Faculty Fellows at the OVCRI
They’ve advocated for enhancements to institutional policies that govern conflicts or commitment or interest, led committees that established campus NAGPRA processes, and connected researchers with opportunities to enhance national security—and in the process, they’ve helped to support researchers across the university. OVCRI Faculty Fellows play an important role informing OVCRI thinking and policymaking, developing strategic initiatives, and bringing disciplinary perspectives to OVCRI programs and services.
“Faculty Fellows broaden my understanding of research at Illinois, and that in turn makes me a better leader,” said Susan Martinis, Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “The regular rotation in to and out of the OVCRI also refreshes our office and gives us a fresh perspective.”
Fellows often propose specific projects that align with their professional interests. They may also spend time at the OVCRI’s main operational center on the 4th floor of Swanlund, interacting with the OVCRI teams responsible for the safe, ethical, and productive conduct of research at Illinois.
Faculty Fellows broaden my understanding of research at Illinois, and that in turn makes me a better leader.”
—Susan Martinis, Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation
“Spending time as a Faculty Fellow was an invaluable learning experience that influenced my career trajectory,” said Harley Johnson, the associate dean for research in the Grainger College of Engineering who spent two years as an OVCRI Faculty Fellow. “I was able to evaluate and help to modernize the campus Limited Submissions process, develop resources for people who are interested in pursuing Training Grants, offer input into research-related policy decisions, and develop a more comprehensive understanding of the complexities of the research enterprise across the campus. The experience prepared me to better lead research activities at Grainger and deepened my connections with campus-level research support units.”
Three new Fellows will join the OVCRI this academic year:
Susan Koshy will serve as Faculty Fellow in Health Innovations, working with OVCRI and IHSI leadership to provide perspective and contribute to initiatives in Health Innovation that span campus, local community, state, national, and global initiatives. She will also serve as an ex officio member of the Health Innovation Visioning Committee.
Erik McDuffie will be embedded into the OVCRI team to learn about campus-level research administration and research-related issues. He will not only bring a humanist perspective enriching our work across the broad OVCRI portfolio, but will also develop projects to advance our research and innovation enterprise.
Shaowen Wang will work closely with the campus New Frontiers Initiative and our partner, the Taylor Geospatial Institute, to strengthen our relationship with the consortium and advance the university’s geospatial research portfolio.
Although many OVCRI Fellows serve for 1-2 years, another faculty member, Brenda Wilson, has been with the OVCRI since 2019. Because of the nature of her engagement with Sandia National Labs to steward our strategic relationship and create opportunities for campus faculty and students, Wilson has been named Senior Faculty Fellow.
Two OVCRI Faculty Fellows concluded their service this month: Andy Singer and Jenny Davis. In addition to serving as Chancellor's Fellow of Indigenous Research & Ethics, Davis worked with the OVCRI team and others across campus to form the campus NAGPRA office and co-chaired the NAGPRA Advisory Committee.
Singer, who joined the OVCRI in 2020, served as the Faculty Fellow for Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Strategy, paving the way for an inaugural Director of Entrepreneurship. In that role, he led a committee that developed program statements for a new Translational Research Facility and EnterpriseWorks 2.0. His work with OVCRI also included spearheading policy discussions on faculty/student commercial partnerships and on intellectual property management.
“Our Fellows Program continues to be an incredible opportunity to develop the next generation of research leaders,” Martinis said. “We are so grateful to our past Fellows and we are looking forward to learning from a new group of incoming scholars and leaders!”