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Office of Research and Innovation

Research Leadership Academy

The Research Leadership Academy is the faculty-driven epicenter of research leadership and faculty mentoring.

Overview

Established in 2016, the Research Leadership Academy (RLA) is the faculty-driven epicenter of research leadership and faculty mentoring at NC State. The RLA is composed of the University’s most outstanding researchers and mentors from diverse fields.

Membership in the Academy is lifetime as long as the member is associated with NC State with a commitment of active service to the RLA for a minimum of three years. Members are expected to take an active role in promoting the research enterprise across campus by leading activities such as seminars, research and leadership education programs, and mentoring programs for faculty.

Charge and Goals

  • The RLA is charged with the development and advocacy of best research and administrative practices for the development of the diverse research faculty at NC State.
  • The goals of the RLA are to
    • Encourage a culture of mentoring across campus,
    • Empower faculty for success,
    • Advance an intellectual, multidisciplinary research community, and
    • Promote the best administrative practices.

RLA Events

The RLA holds multiple faculty-focused events throughout the academic year. View the past recordings and see what the RLA is currently offering.

Learn more

2024 Inductees

Joy Gaston Gayles, Fanxing Li, Ross Meentemeyer and Benham Pourdeyhimi won this year’s award, automatically adding them to the Research Leadership Academy.

Read more

Nominations for RLA

The Alumni Association Outstanding Research Award and membership in the Research Leadership Academy are intended to recognize NC State’s leading scholars and faculty mentors.

Nominate here

Leadership

  • Chair: Heike Sederoff, Professor of Plant and Microbial Biology
  • Chair-Elect: Cranos Williams, Goodnight Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Analytics and Platform Director for the NC Plant Sciences Initiative
  • Communications Manager: Sofia Colón, Office of Research and Innovation
  • Heather Patisaul, Associate Dean for Research, Biological Sciences (Chair, 2023-2024)
  • Phillip Westmoreland, Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (Chair, 2022-2023)
  • Sharon Joines, Professor of Industrial Design; Associate Dean, College of Design; Director, Research in Ergonomics & Design Laboratory (Past Chair, 2021-2022)
  • Erin Sills, Professor and Interim Department Head, Forestry and Environmental Resources (Past Chair, 2020-2021)
  • Greg Parsons, Alcoa Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (Past Chair, 2019-2020)
  • Robert C Smart, PhD, Goodnight Distinguished Chair in Molecular Toxicology; Professor, Department of Biological Sciences and Toxicology Program; Director, Center for Human Health and the Environment, (Past Chair, 2018-2019)
  • Gail Jones, Distinguished Graduate Professor, STEM Education (Past Chair, 2016-2018)

Membership Classes

  • Joy Gaston Gayles, Department Head, Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development, College of Education
  • Fanxing Li, Alcoa Professor and University Faculty Scholar, College of Engineering 
  • Ross Meentemeyer, Professor and Director, Center for Geospatial Analytics, College of Natural Resources
  • Behnam Pourdeyhimi, William A. Klopman Distinguished Professor of Materials, Associate Dean, Wilson College of Textiles; Executive Director, The Nonwovens Institute.
  • Dr. Anthony Blikslager, Professor, Associate Dean, Associate Director of the Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease, Head of the Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine
  • Ola Harrysson, Edward P. Fitts Distinguished Professor, College of Engineering
  • Maria Mayorga, Goodnight Distinguished Chair in Operations Research and Director of Operation Research, College of Engineering
  • Jun Ninomiya-Tsuji, Professor, College of Sciences
  • Rob Scheller, Associate Dean, College of Natural Resources
  • Anna Whitfield, Professor, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

  • George Kennedy, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
  • James Lester, Distinguished University Professor; Director, Center for Educational Informatics, College of Engineering
  • W. Jason Miller, Professor, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
  • John Muth, Professor, College of Engineering
  • Sylvia Nassar, Professor, College of Education
  • Afsaneh Rabiei, Professor, College of Engineering
  • Jan Genzer, S. Frank & Doris Culberson Distinguished Professor, College of Engineering
  • Saad Khan, INVISTA Professor; Director of Graduate Programs, College of Engineering
  • Gail McLaughlin, Distinguished University Professor, College of Sciences
  • Orlin Velev, S. Frank and Doris Culberson Distinguished Professor, College of Engineering
  • Ke Cheng, Randall B. Terry, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Regenerative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine; Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Program cluster hire, Translational Regenerative Medicine
  • Heike Sederoff, Professor and University Faculty Scholar, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Chair, Systems and Synthetic Biology Cluster
  • Paola Sztajn, Professor, College of Education; Interim Associate Vice-Provost for Academic Personnel and Policy
  • Cranos Williams, Professor, College of Engineering; Platform Director, Plant Sciences Initiative
  • Yaroslava Yingling, Professor, Director of Undergraduate Programs, College of Engineering; University Faculty Scholar
  • Xiangwu Zhang, Samuel S. Walker Distinguished Professor, Associate Dean for Research, Wilson College of Textiles; Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor; Inaugural University Faculty Scholar
  • Ken Adler, Professor, Molecular Biomedical Sciences
  • Sarah Desmarais, Professor, Psychology; Director, Center for Family and Community Engagement
  • Harold Freeman, Ciba Professor, Textile Engineering, Chemistry & Science
  • Tom Gower, Professor, Forestry and Environmental Resources
  • Robert Handfield, Bank of America University Distinguished Professor, Business Management
  • Sharon Joines, Professor of Industrial Design, Director of the Research in Ergonomics & Design Laboratory
  • S. Thomas Parker, Professor, History
  • Wayne Place, Alumni Distinguished Professor, Architecture
  • Erin Sills, Professor, Forestry & Environmental Resources
  • Munindar Singh, Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor, Computer Science
  • Robert C Smart, PhD, Goodnight Distinguished Chair in Molecular Toxicology;
    Professor, Department of Biological Sciences and Toxicology Program; Director, Center for Human Health and the Environment,Center for Human Health and the Environment (CHHE)
  • Alyson Wilson, Professor, Statistics
  • Harald Ade, Distinguished Professor, Physics
  • Marie Davidian, William Neal Reynolds Professor, Statistics
  • Fred Gould, William Neal Reynolds Professor of Agriculture, Entomology
  • Gail Jones, Distinguished Graduate Professor, STEM Education
  • Y. Richard Kim, Jimmy D. Clark Distinguished University Professor, Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
  • Trudy Mackay, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished University Professor, Biological Sciences
  • Chris McGahan, Professor, Molecular Biomedical Sciences
  • Greg Parsons, Alcoa Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
  • Ronald Sederoff, Professor, Forestry & Environmental Resources
  • Laurie Williams, Professor, Computer Science
  • Walt Wolfram, William C. Friday Distinguished Professor, English

Events

Full Calendar
Jan 15

Wednesday12:00 PM

URC Meeting
Feb 19

Wednesday12:00 PM

URC Meeting
Mar 19

Wednesday12:00 PM

URC Meeting

RLA Member Spotlight

Maria Mayorga, inducted into the RLA in 2023, tells us how as director of the operations research program in the Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering she works with big data to help solve grand challenges ranging from healthcare inequities to human trafficking.

Watch here