Cocoziello Institute announces 2026–27 seed grant awardees

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Real estate's biggest challenges are not just real estate challenges. They are also challenges related to energy, materials, technology, workforce development, and the communities where people live and work. Through its annual seed grant program, the Penn State Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation invests in interdisciplinary research that brings together experts from across the university to develop solutions to these pressing issues. By supporting early-stage, high-impact projects, the institute aims to help move innovative ideas beyond the lab and into the real world, creating lasting benefits for industry, communities and society.

Now in its third year, the seed grant program provides 12 months of funding to interdisciplinary teams of faculty representing multiple academic colleges at Penn State University Park and Penn State Harrisburg. This year’s awardees were announced during the Cocoziello Institute’s inaugural Built Environment Showcase, which featured networking opportunities, a student poster competition and TED-style presentations from previous grant recipients demonstrating how seed funding has helped propel their research forward. The funding for this year’s winners will begin on July 1.

During his TED-style presentation at the showcase, John Mauro, interim dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, highlighted the importance of early-stage funding in advancing his LionGlass project, a patent-pending glass Mauro and his team developed at Penn State with the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of architectural glass manufacturing by more than 50%.

“When LionGlass was first funded, it was an early-stage concept,” Mauro said. “Today, it has grown into a technology with the potential to reshape how glass is manufactured and reduce environmental impacts across the industry. Seed funding is critical because it gives researchers the opportunity to pursue innovative ideas before larger funding opportunities become available.”

This year’s competition drew nine proposals in the Critical Issues Initiatives focus area and six proposals in the Smart and Connected Homes focus area. Critical Issues Initiative proposals addressed pressing challenges in real estate innovation across one or more of the institute’s seven research areas, while the Smart and Connected Homes category, co-funded by Penn State Harrisburg, focused on advancing residential living through intelligent, interconnected systems. Submitted applications represented collaborations among dozens of researchers from 11 academic colleges across Penn State and its campuses. Selected projects will receive varying levels of support, with awards of up to $50,000.

The Cocoziello Institute contributed nearly $150,000 in seed grant funding, while Penn State Harrisburg provided more than $37,000 to support research in the built environment.

“This continued partnership reflects Penn State Harrisburg’s commitment to collaborative research that makes a real-world impact,” said Sherri Kermanshachi, vice chancellor for research and outreach, Penn State Harrisburg. “Working with the Cocoziello Institute allows us to support faculty whose ideas have the potential to improve the built environment and create meaningful benefits for communities across Pennsylvania and beyond.”

This year’s awardees address topics ranging from sustainable construction materials and 3D-printed housing to aging-in-place, smart building technologies, distributed energy resources and climate-resilient real estate development.

"Our goal is to support research that doesn't stop at discovery," said Jennifer K. Wagner, associate director of outreach and engagement of the Cocoziello Institute. "These projects bring together expertise from across the University to develop solutions that can ultimately be translated into practice, benefiting industry, communities, and the people who live and work in the built environment."

The selected projects include:

• “Structural and Environmental Monitoring of 3D Concrete Printed House” — This project will monitor a real, occupied 3D-printed concrete house for a year to evaluate its structural performance, durability, energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality, helping determine whether 3D-printed housing is a viable long-term construction solution.

  • Multiple principal investigators:

    • Jose Duarte Pinto, professor and Stuckeman Chair in design innovation, Penn State University Park

    • Truong Tran, assistant professor of computer science, Penn State Harrisburg

  • Co-investigators:

    • Mariantonieta Gutierrez Soto, associate professor of engineering design, Penn State University Park

    • Rahman Azari, associate professor of architecture, Penn State University Park

    • Yuqing Hu, assistant professor of architectural engineering, Penn State University Park

• “A Metric-Driven One Health Approach to Indoor-Outdoor Built Environment Performance for Aging in Place” — This project will study how indoor building conditions and outdoor natural environments work together to influence the health and well-being of older adults, with the goal of creating healthier and more climate-resilient aging-in-place communities.

  • Multiple principal investigators:

    • James Mutunga, assistant professor of ecology, Penn State Harrisburg

    • Julian Wang, professor of architectural engineering, Penn State University Park

• “Risk-Informed Smart Commissioning for Resilient Building Performance” — This project will create a tool that converts building-performance and fault-detection data into financial and risk metrics, helping owners and investors make smarter decisions about building maintenance, efficiency, and resilience.

  • Multiple principal investigators:

    • Nan Zhu, associate professor of risk management, Penn State University Park

    • Jin Wen, professor and department head of architectural engineering, Penn State University Park

• “Socio-Engineering Feasibility of Producing Next-Generation Cement Substitutes from Abundant Crop Residue Feedstocks in Pennsylvania for a Sustainable Real Estate Market” — This project explores whether Pennsylvania crop residues can be transformed into low-carbon cement substitutes, creating a sustainable supply chain that benefits farmers, reduces construction emissions, and supports greener real estate development.

  • Multiple principal investigators:
    • Juan Pablo Gevaudan, assistant professor of architectural engineering, Penn State University Park

    • Kaitlyn Spangler, assistant professor of rural sociology, Penn State University Park

• “Physical AI-enabled Policy & Incentive Design for Adoption of Distributed Energy Resources "— This project will use AI and detailed building energy models to identify where distributed energy technologies like solar panels and batteries provide the greatest benefits, helping utilities and governments design smarter incentives, improve grid reliability, and strengthen community resilience.

  • Multiple principal investigators:
    • Zhen Lie, professor of energy and environmental economics, Penn State University Park

    • Wangda Zuo, professor of architectural engineering, Penn State University Park

The Cocoziello Institute will begin collecting proposals for next year’s seed grant program in February 2027.

About the Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation 

The Penn State Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation is dedicated to advancing research and collaboration across disciplines to address the challenges facing the real estate industry. Through innovative programs and partnerships, the institute aims to develop solutions that will positively impact the built environment and promote sustainable practices.

Visit the Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation website to learn more.