When phrases like “rising star” or “shining star” appear repeatedly in nominations from different corners of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, you know you have a strong applicant pool.
These are just a few of the descriptors used by the deans, department heads, and directors across campus to characterize the mid-career faculty and researchers they nominated for the 2026-27 Emerging Research Leaders Academy (ERLA).
Collectively, the 16 emerging research leaders selected for the program have secured external research funding, including multiple CAREER awards, earned recognition from professional societies and international conferences, and have introduced novel techniques to their field. Some are even leading large, multi-state research projects. In addition to managing their growing research programs, several of these mid-career researchers have stepped into positions of administrative service and leadership within their units, professional societies, and on the editorial boards of leading journals.
Representing 17 units in 7 colleges, the 2026-27 cohort reflects the diversity of Illinois’ research enterprise, spanning the social sciences, education, health sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, physical sciences, and engineering. These rising stars also hold affiliations with seven of Illinois’ ten campuswide interdisciplinary research institutes.
Congratulations to the 2026-27 ERLA Cohort
Phil Anderson | Evolution, Ecology and Behavior | Nominated by Becky Fuller
Sarah Baires | Illinois State Archaeological Survey | Nominated by Alleen Betzenhauser
Maria Chu | Agricultural and Biological Engineering | Nominated by Ronaldo Maghirang
Chunyuan Diao | Geography & Geographic Information Science | Nominated by Julie Cidell
Wawrzyniec Dobrucki | Bioengineering | Nominated by Shuming Nie
Katie Driggs-Campbell | Electrical & Computer Engineering | Nominated by Jennifer T. Bernhard
Dan Fogerty | Speech & Hearing Science | Nominated by Georgia Malandraki
Kari Foss | Veterinary Clinical Medicine | Nominated by Gireesh Rajashekara
Manuel Hernandez | Biomedical and Translational Sciences | Nominated by Bruce A. Bunnell
Sharde McNeil Smith | Human Development and Family Studies | Nominated by Ramona Faith Oswald
Paola E. Mera | Microbiology | Nominated by James M. Slauch
Nicola Perry | Materials Science & Engineering | Nominated by Nancy Sottos
Amber Ray | Special Education | Nominated by Robb Lindgren
Josie Rudolphi | Agricultural and Biological Engineering | Nominated by Ronaldo Maghirang
Miray Tekkumru-Kisa | Curriculum and Instruction | Nominated by Robb Lindgren
Josh Vura-Weis | Chemistry | Nominated by Catherine J. Murphy
Why ERLA? Why now?
With this slate of talent and strong track record of accomplishments, why would such accomplished researchers and leaders need to participate in a research leadership academy?
As one nominator so accurately put it, ERLA would support the nominee’s “growth from an accomplished investigator into a national and international leader.”
Candidates for ERLA are nominated by a dean, director, or department head in one of their affiliated units. When submitting nominations, these administrative leaders expressed the desire to invest in and amplify the efforts of the nominees to scale their work, expand their impact, build strategic partnerships, and lead the future of research at Illinois.
ERLA offers the environment for mid-career researchers to do just that. Through monthly workshops on topics such as management, building and managing diverse teams, strategic leadership, team science, and research communication, ERLA challenges participants to reflect and discover who they are as leaders while building the skills needed to lead collaborative, high-impact research. Supplemental discussions – called Candid Conversations – invite the researchers to dive deeper into the workshop concepts, to build community, and reflect on how to integrate the concepts into their work.
Of course, researchers have to be at the right point in their career to engage in the critical reflection and visioning that ERLA aims to facilitate. With a limited number of spots in a time-intensive program, Maggie Berg, Senior Research Development Manager and head of ERLA, wants to make sure they are selecting candidates who are truly ready to begin this type of visioning.
“ERLA is more than the sum of its parts. Our goal is to bring together the right people at the right time in their career. We have worked to invite presenters and develop workshops that challenge participants to ask the tough questions. The participants have to be ready to reflect and challenge themselves in these ways too” Dr. Berg said.
Once they complete the program, ERLA graduates continue to engage with IHSI and other previous participants in the program for continued support. Many are invited to be IHSI affiliates and have the opportunity to give back and offer their insights for future programs. IHSI affiliates and ERLA alumni Carla Hunter, a professor of psychology, and Laura Rice, a professor of health and kinesiology were part of this year’s selection process. Thrilled with the insights Prof. Hunter shared during the 2025 selection process, Dr. Berg also invited Prof. Rice to join the selection committee this year.
“My experience in the program helped me to understand which applicants the ERLA program is ready to accelerate and those who need a little more time and experience before they would most benefit from the programming,” Prof. Rice said.
Research leaders elevate emerging research leaders
Robb Lindgren, a professor of educational psychology, participated in the 2024-2025 ERLA cohort to develop his capacity for leadership. Now, he is an associate dean for research in the College of Education, where he promotes and supports research and research education and leads the college’s research and scholarship portfolio. Prof. Lindgren values his ERLA experience and encourages participation within his college.
Prof. Lindgren nominated Miray Tekkumru-Kisa, a professor of curriculum and instruction, and Amber Ray, a professor of special education, anticipating the same encouragement, knowledge, and access to resources that he experienced as part of the program.
“When I participated in ERLA, I learned a lot about campuswide resources for things such as research communication and team management that have been invaluable to me in my current role, and I think Professors Tekkumru-Kisa and Ray will really benefit from these experiences. I’ve stayed in contact with many in my ERLA cohort, and it is my hope that these faculty members will have the chance to build community with their cohort as well,” Lindgren said.
The program culminates with presentations by all ERLA participants of their five-year action plans. ERLA graduates leave the program equipped with an authentic leadership approach, grounded in their personal strengths, values, and vision—one they can draw upon throughout their career.
The 2026-27 ERLA graduation will be held Wednesday, April 14, 2027. All are welcome to attend.
The Emerging Research Leaders Academy is facilitated by IHSI, in partnership with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, College of Applied Health Sciences, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Grainger College of Engineering, and the Office of Proposal Development. Learn more by visiting the ERLA page on the IHSI website.