Houston, TX – June 1, 2026 – The Welch Foundation, one of the nation’s largest sources of private funding for basic chemical research, announces more than $31 million in research grants and other program funding for 2026. This includes the foundation’s long-standing research grant funding to Texas institutions, along with equipment grants and postdoctoral fellowships.
“Basic chemical research has resulted in innumerable fundamental advances in human history,” said Adam Kuspa, President of The Welch Foundation. “We are honored to be able to help support these early research ideas that lay the groundwork for future advances.”
RESEARCH GRANTS
The Welch Foundation’s $29.8 million in research grant funding will be allocated over the next three years and encompasses 85 grants across 17 institutions. The grant provides $117,000 per year in funding for three years to support research in chemistry and related fields by a full-time tenure or tenure-track faculty member at a university, college, or educational institution located within Texas. Grant highlights include:
- Tamia Harris-Tyron, Associate Professor in Dermatology & Immunology at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, is leading a project to explore the biochemical interactions between the skin — the largest human organ — and its resident microbial communities. Dr. Harris-Tyron aims to elucidate how androgens regulate microbial virulence. This newly funded grant will support the team in characterizing how Staphylococcus aureus — the most common cause of skin infection — influences skin androgen levels.
- Rebecca Rapf, Assistant Professor in Chemistry at Trinity University, will continue leading a novel project exploring the dynamics of chemical processes at the air-water interface. Her team will examine how the surface activity and chemistry of soluble alkyl organic acids are mediated by the surrounding aqueous and gas-phase environment — work aimed at yielding fundamental, generalizable insights into the key physical processes governing interfacial composition and reactivity.
- Matteo Pasquali, Professor in Chemistry and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University, is a returning grantee whose team has made a breakthrough in solving the challenge of characterizing conjugated polymers. They discovered that chlorosulfonic acid (CSA) acts as a true thermodynamic solvent for pristine conjugated polymers, such as PEDOT (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)). This advance allows the team to decouple synthesis, characterization, and the formation of ordered soft phases and macroscopic materials — providing a clearer window into this versatile class of polymers.
EQUIPMENT GRANTS
The Welch Foundation’s Equipment Grant Program provides supplemental funding to Departmental Grants, allowing these programs to acquire equipment to improve a department’s capabilities in chemical research and to give faculty and students a more robust laboratory experiences. The foundation awarded 13 institutions with equipment grants for a total of $975,000, with universities matching funds of $194,195.
One of Midwestern State University’s (MSU) major research initiatives focuses on the characterization of proteins associated with neurogenerative disorders. However, the department’s primary high-speed, floor-top centrifuge integral to this work is no longer functional and cannot be repaired due to its age and limited available funding. With this grant, MSU will be able to purchase a new centrifuge and a microfluidizer to enable this research. Access to these tools will accelerate progress toward publishable research outcomes while providing meaningful research experiences for both undergraduate and graduate students.
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS
The Welch Postdoctoral Fellows of the Life Sciences Research Foundation Grant Program provides three-year fellowships to recent PhD graduates from around the world to support the development of their chemical research careers in Texas. The foundation has awarded three Postdoctoral Fellows to two institutions –Rice University and The University of Texas at Austin. Each Fellow will receive $105,000 annually, for a three-year total of $315,000.
Since 1954, the Houston-based Welch Foundation has contributed close to $1.2 billion to the advancement of chemistry through individual research grants, departmental research and equipment grants, endowed chairs, Catalyst program grants, WelchX collaborative pilot grants, Postdoctoral Fellows grants, and support for other chemistry-related programs in Texas. The Foundation also bestows the annual Welch Award in Chemistry, which has celebrated achievements in basic research internationally since 1972, and the Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research to early-career Texas scientists. For more information, visit www.welch1.org.
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Media Contact:
Carla Atmar
Director of Grant Programs
The Welch Foundation
atmar@welch1.org