The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ accounted for more than $61.2 million—92% of all federal biomedical research funding awarded in the state from the (NIH)—in fiscal year 2025.

Â鶹´«Ã½ received $66.7 million overall in NIH funding, according to a new report from . The investment supported 902 jobs and generated $188.7 million in economic activity statewide.

NIH funding supports a wide range of research across UH, from improving disease detection and treatment to addressing health disparities and strengthening public health systems that serve island communities, reinforcing the university’s role in advancing health research and innovation in Â鶹´«Ã½.

had the largest share, with 72 awards totaling $60.7 million, while the received two awards totaling $468,391. While overall funding remained strong, NIH’s shift to multi-year funding—which obligates the full grant value upfront—resulted in 5,564 fewer grants being funded in FY2025 compared to FY2024.

“Even in a highly competitive and uncertain federal funding environment, University of Â鶹´«Ã½ researchers continue to deliver work that improves lives here at home and beyond,” said Chad Walton, UH interim vice president for research and innovation. “These investments fuel discoveries, support high-quality jobs and strengthen our local economy. Every dollar makes a difference for our communities.”

Research highlights

Recent awards reflect the diversity of NIH-funded research at UH:

• $322,891 from the National Cancer Institute supports Shugeng Zhao Cao, professor at the at UH Hilo. The project, Discovery of novel natural TEAD inhibitors for the chemoprevention of liver tumors, explores natural compounds from Hawaiian microorganisms to develop the first preventive therapy for liver cancer.



• $2,039,744 from the National Human Genome Research Institute supports Lang Wu, associate professor at the at the UH Cancer Center. The research advances genomic tools and approaches to better understand complex diseases and support precision health applications. (Related UH News story)
• $459,287 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases supports Youping Deng, professor at the . The project, Hawaii Advanced Training in Artificial Intelligence for Precision Nutrition Science Research, strengthens training in the use of artificial intelligence for nutrition and metabolic health research. (Related UH News story)

, an assistant professor in the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa , has received the Career Development Award from the to advance medical research and technology for vascular and heart health. The three-year, $230,727 award supports promising early-career investigators working on innovative solutions in cardiovascular and related biomedical research.

“I am very honored to receive this award,” Wang said. “This support allows us to explore bold ideas that could change how we approach medical treatment inside the human body, while building a strong network of collaborators who bring different expertise to the table. It’s a great opportunity to train the next generation of engineers and create technologies that could one day make procedures safer and less invasive.”

Wang’s project focuses on developing miniature soft robotics combined with artificial intelligence to create new medical devices that can navigate hard-to-reach areas of the body and enhance the function of cardiovascular and neurovascular systems. The work builds on Wang’s previous research on soft robotics inspired by diverse marine life. By studying how small aquatic animals move efficiently through complex environments, his team designs flexible robots that can safely operate in delicate spaces, such as inside the human body.

Related UH News stories:

• Bio-inspired breakthroughs: Engineering solutions from nature, August 26, 2025
• Team of microscopic soft robots could transform medical care, November 10, 2024
• Robot tech to clean oceans wows international summit, February 6, 2024

The award also supports collaboration and mentorship with scientists from UH Mānoa’s , The Queen’s Medical Center, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. These partnerships aim to strengthen research and expand real-world applications of miniature soft robotics in healthcare.

Wang also serves as an adjunct assistant professor at The Queen’s Medical Center and a cooperating faculty in UH Mānoa’s .

The project highlights UH Mānoa’s growing role in robotics and biomedical engineering, with a focus on developing technologies that can improve patient care and address complex health challenges such as sudden cardiac arrest.

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ is taking its AI chatbot strategy a step further, with students sending more than 100,000 messages since the start of the academic year—data that is now being used to identify when students may need help, often before they ask for it.

New data from the first quarter of 2026 report shows the scale of that impact. Since the beginning of the academic year, 51% of UH students engaged with their chatbot, sending more than 100,000 text messages, approximately an additional 30,000 messages since last recorded in December 2025.

Additionally, since August 2025, UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ saw some of the highest number of text exchanges with more than 32,000 student messages received by their chatbot ‘Bow, while UH West Oʻahu’s Pueo and Honolulu Community College’s Niu saw the highest student engagement with 61% and 60% respectively.

Early signals, faster support

Those interactions are doing more than providing quick answers. Since January 2026, more than 3,000 automatic interventions were completed, connecting students with specific and targeted resources, while 1,924 students were flagged for a staff follow-up. More than 1,900 student questions were answered without direct human interaction.

“This technology is helping us shift from reactive to proactive support,” said Kim Siegenthaler, senior advisor to the UH president. “By listening to students in real time, we’re creating a more responsive system that provides students the support they need to succeed.”

The Q1 data also underscores the system’s efficiency. The AI chatbots handled thousands of routine questions independently, saving staff 165 hours while still delivering immediate responses to students.

Understanding the student experience

Beyond individual interactions, UH is using chatbot data to track broader trends. The report highlights areas of attention and potential stressors through regular temperature checks. These insights are helping campuses adjust outreach strategies and better align resources with student needs systemwide.

At the start of the semester, 47%of UH community college students said they feel good about the term and 33% said they feel nervous or overwhelmed, while 39% UH four-year college students said they feel good about the semester and 33% said they feel nervous or overwhelmed.

40% of four-year and community college students said they need the most support in academics, followed by finances, wellness and engagement.

These interactions are part of a growing data-driven system designed to make sure that no student slips through the cracks, ensuring a proactive approach to student support.

—By Grant Nakasone

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa has received a $50,000 research gift from Google to support artificial intelligence and robotics work led by Assistant Professor .

The gift will fund Chen’s research in robotic perception, a field focused on helping machines better understand and interact with the physical world. The research includes applications in health-related human-robot interaction, tactile sensing and agriculture.

“This support allows us to explore bold ideas at the intersection of perception and real-world environments, while creating hands-on opportunities for students to work on technologies that could shape the future of robotics,” Chen said.

Human-robot interaction, tactile sensing, outdoor environments

One area of the research focuses on health-related human-robot interaction, including embodied interaction systems designed to support older adults with mild cognitive impairment. By combining 3D vision, perception and adaptive robotic behavior, the work aims to help machines respond more naturally and effectively in real-world assistive settings. This work builds on Chen’s earlier Â鶹´«Ã½ Community Foundation-supported research on digital biomarkers for early screening of Alzheimer’s disease using computer vision and artificial intelligence.

Another component explores 3D tactile sensing, allowing robots to gather information through touch. This approach aims to improve how machines detect shape, movement and contact, particularly in tasks that require delicate handling or physical interaction.

The project also targets agricultural use, where robots must navigate complex outdoor environments. The research seeks to improve how machines navigate in fields, identify crops, interpret terrain, and operate under changing lighting and weather conditions.

Funding will support graduate and undergraduate student researchers, as well as equipment, computing resources and experimental testing. The project also provides opportunities for student training in robotics, computer vision and artificial intelligence.

The Department of Information and Computer Sciences is housed in UH Mānoa’s .

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to rapidly transform higher education, the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ has officially launched its course, a free interactive 12-chapter program designed for UH ʻohana and communities across Â鶹´«Ã½. The first chapter of the course, which serves as a gateway for professional development and exploration, launched on March 29.

Hosted on the new , the course invites participants to demystify AI by trying new tools and discovering real-world applications that support work, learning and daily life. New chapters will be released on a weekly basis over the next 12 weeks.

“This course empowers our UH campuses and local communities to actively shape how we use AI to make our island home better,” said Gloria Niles, UH chief academic technology innovation officer. “By ensuring our exploration of these tools includes critical conversations about transparency and responsible deployment in a Â鶹´«Ã½ context, we can thoughtfully integrate these technologies while honoring our foundational values.”

Â鶹´«Ã½-based, hands-on

The course features a variety of learning materials, including instructional videos, Â鶹´«Ã½-based stories and practical activities that allow participants to engage in hands-on tools. Throughout the modules, users will discover real-world uses for AI, learn the mechanics of machine learning, and explore critical concepts like bias, fairness, transparency and responsible AI deployment.

Participants who complete the program will be awarded an AI Foundations Badge. This digital credential demonstrates a foundational understanding of AI literacy, ethical practices and responsible use within the university system.

The course operates alongside other key UH OneAI Hub initiatives, such as the and the , to support faculty, staff and students in navigating the future of AI.

Researchers at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ are using artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) to better understand what improves outcomes for individuals receiving treatment for substance use disorders.

A recent study published in analyzed more than 7.9 million publicly available treatment records across the U.S. to identify patterns in services, recovery and outcomes. The research was led by Treena Becker, an assistant researcher with the , and Alberto Gonzalez-Martinez, a UH computer scientist.

“We believe our research findings can help states and local organizations better understand how to support people in substance use disorder treatment and their long-term recovery journey at a time when drug overdose deaths continue to be a major public health concern across the U.S.,” Becker said.

Top predictors of positive treatment outcomes

“We developed and used an ensemble machine learning model called Random Forest Model with the aim to predict the 10 most important features that increase the likelihood of positive treatment outcomes,” Becker said.

The analysis found the most important factor associated with positive outcomes was how long an individual remains in treatment, regardless of setting. According to Becker, longer engagement significantly increases the likelihood of reducing or stopping substance use.

Other key factors included treatment accessibility, depending on clinical need, treatment type at entry and at discharge, housing status, participation in self-help groups, employment status and referral source.

Mapping disparities in treatment services

AI/ML tools also allowed researchers to map and visualize the data, revealing patterns difficult to detect using traditional methods. Using the Machine Learning Random Forest Model, the team found that states with the highest overdose death rates tend to have fewer clinically appropriate treatment services available.

“It would have been virtually impossible to analyze so many treatment records without AI/ML assistance,” Becker said.

Based on the findings, Becker recommends that state governments prioritize behavioral health services and work collaboratively to expand access to longer-duration, clinically appropriate treatment programs. Increasing availability—especially in states with limited treatment infrastructure—could significantly improve recovery outcomes nationwide.

Becker, who recently received a pilot project award from (Center for Pacific Innovations, Knowledge and Opportunities), plans to build on the research by examining local data on addiction treatment and recovery among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform higher education, the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ has launched the , a central platform for integrating AI across its 10 campuses. This new website reflects the university’s commitment to shaping AI in a way that deepens knowledge and serves the community while honoring its mission as an Indigenous-serving institution.

A key feature of the website are the , designed to help peers collaborate and share resources across the 10-campus system. These specialized groups allow UH faculty and staff to join discussions via Google Groups and share ideas on Padlet.

“The new UH OneAI Hub and our Communities of Practice are vital steps in our strategic roadmap for AI integration,” said Gloria Niles, UH Chief Academic Technology Innovation Officer. “By collaborating across our campuses, we can thoughtfully implement these technologies to enhance our instructional environments and administrative operations, always ensuring our progress aligns with Native Hawaiian values.”

Communities of Practice:

• Teaching and Learning: For instructors, instructional designers and librarians to share practical strategies for the current semester.
• Research and Discovery: Focused on methods and tools to accelerate research for faculty, graduate students and lab staff.
• Student Support: Aimed at advisors, career services and tutoring centers to develop repeatable approaches that improve student-facing services.
• Operations and Administration: Designed for HR, finance and IT staff to create simple workflows that reduce friction in everyday work.
• Communications and Community Engagement: For outreach teams and media staff to develop clear, consistent AI messaging for UH and its communities.
• Governance, Policy and Risk: For policy owners and leadership to establish shared guardrails that enable innovation while protecting people and data.

AI Foundations course, more

In addition, the website will serve as a gateway for professional development. The first chapter of the AI Foundations course, which will help users explore AI, will officially launch on March 29. A new chapter of the course will be released weekly over twelve weeks. Users who complete the AI Foundations course will receive an AI Foundations Badge, a digital credential that demonstrates a core understanding of AI literacy, ethics and responsible use within the UH System.

UH OneAI Hub also offers the , a hands-on professional development initiative offered by the to help UH faculty and staff move beyond basic exploration by integrating AI into their teaching, research and professional activities.

The , in partnership with Google Cloud, will host a landmark full-day workshop on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, titled, “Accelerating Research in the Age of AI: A Synergistic Workshop with Google.” The event will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Sullivan Conference Center, UH Cancer Center, 701 Ilalo Street, Honolulu.

Designed to reflect the UH‘s unique geographic and cultural context, the workshop will highlight how academic-industry partnerships can strengthen research capacity by expanding access to advanced AI tools, high-performance computing and specialized technical expertise. The program is open to UH faculty, investigators, trainees and students across biomedical, population, ocean, earth and computational sciences.

• .

“This workshop represents an exciting opportunity for UH researchers to engage directly with Google’s leading AI scientists and tools,” said John Shepherd, chief scientific officer at the UH Cancer Center, who is organizing the workshop. “We are committed to building the infrastructure and partnerships that will propel our research into the next generation of discovery.”

Workshop highlights

The agenda features a lineup of renowned speakers and interactive sessions, including:

• Keynote: “AI Co-Scientist System and Gemini-Based Research Tools,” presented by Charlie Elliot, lead of rapid innovation, Google Public Sector;
• Flash Talks: Great Challenges Across Disciplines—featuring Peter Sadowski (associate professor, Department of Information and Computer Sciences, UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹), István Szapudi (theoretical cosmologist, Institute for Astronomy, UH), and Justin Stopa (associate professor, Department of Ocean and Resources Engineering, UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹);
• Deep Dive Sessions covering your “Modern Research Toolkit” (Francisco Gonzalez, application modernization specialist architect, Google Public Sector) and “Federated Learning for Global Collaboration” (Tom Denton, research scientist, Google DeepMind/Google Research);
• Student Poster Competition, with Google-sponsored awards for the best presentations, judged during the Google-sponsored lunch break;
• Co-Designing Breakouts in which participants brainstorm high-impact solutions in three focus areas: AI for hypothesis generation, Google’s cloud tools and federated learning.

The workshop will conclude with a panel discussion and vision synthesis identifying a roadmap for future UH-Google collaboration, along with the announcement of poster competition award winners.

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To introduce both undergraduate and graduate students to the rapidly evolving world of AI-driven architectural design, this spring the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ offered a new course on designing with artificial intelligence (AI), designed to integrate emerging technologies with human creativity.

The course requires no prior experience in AI, architecture or complex design software and is open to students from all majors.

Students are learning to incorporate modern AI tools into local design projects. A recent course assignment involved designing a single-family home on one of Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) scattered sites (units located at more than one location). Using AI-assisted workflows, the students successfully produced full presentation materials and architectural animations for the project.

AI as a tool, not a replacement

“Something interesting that I learned in the AI design course was that it isn’t necessarily a process where the AI is taking control of the work produced, but it has been a process of lots of guidance and decisions based on what the AI is producing,” Darci-Lyn Kaina, a second-year UH architecture student, said. “It really took away the fear that I had before this semester, where I thought AI would be taking over architecture.”

Professor Hyoung-June Park designed the curriculum to focus on four core areas: AI program generation, spatial massing development, AI-assisted three-dimensional modeling, and the integration of AI workflows into architectural decision-making.

“Through a series of guided exercises and design explorations, students are learning how AI can support and augment architectural thinking rather than replace human authorship,” said Park. He concluded by invoking William Gibson’s observation: “The future is already here—it’s just not very evenly distributed.”

At the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Hilo, Winston Wu is helping shape how artificial intelligence (AI) is taught both in Â鶹´«Ã½ and across the country. Wu, a assistant professor, has been selected as one of 25 educators nationwide for the inaugural National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource AI Education Fellows program, led by the National Science Foundation. The cohort represents 23 states.

As a fellow, Wu will develop new AI courses, tools, and teaching materials that integrate NAIRR high performance computing resources. He will also support other faculty in bringing these materials into their classrooms and help guide the program’s national direction.

“This opportunity will help expand awareness of NAIRR’s resources across campus and support our growing AI initiatives,” said Wu. “I’m also excited to apply these resources to support locally impactful research, including my ongoing work to develop AI tools for the Hawaiian language.”

At UH Hilo, Wu’s work connects advanced technology with local needs. His research focuses on language and machine learning, with an emphasis on multilingual tools and support for language revitalization.

He teaches courses ranging from introductory programming to advanced topics in natural language processing and deep learning. He also coaches UH Hilo’s competitive programming teams.

Wu’s fellowship runs through early 2027 and includes a stipend and national visibility as an AI educator.

“These Fellows will serve as ambassadors for AI education across the country,” said Jeff Forbes, who leads the national program. “By elevating their leadership and connecting them nationally, we’re amplifying both their impact and the broader goals of the [program].”