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Explore Rutgers Day

Rutgers Day is set for Saturday, April 26, 2025, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., rain or shine, on the Busch Campus in Piscataway and the College Avenue and Cook/Douglass campuses in New Brunswick. Get ready for the ultimate celebration of everything Rutgers!

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Office of the Vice Provost for Research

The Vice Provost for Research serves as a strategic partner in New Brunswick fostering collaborations, advocating for resources, and developing communication to promote a culture of faculty and student innovative and inclusive research. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research provides advice and planning for university-wide research initiatives and priorities including its centers and institutes, supporting Rutgers–New Brunswick, its cross-campus and chancellor-led units’ research infrastructure development. Want to collaborate? Contact us.

Our Goals

  1. Support and increase impacts of innovative inclusive research fostering interdisciplinary and cross campus collaboration

  2. Increase diversity in research faculty and build capacity for publicly engaged research

  3. Center research opportunities for students at all levels of training from undergrad to graduate and postdoctoral

  4. Promote equitable infrastructure and core facilities development

Strategic Priorities and Initiatives

Provost Strategic Task Forces

As an outgrowth of the Academic Master Plan, Provost Strategic Task Forces will be convened to develop guidance in areas which the chancellor and her leadership team deem as critical to support and grow the vision of the Rutgers–New Brunswick academic enterprise and its relationship to the three other chancellor-led units.

Past Task Forces

  • Task Force Report

    The Climate Change Initiative Advisory Group is tasked with:

    • Developing a proposal to re-envision all existing Rutgers New Brunswick-wide climate/environmental systems/energy centers, programs, and faculty into a new framework.  
    • Proposing a working Mission and Vision Statement and set of Initial Strategic Plan Goals, Key Objectives and Results (OKR) that spans domains of Research, Education and Policy  
    • Determining possible reporting structures and organizational leadership and makeup.
    • Envisioning a new budgetary system with a general idea of what commitments NB Schools/Centers/Institutes and the Chancellor's office would need to make to provide a core set of resources that will be mutually supported.

    Advisory Group Members

    • Debashish Bhattacharya, Distinguished Professor, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
    • Dunbar Birnie, Professor & Corning/Saint Gobain/Malcolm G. McLaren Chair, Materials Science and Engineering, School of Engineering
    • Anthony Broccoli, Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
    • Robin Leichenko, Professor and Co-Director of the Rutgers Climate Institute
    • Julie Lockwood, Professor and Chair of the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
    • Oscar Schofield, Distinguished Professor and Chair of Marine and Coastal Sciences, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
    • Rachael Shwom, Associate Professor, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and Associate Director, Rutgers Energy Institute (REI)
    • James (Jim) Wright, Professor, Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences

  • Task Force Report

    Task Force Members

    • Mark Aakhus, Co-Chair, Associate Dean for Research Professor of Communication, School of Communication and Information
    • J. Barr von Oehsen, Co-Chair, Associate Vice President, Office of Advanced Research Computing
    • Alyson Brooks, Associate Professor, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    • Yuebin Guo, Henry Rutgers Professor of Advanced Manufacturing, School of Engineering, Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
    • Ronald Hart, Professor, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Cell Biology & Neuroscience
    • Woojin Jung, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work
    • Regina Liu, Distinguished Professor, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Statistics
    • Meredith McGill, Professor and Chair, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of English
    • Thu Nguyen, Dean of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Professor, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Computer Science
    • Katherine Ognyanova, Associate Professor, School of Communication and Information
    • Jaideep Vaidya, Distinguished Professor and Department Vice Chair, Rutgers Business School, Management Science & Information Systems

    Major Stakeholders

    • Yana Bromberg, Professor, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology
    • Stephen K. Burley, University Professor and Henry Rutgers Chair, Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, RCSB Protein Data Bank
    • Enrique Curchitser, Professor, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Department of Environmental Sciences
    • Richard Ebright, Board of Governors Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
    • Lauren M. E. Goodlad, Distinguished Professor & Chair of Critical AI @ Rutgers, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of English
    • Shantenu Jha, Professor, School of Engineering, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
    • Matthew Weber, Associate Professor, School of Communication and Information, Department of Communication
    • John Wilkin, Professor, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences

  • The Life Sciences Alliance Provost Strategic Task Force has a mission to bridge our existing strengths and promote growth in emerging areas with the goal of advancing discovery, innovation, partnerships, and interdisciplinary research and access to research at Rutgers and beyond.

    Learn More About the Task Force

  • Task Force Report

    In 2019, the Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs (EVPAA) and a faculty task force published a document to broadly define publicly engaged scholarship for Rutgers University. Since then it has been used by all Chancellor-led schools, centers, and institutes for the purpose of facilitating the tenure and promotion process for those who do publicly engaged/community engaged scholarship (P/CES). Now, and as part of the Academic Master Plan launch, the Office of the Chancellor has established a P/CES Task Force of faculty across Rutgers–New Brunswick charged with making recommendations to the Chancellor and the Deans’ Cabinet in order to provide further guidance for the implementation of the general policy outlined by the EVPAA.

    Task Force Members

    • Denise Hien, Co-Chair, Vice Provost for Research, Office of the Chancellor
    • Saundra Tomlinson-Clarke, Co-Chair, Senior Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs, Office of the Chancellor
    • Emily Allen-Hornblower, Associate Professor of Classics, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Classics
    • W. Steven Barnett, Board of Governors Professor of Education, Graduate School of Education, Senior Co-Director, National Institute for Early Education Research
    • Brittney Cooper, Associate Professor, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
    • Laura Curran, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, Office of the Chancellor
    • Sara Elnakib, Chair/Program Leader, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Family and Community Health Sciences
    • Nichole Garcia, Assistant Professor of Higher Education, Graduate School of Education, Educational Psychology
    • Alexander Guerrero, Professor, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Philosophy
    • Andrea Hetling, Provost Leadership Research Fellow, Office of the Vice Provost for Research
    • Radha Jagannathan, Professor, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
    • Brooke Maslo, Associate Professor, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources
    • Sheila Borges Rajguru, Director for Research Development and Strategy, Office of the Vice Provost for Research
    • Saul Rubinstein, Professor, School of Management and Labor Relations, Labor Studies and Employment Relations Director, Center for the Study of Collaboration in Work and Society
    • Todd Wolfson, Associate Professor of Journalism and Media Studies, School of Communication and Information, Co-Director of the MIC Center

Fostering Innovative Research Collaborations

Attendees talk during a research ideation forum on machine learning and artificial intelligence

Research Ideation Forums

Research Ideation Forums encourage bold and disruptive research thinking across disciplines, foster collaborative research community-building in emerging thematic spaces, and help researchers develop roadmaps for future proposal development and submission.

Associate Professor Grace Saba leads a discussion with students in the RUCOOL Operations Center

Rutgers Undergraduate Research Discovery Day

In collaboration with the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and the Aresty Research Center Director, the OVPR actively worked with members of the Undergraduate Research Council to plan the inaugural Rutgers Undergraduate Research Discovery Day.

Research leaders sit at a round table and talk during a networking event

Speed Networking

Speed Networking events bring together departments, schools, and centers to build new connections. The faculty who participate in the event have the opportunity to apply for research seed funding to support their new collaborations.

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Seed Funding Projects

Seed Funding Projects address challenges identified through Research Ideation Forums. Interdisciplinary research teams receive seed grants from the Office of the Chancellor.

Rutgers Research Development Academy SM

person holding a tablet and writing notes

Digital Credentials

Founded by Dr. Sheila Borges Rajguru, the Rutgers Research Development Academy SM is a space to build a network of research development professionals across Rutgers–New Brunswick and to lead them in creating grants and sponsored programs courses for faculty members. Faculty members and RDPs who complete the program receive a digital credential.

Reports

Office of the Vice Provost for Research Directory

Leadership | Research Development | Provost Leadership Research Fellows | Student Workers

Leadership

Wendie Cohick headshot

Wendie Cohick, PhD

Vice Provost for Research

Vice Provost Cohick advocates for strategic resources and collaborations that drive transformative, interdisciplinary research across Rutgers–New Brunswick. She previously served as Dean of Research and Graduate Education in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS), Director of Research for the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES), and Interim Director of the Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health (IFNH). Her work builds on that of Senior Vice Provost for Research Denise Hien.

Research Development

Sheila Rajguru

Sheila Borges Rajguru, PhD

Director for Research Development & Strategy

Sheila Borges Rajguru supports the Senior Vice Provost for Research and works closely with Rutgers–New Brunswick research deans from key academic units, center/institute directors, liaising with senior leadership in the Office for Research, EVPAA, Vice Chancellor for Research Offices across RBHS, Rutgers–Camden and Rutgers–Newark chancellor-led units (CLUs), and Rutgers University Foundation to develop synergistic programming and initiatives at the nexus of research and academic affairs.

Amy Mendelbaum headshot

Amy Mandelbaum, EdM

Assistant Director for Research Development

Amy Mandelbaum supports the Director for Research Development and Strategy by facilitating Rutgers–New Brunswick's Chancellor Signature Initiatives, where she oversees cross-cutting grant proposals and fosters relationships with stakeholders. For the newly established Rutgers Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (RAD) Collaboratory, Amy is playing an integral role in developing programming centered on collaborative research and scholarship.

Melissa Schmidt

Melissa Dinovelli, MI, MS

Program Development Specialist

Melissa Dinovelli supports the Director for Research Development and Strategy by facilitating Rutgers–New Brunswick strategic priorities pertaining to faculty, students, and postdoctoral associates’ research and professional advancement. She works closely with Rutgers–New Brunswick research deans and the Office for Research to ensure the Academic Master Plan's objectives and Vice Provost for Research's strategic priorities are met and is passionate about using data-driven decision making to support cross-campus research development.

Tracy Higgins

Tracy Higgins, MA, LPC

Senior Academic Program Coordinator

Tracy Higgins supports the Director of Research Development and Strategy at Rutgers–New Brunswick by assisting in the facilitation of strategic initiatives promoting growth in, education, research and professional development. Committed to curriculum development, Tracy facilitates the integration of Rutgers research cores into educational and experiential learning opportunities for all levels of students, faculty, researchers and community members through the PERC (Platforms for Education and Research Cores) initiative.

Rubia Serra

Rubia Serra

Senior Program Coordinator

Rubia Serra supports the Director of Research Development and Strategy by assisting in facilitating Rutgers–New Brunswick’s strategic research priorities related to faculty, students, and postdoctoral associates’ research and professional advancement. She also supports the Program Development Specialist in daily operations and administration, project coordination, research development, and special projects for the Office of the Vice Provost for Research to ensure alignment with the office’s goals.

Provost Leadership Research Fellows

Victoria Abraira

Victoria Abraira, PhD

Assistant Professor, Cell Biology and Neuroscience

Victoria Abraira, PhD is a Provost Leadership Research Faculty Fellow in the Office of the Vice Provost for Research at Rutgers University. She is also an Assistant Professor in Cell Biology and Neuroscience Department. In her fellowship role, she co-leads initiatives to strengthen research center and institute excellence across Rutgers. A Pew Scholar and Rita Allen Foundation Scholar, Dr. Abraira's neuroscience research explores touch sensation and pain processing.

Cara Cuite

Cara L. Cuite, PhD

Associate Professor of Human Ecology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences

Dr. Cara Cuite is an Associate Extension Specialist and Undergraduate Program Director in the Department of Human Ecology. She is a health psychologist who leads a research program on Rutgers student basic needs insecurities. She also partners with community-based organizations to improve food security across NJ. Her risk communication research focuses on how people respond to messages about food safety and weather-related emergencies. In her role as a fellow, she supports the Behavioral Health and Equity Task Force.

Kathe Newman

Kathe Newman, PhD

Professor in the Urban Planning and Policy Development Program at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and Director of the Ralph W. Voorhees Center for Civic Engagement

Kathe Newman is a Professor in the Urban Planning and Policy Development Program at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and Director of the Ralph W. Voorhees Center for Civic Engagement. Dr. Newman holds a PhD in Political Science from the City University of New York. She writes about urban change, what it is and why it happens, and is an associate editor at Environment and Planning A and a book review editor at the Journal of Urban Affairs.

Past Provost Leadership Research Fellows

Mark Aakhus

Mark Aakhus, PhD

Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Communication

Andrea Hetling

Andrea Hetling, PhD

Professor of Public Policy and Associate Director of Heldrich Center for Workforce Development

Andrea Hetling, PhD, is Professor of Public Policy and Associate Director of the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. Andrea’s research focuses on the implementation of public policies designed to reduce economic and social inequities and build financial stability for families.

Harini Sampath

Harini Sampath, PhD

Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences

Harini Sampath, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences and Director of the Sampath Lab at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. Harini’s research goal is to delineate the cellular alterations that occur during the development of metabolic diseases, including fatty liver, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Her lab seeks to identify pathways that can be targeted for nutritional and pharmaceutical therapies to preserve health and improve health outcomes.

Valerie Tutwiler

Valerie Tutwiler, PhD

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Valerie Tutwiler is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rutgers, where her lab studies the structure and mechanics of blood clots. She received her PhD from Drexel University in Biomedical Engineering and conducted her postdoctoral work in Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Pennsylvania where she was a NIH NHLBI K99/R00 Postdoctoral Fellow. Valerie is passionate about increased research and professional development opportunities at a university level.

Student Workers

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Aastha Gobind

School of Engineering Undergraduate Student

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Hanna Luu

School of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Student