Increasing Our Research Excellence Committee

Launched in June 2023, the Sustaining Teaching and Research Task Force, or START, will assess challenges, prioritize strategies and recommend specific actions to bring about substantive improvements to our education, research and service models, thereby enhancing our ability to fulfill our mission at the highest levels of achievement.

The Increasing Our Research Excellence Committee will assess current and future challenges in advancing the campus’s research excellence and develop recommendations on staffing models and infrastructure to enhance research quality and productivity; develop enhancements at the intersections of faculty, graduate student, and undergraduate research experiences; and develop recommendations to improve funding models, shared resources, access to services, as well as administration of our Centers, Institutes, and Core Facilities.

The committee's members are:

Working Groups

The Increasing Our Research Excellence Committee has formed working groups that will focus on specific topics and address the full range of questions submitted to START. The working groups, chairs and members are:

  • Research Facilities
  • Chair:
    Mark Winey, Dean, College of Biological Sciences
    Members:
    Ryan Anderson, Manager, Center for Nano and Micro Manufacturing 
    Abhijit Chaudhari, Director, Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging
    Nann Fangue, Chair, Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology
    Isabelle Girard, Director, Research Core Facilities Program
    KC Kent Lloyd, Director, Mouse Biology Program
    Julin Maloof, Professor, Plant Biology
    David Rocke, Distinguished Professor, Public Health Sciences and Biomedical Engineering
  • Research Computing
  • Chair: 
    Chen-Nee Chuah    , Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
    Members:
    Simon Atkinson,     Vice Chancellor for Research
    Titus Brown, Professor, Population Health and Reproduction
    Rachael Callcut, Associate Dean of Data Science and Innovation, School of Medicine
    Ian Korf, Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology
    Viji Murali, Chief Information Officer and Vice Provost, Information and Educational Technology
    Jeremy Phillips, Director, Information Technology, College of Letters and Science
    Steve Pigg, Executive Director, Information Technology, College of Engineering
  • Research Administration and Operation
  • Rebecca Hernandez, Associate Professor, Land, Air, and Water Resources
    Lori Lubin, Professor, Physics and Astronomy
  • Research Financials
  • Chair: 
    Mary McNally,     Executive Assistant Dean, School of Veterinary Medicine
    Members:
    Kim Barrett    , Vice Dean for Research, School of Medicine
    Raissa D'Souza, Associate Dean for Research, College of Engineering
    Denise Ehlen, Executive Associate Vice Chancellor for Research 
    Simona Ghetti, Professor, Psychology, Center for Mind and Brain
    Sarah Mangum, Associate Vice Chancellor, Budget and Institutional Analysis
    Lisa Pastore-Anderson, Chief Administrative Officer, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine
    James Ringo, Director, Contracts and Grants Accounting, Finance and Business 
  • Research Opportunities
  • Chair:
    Peter Wainwright    , Chair, Department of Evolution and Ecology
    Members:
    Cristina Davis    , Associate Vice Chancellor for Interdisciplinary Research and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Research
    Paul Dodd, Associate Vice Chancellor, Grand Challenges
    Jonna Mazet, Vice Provost, Grand Challenges
    Elizabeth Miller, Professor, English
    Giovanni Peri, Professor, Economics
    Amy Skehan, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Foundation and Corporate Engagement
    Sheryl Soucy-Lubell, Director, Interdisciplinary Research Support, Office of Research
    Ted Wun, Associate Dean for Research, School of Medicine