USD Announces 2026 President's Research Award Recipients
2026 President’s Research Award recipients, who received a $2,500 cash award and a plaque, include the following:
President’s Award for Research Excellence: Established Faculty
- Jeff Wesner, Ph.D., associate chair of biology and professor in the Department of Biology
President’s Award for Research Excellence: New or Mid-Career Faculty or Staff
- Melissa Dittberner, Ph.D. ’18, ’12, associate professor of practice in the Department of Addiction Counseling & Prevention
President’s Award for Research Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- Etienne Gnimpieba, Ph.D., research assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering
President’s Award for Research Creativity
- ducan b. barlow, Ph.D., professor of practice in the Department of English
“I am honored to recognize Jeff Wesner, Melissa Dittberner, Etienne Gnimpieba and duncan b. barlow for their incredible research efforts and successes,” said USD President Sheila K. Gestring. “They are shaping the future of their disciplines through innovative work and bold thinking. Their contributions highlight the ingenuity driving USD forward while reflecting the strong momentum of our academic community.”
Candidates were reviewed based on past and current research accomplishments, including criteria such as publications, presentations, successful grantsmanship, peer review experience, maintenance of an active graduate or undergraduate program and being conferred other competitive research awards. The Innovation & Entrepreneurship award further requires that the winner demonstrate innovative thinking or research findings that had promising commercial potential, as well as a concept that had progressed beyond the theoretical stage to the applied stage.
The recipients will be recognized on April 15 at 4 p.m. in the Muenster University Center as a part of University Research Week and IdeaFest programming.
Jeff Wesner
Wesner was awarded the President’s Award for Research Excellence: Established Faculty for his sustained record of influential research, external funding and professional leadership, which have brought significant national and international visibility to USD in the field of freshwater ecology. His research focuses on freshwater ecosystems, nutrient cycling and the movement of contaminants across ecological systems. He has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications, along with book chapters, a textbook and a widely used software package, with his work appearing in leading journals such as Nature, Global Change Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Science & Technology. A notable achievement includes his 2024 Nature publication, in which he examines continental-scale transport of nutrients and contaminants by pacific salmon.
Wesner has secured nearly $3 million in competitive external funding, maintaining continuous support from the National Science Foundation since 2018, in addition to funding from the U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, Environmental Protection Agency, and South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks. He has served on NSF proposal review panels, contributes as a subject-matter editor for Ecosphere and has provided leadership as co-chair of an international scientific conference with more than 1,000 participants. Mentorship has also been central to Wesner’s career, as he has supervised numerous graduate and undergraduate students whose work has resulted in more than 20 peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national and international conferences.
Melissa Dittberner
Dittberner was awarded the President’s Award for Research Excellence: New or Mid-Career Faculty or Staff for her externally funded research program and growing national recognition that has brought positive visibility to USD in the field of addiction and recovery science. Dittberner’s research focuses on addiction science, recovery-oriented systems of care and innovation in rural behavioral health. She currently serves as principal investigator on a multi-year federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Treatment Court Grant, totaling $2 million. Dittberner has also secured multiple additional state and federal awards addressing opioid response, housing stability and neuroregulation interventions, building a funded research portfolio exceeding $2.5 million.
Dittberner has produced peer-reviewed publications, contributed to a Springer Nature book chapter and delivered invited presentations at national and international venues, including the ALLRISE National Treatment Court Conference, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University and international prevention conferences in Ireland. She has also demonstrated strong translational impact through her role as cofounder and executive director of Midwest Street Medicine, where she applies research-supported models to community-based care for individuals affected by addiction, homelessness and trauma.
Etienne Gnimpieba
Gnimpieba was awarded the President’s Award for Research Innovation & Entrepreneurship for his development of translational research and entrepreneurial initiatives that have brought national and international visibility to USD in the areas of artificial intelligence, data science and biomedical engineering. His work focuses on applied data analytics and biomedical innovation, consistently advancing research beyond theory into real-world implementation. His efforts have resulted in two issued patents, three active invention disclosures and the founding of READS Tech LLC, a South Dakota-based startup focused on translating university-developed technologies into applied health care solutions.
Gnimpieba’s innovations have attracted significant external interest and have been demonstrated through formal non-disclosure agreements and collaborations with major health systems and innovation partners, including Mayo Clinic, Avera Health and Sanford Health. He has participated in the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program to validate market potential and has worked closely with USD to ensure alignment with intellectual property and commercialization practices. His innovation portfolio has also secured more than $80 million in collaborative external research funding, expanding the reach and impact of his work.
ducan b. barlow
barlow was awarded the President’s Award for Research Creativity for his sustained record of creative work, publishing leadership and literary influence that has brought national visibility to USD and contributed to contemporary literary culture. barlow’s work spans fiction across realist, speculative and genre traditions, exploring themes of grief, belief, power and human experience. Since joining USD over a decade ago, he has published two novels, a novella, a collection of short stories and a graphic novel, with his writing appearing in respected literary journals and earning recognition from nationally known critics and authors.
In addition to his own creative scholarship, barlow has played a significant role in literary publishing as founder and publisher of Astrophil Press, an internationally recognized independent press supporting writers from the United States and abroad. He also serves as managing editor of South Dakota Review, contributing to the direction of a nationally respected literary journal that features both emerging and established voices. Through his writing, publishing and editorial leadership, barlow has expanded USD’s cultural reach and strengthened its presence in the national literary community.
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