Fall 2026 Seed Grants
The Wellness Communication Research Center at Florida State University has awarded nearly $24,000 in funding through its 2026 Assistant Professor Seed Grant Competition. The grants support innovative research addressing emerging issues in wellness communication and are designed to help faculty develop projects that can lead to future external funding.
Dr. Elizabeth Ray received funding for “Wellness After Crisis: Trauma-Informed Public Communication.” She is partnering with Dr. Lyndi Bradley, who is part of the Institute for Trauma and Resilience Studies at FSU.
Drs. Yin Yang and Braidyn Lazenby received funding for “Digital Health Communication and Menstrual Well-Being: A Multi-Method Investigation to Understand Online Community Interaction and Communication Strategies.” They are partnering with Dr. Subhasree Sengupta, who is part of the School of Information and the Learning Systems Institute as well as Dr. Laurie Abbott, who is part of the College of Nursing at FSU.
Dr. Pengfei Zhao received funding for “From Assistant to Ally: How Functional AI Use Transforms to Social and Relational Engagement?”
The funded projects will run from August 2026 through April 2027. Together, the awards reflect the Center’s mission to advance interdisciplinary research examining how communication shapes health, well-being, and human experience. Award recipients will use the seed funding to develop their research programs and pursue related external funding opportunities.