Group: Faculty

Research Focus

I am not currently in a research position.

Select Publications

■ Coleman, R.E., et al. (2007). Impact of phlebotomine sand flies on U.S. military operations at Tallil Air Base, Iraq: 2. Temporal and geographic distribution of sand flies. Journal of Medical Entomology, Vol. 44(1).

■ Coleman, R.E., et al. (2006). Impact of phlebotomine sand flies on U.S. military operations at Tallil Air Base, Iraq: 1. Background, military situation, and development of a “Leishmaniasis Control Program”. Journal of Medical Entomology, 43(4F).

■ Spradling, S.L., et al. (1998). A geographic information system approach to evaluating the effects of the endangered species protection program on mosquito control. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 14(2), 137-147.

Research Focus

My research objective is to understand how people make decisions in complex economic institutions and how the decisions are influenced by the design of the institution. The advancements of information technology coupled with the proliferation of the internet have expanded the capabilities of economic mechanisms and have opened the way for sophisticated but increasingly complex trading mechanisms. Sophisticated markets such as health insurance exchanges often introduce complexities in the decision environment in terms of the cognitive demands put upon users. My research empirically examines a variety of advanced economic institutions to enrich our understanding of human decision-making in complex markets. The enumeration of the strategies pursued by market participants along with the analysis of financial implications of those strategies is expected to help practitioners design sustainable electronic markets.

Current Projects

■ What is the economic value of security features of software: the goal is to examine the economic value users associate with the security features relative to the application features of software.

■ How complexity influences the outcomes of economic mechanisms: the goal is to enumerate the sources of decision complexity in advanced economic mechanisms, and then study how complexity influences behavior and outcomes.

■ How feedback affects the dynamics of design contests: the goal is to investigate how different types of feedback affects the dynamics of online design competitions, especially the convergence and divergence of solutions.

Select Publications

■ Sanyal P., et al. (2018). Economic experiments in Information systems. MIS Quarterly, 42(2), 595-606.

■ Sanyal P. (2016). Characteristics and economic consequences of jump bids in combinatorial auctions. Information Systems Research, 27(2), 347-364.

■ Sanyal P. (2012). Competitive bidding for health insurance contracts: Lessons from the online HMO auctions. International Journal of Health Care Finance and Economics, 12, 303-322.

■ Sanyal P., et al. (2011). Effect of information feedback on bidder behavior in continuous combinatorial auctions. Management Science, 58(4): 811-830.

Research Focus

My research interests center on determining the etiology of complex disorders of the brain through an understanding of genetics and its intersection with the patient’s environment, namely epigenetic effects. I take a functional approach, applying genetic and epigenetic information from patients that will lead to new treatment approaches and improved targeting of existing therapies.

Current Projects

■ Epigenetic mechanisms in health and disease.

■ Genetic factors and trauma injury patient outcomes.

■ Genetic factors affecting addictive behaviors.

Select Publications

■ Lolak, S., et al. (2014). Epigenetics of depression. Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science, 128: 103-137.

■ Lipsky, R. H. (2013). Epigenetic mechanisms regulating learning and long-term memory. International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, 31: 353-358.

■ Jiang, X., et al. (2005). BDNF and mood disorders: a novel functional promoter polymorphism and Val66Met are associated with anxiety but have opposing effects. Neuropsychopharmacol, 30: 1253-1361.

■ Krueger, F., et al. (2012). Oxytocin receptor genetic variation promotes human trust behavior. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 6:4.

Research Focus

I am an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. I obtained my BS in Microelectronics from Nankai University and my PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University. Subsequently, I completed a postdoctoral research in the Department of Materials Science and Nanoengineering at Rice University before joining George Mason University. I am a recipient of the Franz and Frances Brotzen Fellowship Award. My current research interests include synthesis and applications of advanced materials in energy and water areas.

Current Projects

■ Materials design and synthesis.

■ Water treatment.

■ Energy.

■ Biosensor.

Select Publications

■ Dong, P., et.al. (2020). Functionalized separator for next-generation batteries. Materials Today.

■ Dong, P., et al. (2017). A flexible solar cell/supercapacitor integrated energy device. Nano Energy. 42, 181-186.

■ Dong, P., et al. (2016). A solid-liquid self-adaptive polymeric composite. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

■ Dong, P., et.al. (2014). Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes/graphene hybrid electrode as a TCO- and Pt-Free flexible cathode for application in solar cells. Journal of Materials Chemistry A. 2(48), 20902- 20907.

Research Focus

My research focuses on the discovery, interpretation, prediction, modeling, simulation, and organization of the microscopic interactions between atoms and molecules in condensed phases of matter and beyond. My research emphasizes the development of the next generation of atomistic and quantum models for simulation of matter, including bio-materials, soft and hard materials. The ability to predict properties of matter is a fundamental requirement of technological advances and economic competitiveness.

Current Projects

■ Insights of the solvent effect on a variety of solvated polymers through explicit modeling of the solvent and atomistic modeling of the polymers.

■ Discovery of the thermodinacs-structure relations in binary metal alloys, their heat of transformation along phase transitions.

■ Development of a variety of force fields for macromolecular systems.

■ Structural fingerprints of biomolecules through Molecular Dynamics and Machine Learning.

■ Interfacial phenomena between different polymers.

Select Publications

■ R. Handler,  E. Blaisten-Barojas, P. M. Ligrani, P. Dong, M. Paige, Vortex Generation in a Finitely Extensible Nonlinear Elastic Peterkin Fluid Initially at Rest. Engineering Reports e12135 (2020). doi.org/10.1002eng2.12135

■ J. Andrews and E. Blaisten-Barojas, Exploring with Molecular Dynamics the Structural Fate of PLGA Oligomers in Various Solvents. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 123, 10233-10244 (2019).

■ D. Reitz and E. Blaisten-Barojas, Simulating the NaK eutectic alloy with Monte Carlo and Machine Learning, Scientific Reports 9, 704 (2019).

■ G. Gogovi, F. Almsned, N. Bracci, K. Kehn-Hall, A. Shehu and E. Blaisten-Barojas, Modeling the Tertiary Structure of the Rift Valley Fever Virus L protein. Molecules 24, 1768 (2018).

Research Focus

Dr. Cynthia Lum a leading authority on evidence-based policing, an approach that advocates that research, evaluation, and scientific processes should have “a seat at the table” in law enforcement policymaking and practice. She has studied and written extensively about patrol operations and police crime prevention activities, police technology, investigations and detective work, and evidence-based crime policy. Additionally, she has developed numerous tools and strategies to translate and institutionalize research into everyday law enforcement operations.

Current Projects

■ Preventing, preparing, & responding to COVID-19: an in-depth case study on the impacts of COVID-19 on Fairfax County Police Department. FCPD/Bureau of Justice Assistance.

■ Improving the Investigation, Clearance Rates, and Victim Restoration of Robberies: A Randomized Controlled Experiment. National Institute of Justice Grant.

■ Evidence-Based Strategies for Policing Innovations to Reduce Serious Vehicle Crashes on State and Rural Roadways. International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training/National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

■ Editors in Chief (with Christopher Koper): American Society of Criminology. Criminology and Public Policy.

■ Translating, Communicating, and Institutionalizing Research into Policing Practice: A Collaboration between the Prince William County Police Department and the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy. National Academy of Sciences.

■ An Evidence-Assessment of the Impacts of Criminal Investigations on Crime Clearance. Arnold Ventures.

■ NSF Workshop An Evidence-Based Approach to Understanding and Countering Mass Violence in America. National Science Foundation.

■ Systematic Review of Body-Worn Cameras. Campbell Collaboration.