Research

Divers collect data observing a coral reef.

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University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo faculty conduct place-based, applied research of short- and long- term benefit to the people of Hawaiʻi Island and the state. For example:

• UH Hilo faculty do world class research on indigenous languages that helps promote the revitalization of the Hawaiian language and culture.
• Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Sciences (TCBES) researchers study the history of evolution of species in Hawaiʻi, the impacts of climate change on land and in coastal waters, and do research on ways to mitigate climate change and pollution.
• The Astronomy faculty have access to the world’s finest telescopes on Maunakea and their goal is to have the best undergraduate astronomy program in the world.
• UH Hilo faculty in the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources, are doing research on alternative energy and agribusiness.
• The Marine Science faculty conduct a diversity of research projects in coastal environments around Hawaii Island and throughout the Pacific region. For example, the MEGA Lab conducts multiscale environmental graphical analysis with emphasis on coral health.
• Data Science Projects at UH Hilo. There are numerous research opportunities in data science and artificial intelligence (AI) at UH Hilo.

Some of UH Hilo’s laboratories include:

• Agricultural Farm Laboratory: 110-acre farm for teaching & research
• Analytical Laboratory: Supporting ecological research & water quality studies
• Geoarchaeology Laboratory: Non-destructive analyses of basalt & volcanic glass artifacts
• Hawaiian Medium Laboratory Schools: Hawaiian language immersion education
• Evolutionary Genomics Core Facility: Service laboratory with technical training sessions in genetics, DNA sequencing, DNA fragment separation, and detection services
• Laboratory for Therapeutic Sciences: Research on human physiological, anthropometric, biometric systems
• Pacific Aquaculture & Coastal Resource Center: Long-term sustainable use and conservation of coastal areas worldwide through aquaculture and resource management.
• Spatial Data Analysis & Visualization Labs: Specializing in advancing Hawaiʻi-based scientific research through utilizing the latest technology for spatial and temporal analysis and visualization.

Administration

Support for research and scholarly activities at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo is coordinated by the UH Hilo Research Office, led by the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs .

Research Office

The UH Hilo Research Office provides proposal preparation and collaborative efforts of extramural funds. They also process procurement and payment requests and other financial transactions for extramural funds.

• Toni-Ann Samio
  • Director for Research & Collaborations - Proposal development support and training, funding opportunity reviews, budget development, collaborations for funding opportunities and research initiatives with internal and external entities.
• Nozomi Kanoho
  • Senior Fiscal Specialist - Serves as Fiscal Administrator (FA Code 116) for all extramural funds, leads the post-award financial/procurement team, review of RCUH & UH HR personnel transactions, account creation and close out, effort reporting, and cost share.
• Kristy Fujii
  • Fiscal Specialist - Provides review for procurement, payments, travel documents, and stipends.
• Francine Muranaka
  • Administrative & Fiscal Specialist - Archival of pre-award (proposals) and post-award (procurement, travel), project reports
• Dawn Namahoe
  • Research Administrative/Fiscal Specialist - Assists with post-award financial transactions.
• Ilona Finkey
  • Admin & Fiscal Support Specialist - Assists with post-award financial transactions.
• Vacant
  • Fiscal Specialist - Provides review for procurement, payments, travel documents, and stipends.

Research & Community Partnerships; Hawaiʻi Cooperative Studies Unit

Research & Community Partnerships (RCP)
Hawaiʻi Cooperative Studies Unit (HCSU)

• Sharon Ziegler-Chong
  • RCP, Director; HCSU, Unit Leader
• Lori Bufil
  • HCSU Project Coordinator

Research Council

The UH Hilo Research Council is the primary recommending body on research for the administration. The Chancellor appoints members of the university units for three-year terms. The Council administers the intramural grant programs, proposes policies and procedures for extramural grant activities, and advises the administration on matters concerned with research and grant activity. The UH Hilo Research Council is convened by Keiki Kawaiʻaeʻa, Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The Research Council's Bylaws (PDF ) were last updated in November 2020.

Learn More

• Learn more about faculty research and scholarly activity at Keaohou, an online publication of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.
• Learn more about grant development:
  • Introduction to proposal development at UH Hilo: Slides (Powerpoint, updated January 2024 ) & Q&A (PDF )
  • Workshop recording about The Implementation Group (TIG)
• Learn more about Undergraduate Research and Training Programs.
• UH Hilo Office of Research Plan 2024-2030 (also available as Word document]