challenge.
Teams from our Fall 2021 Collaborative Collision: Resilience pitched their newly developed projects for a chance at a $50,000 award to launch a new area of research at Florida State University!
Watch the full program on ORD's YouTube Channel!
The focal point of Collaborative Accelerator is a live, interactive competition event in which one team will receive up to $50,000 to conduct the pilot project developed in Collaborative Incubator. Our teams will make their pitch to the Vice President for Research, two senior members of FSU's faculty, and a special guest representing the end-users of our research— the community or industry most impacted by the Collaborative Challenge.
Collaborative Accelerator gives each team an opportunity to:
- Premier their 90-second video pitch to a live audience.
- Answer questions and clarify their ideas to the review panel.
- Engage their peers through a moderated Q&A, and receive feedback and guidance.
While only one team will receive the Collaborative Accelerator award, all teams benefit from the publicity of the event and the opportunity to showcase their work. All participating teams are promoted on the Collaborative Collision and Office of Research websites and social media, including a project summary and their pitch video, creating a listing of interdisciplinary ideas that are easily discoverable by additional partners or potential funders.
Collaborative Accelerator awards will provide up to $50,000 for 12-month projects, with the possibility of a single six-month extension if warranted. Funds may be spent on any project related expenses except equipment purchases; faculty salary will be allowed up to 50% of the award, and conference travel for the team will be encouraged as part of the strategic positioning activities. Awarded teams will be expected to submit an external funding proposal within 6-8 months of the conclusion of the Accelerator award.
Collaborative Accelerator replaces the Collaborative Collision Seed Fund which provided over $500,000 to 36 teams from 2018-2021.
Meet Collaborative Collision's first Accelerator cohort!
Project Title: The Environmental Impact of Prescribed Burns in Florida: Soil & Emission Characteristics for Risk Mitigation
PI: Amy M. McKenna, PhD, Research Faculty III, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory/FSU
Team Member: Neda Yaghoobian, PhD, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Christopher Holmes, PhD, Associate Professor, Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
Bryan Quaife, PhD, Associate Professor, Scientific Computing
Holly Nowell, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar, Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
Christopher Uejio, PhD, Associate Professor, Geography
*Award Amount: $50,000
Project Title: Developing a platform to incorporate Net Zero targets in upgrading infrastructure resilience in the Florida Panhandle
PI: Tian Tang, PhD, Assistant Professor, Askew of Public Administration and Policy, Florida State University
Team Members: Matthew Carter, PhD, CFA, Teaching Faculty, Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship
Eren Erman Ozguven, PhD, Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering (RIDER)
Kassie Ernst, PhD Director, Gulf Scholars Program,
Civil and Environmental Engineering (RIDER)
Will Hill, MHSA, Strategic Initiatives Manager, Civil and Environmental Engineering (RIDER)
Maria Susana Arias, MS, Engineer/Product Manager, FSU Utilities and Engineering Services (Facilities)
Michael Core, MS, Application Developer/Designer, Florida Resources and Environmental Analysis Center
*Award Amount: $25,000
Project Title: Developing a Science of Languishing as a Pathway to Resilient Functioning
PI: Dawn Carr, PhD (Project Lead), Associate Professor, Department of Sociology
Team Members: Laurie Abbott, PhD, Assistant Professor Nursing
Thomas Ledermann, PhD, Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Science
Samantha Goldfarb, DrPH, Assistant Professor, Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine
Project Title: Florida Communities Against Sea Level Rise with Equitable and Resilient Nature-Based Features
PI: Nasrin Alamdari, Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Team Members: Emily Powell, Assistant State Climatologist, Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies
Georgianna Strode, PhD, Application Developer Designer, Florida Resources and Environmental Analysis Center
Rebekah Sweat, Assistant Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Kevin Speer, Director Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute
William Butler, Associate Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning
Project Title: Increasing Caribbean Community Resilience - A Mixed
Methods Study
PI: Karina Donald, Ph, Assistant Professor, Department of Art Education
Team Members: Laura Reid Marks, PhD, Assistant Professor, Combined Counseling and School Psychology Doctoral Program, College of Education
Hollie Daniels, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar, Center for Postsecondary Success
What happens after Collaborative Accelerator?
Teams that are funded by the Collaborative Accelerator program receive additional guidance and development support from the Office of Research Development. Unfunded teams are encouraged to meet with Collaborative Collision staff to refine their proposals and seek external funding. All proposal pitches are featured on the Collaborative Collision webpage and used by the Office of Research to match teams with funding opportunities and investors.