The Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI) is pleased to announce the 15 Illinois faculty selected for the 2024-25 Emerging Research Leaders Academy (ERLA). Designed for mid-career faculty to achieve research success, the program provides vital leadership and team science training to pursue large, multi-PI grants, lead campus research initiatives, enhance their own research programs, and ultimately position Illinois for research excellence.
Applicants are nominated by a dean, department head, or director, and chosen by the Selection Committee. Applicants are evaluated based on their commitment to the program (both anticipated attendance and enthusiasm), future leadership potential, and how their participation will benefit their career as well as campus. Chosen from a pool of nearly 40 applicants, the 2024-25 cohort represents 15 units from 8 colleges at Illinois.
Shadi Atallah | Agricultural & Consumer Economics | Nominated by Sarah Low
Marie Channell | Speech & Hearing Science | Nominated by Pamela Hadley
Qian Chen | Materials Science & Engineering | Nominated by Nancy Sottos
Catherine Corr | Special Education | Nominated by Matthew Lambert
Yun Huang | School of Information Sciences | Nominated by J. Stephen Downie
Mariana Kersh | Mechanical Science & Engineering | Nominated by Catherine Murphy
Naiman Khan | Health & Kinesiology | Nominated by Kim Graber
Aleksander Ksiazkiewicz | Political Science | Nominated by Tom Rudolph
Robb Lindgren | Educational Psychology | Nominated by | Michaelene Ostrosky
Andrew Margenot | Crop Sciences | Nominated by Adam Davis
Simon Rogers | Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering | Nominated by Chris Rao
Wendy Schelsky | Illinois Natural History Survey | Nominated by Brenda Molano-Flores
Rebecca Smith | Pathobiology | Nominated by Bob Rowland
Jida Wang | Geography & GIScience | Nominated by Julie Cidell
Chi-Fang Wu | School of Social Work | Nominated by Benjamin Lough
Throughout the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters, the cohort will attend a series of monthly, in-person workshops designed to support the development of strategic leadership and management skills and inspire the application of those skills to research. Each three-hour workshop includes a presentation by an on- or off-campus subject expert and an interactive discussion or activity on topics such as leading and managing teams, building diverse and inclusive teams, mentoring, and effective research communication.
Qian Chen, a Racheff Faculty Scholar in Materials Science & Engineering and Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator, runs the Active Soft Matter Research Group focused on imaging, understanding, and manipulating the organization of complex materials and biological systems in space and time at the underexplored nanoscale and is part of the incoming 2024-25 ERLA cohort.
"As a scientist, I have been fascinated by the science of leadership for a while. I thus feel thrilled to have this opportunity to learn among this year's cohort of Emerging Research Leaders. I hope I can bring more positive impacts and inspiration to our research communities and beyond."
In addition to the workshops, participants are encouraged to attend supplemental lunchtime discussion sessions, “critical conversations,” to further explore the workshop concepts and potential applications to research. Following last year’s experiences and feedback from the 2023-24 inaugural cohort, IHSI Senior Research Development Manager Maggie Berg discovered that one of the most valuable aspects of the program was connecting with peers from outside their home departments.
“We made minor adjustments to the workshops to allow for more discussion time,” noted Berg. “We also scheduled the ‘critical conversations’ further in advance to increase the amount of time for informal conversation and hope to bring in campus leadership to participate in those discussions.”
The 2024-25 cohort will develop a 5-year action plan for their personal and research growth. On April 16, 2025, the cohort will present their action plans to peers, department heads, and other campus leaders, receiving certificates of completion and recognition as Emerging Research Leadership Scholars during the celebration reception.
Following his participation in the 2023-24 ERLA, Mark Allen Davis, a conservation biologist in the Illinois Natural History Survey at the Prairie Research Institute, felt challenged to think critically about the shape of his research program and encouraged to approach all phases of a successful research program with thoughtfulness and intentionality.
“In our undergraduate and graduate education, we acquire the skills to be creative, innovative, and rigorous scientists, but as we move into mid-career, the tools critical to continued success expand beyond scientific acumen and into business administration, project management, and mentorship,” Davis said. “Historically, the experience necessary to be successful in these areas isn’t a core component of the graduate degree program. The ERLA is a unique and unparalleled opportunity to build and expand expertise to lead vibrant, innovative, and productive programs in our modern research ecosystem.”
Following participation in ERLA, members of the cohort will be invited to become IHSI affiliates, which includes ongoing engagement with and support from IHSI as they continue their leadership journey. Based on feedback from the 2023-24 ERLA cohort requesting opportunities to connect and grow beyond the program, program facilitators are also planning ERLA alumni events such as a center grant workshop and a 360-feedback assessment.
ERLA is offered in partnership with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, Center for Social & Behavioral Science, College of Applied Health Sciences, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Grainger College of Engineering, and Office of Proposal Development.
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