Currently Funded Projects

Click on the title of an active award to see the project summary & associated publications.
"RII Track-2 FEC: Developing effective adaptation strategies to enhance the resilience of
farmers under changing climate”                                                                                                                           10/1/2023-9/30/2027
National Science Foundation Award #2316278                                                                                        
PIs:  Jasmeet Lamba; Sushil Adhikari, William Batchelor, Hossein Jahromi, Charles Chen, Neha Potnis, Wendiam Sawadgo, Rajan Ghimire, Shannon Norris-Parish, Jinfa Zhang, Deb Jaisi, Lindsay Naylor & Erin Sparks 
“Effect of rye shading on corn roots and shoots in traditional and short stature corn”                             2/28/2023-2/27/2026
United States Department of Agriculture
PIs: Alyssa Koehler, Jarrod Miller & Erin Sparks
"Systems-level characterization of Pythium pathogenesis, an emerging threat to maize production"    3/1/2023-2/29/2028​United States Department of Agriculture                                                                                                       
PIs: Alyssa Koehler & Erin Sparks
​"Collaborative Research: PlantSynBio: Deciphering the roles of genetic and biochemical redundancy and pathway regulation via refactoring the protective plant cuticle"                                                                                          8/1/2022-7/31/2025
National Science Foundation Award #2212800                                                                                                                                    
PIs: Marna Yandeau-Nelson, Erin Sparks, Rajib Saha & Basil Nikolau
​“Collaborative Research: Linking brace root development and function in maize”                                         9/1/2021-8/31/2025
​National Science Foundation Award #2109189                                                                                                  
PIs: Erin Sparks & George Chuck
“Quantifying Crop Biomechanics Across Plant Lifespans”                                                                                       6/1/2021-5/31/2024
National Science Foundation Award #2040346   (NCE)                                                                                       ​                                   
PI:  Erin Sparks                                           
The Sparks Lab has been previously supported by:
Royal Society International Exchange 
National Science Foundation
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Delaware Bioscience Center for Advanced Technology
University of Delaware Research Foundation 
Thomas Jefferson Fund/FACE Foundation