Research Leadership Academy
The Research Leadership Academy is the faculty-driven epicenter of research leadership and faculty mentoring.
Overview
The Research Leadership Academy (RLA), established in FY2016, is the faculty-driven epicenter of research leadership and faculty mentoring enhancing NC State’s research culture. The RLA is composed of the University’s most outstanding researchers and mentors from diverse fields; members are selected on their records of and active engagement in research and mentoring of faculty. 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. Membership in the Academy is lifetime as long as the member is associated with NC State with a commitment of active service to the Academy 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. The goals of the RLA are to encourage a culture of mentoring across campus, empower faculty for success, and advance an intellectual, multidisciplinary research community and the best administrative practices.
New Member Spotlight: Maria Mayorga
Maria Mayorga, one of six new RLA members inducted 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.
Get Engaged
Find out how the RLA engages with the NC State community.
Leadership
- Heather Patisaul, Associate Dean for Research, Biological Sciences (Chair, 2023-2024)
- Heike Sederoff, Professor of Plant and Microbial Biology (Chair-Elect, 2023-2024)
Past Leadership
- 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)
Members
2023
- 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
2022
- 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
2021
- 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
2020
- Jeffrey Buckel, Professor, Applied Ecology
- Michael Dickey, Alcoa Professor & University Faculty Scholar, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Julie Ivy, Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering; Fitts Faculty Fellow in Health Systems Engineering
- Audrey Jaeger, Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor, Educational Leadership, Policy and Human Development; Executive Director, Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research
- Jennifer Kuzma, Goodnight-NCGSK Foundation Distinguished Professor, School of Public and International Affairs; Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Genetic Engineering and Society (GES) Center
- Gavin Smith, Professor, Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning
2019
- Ralph Dean, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor, Entomology and Plant Pathology
- Jacob Jones, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering; Director, Analytical Instrumentation Facility (AIF)
- Elaine Orr, Professor, English
- Heather Patisaul, Associate Dean for Research, Biological Sciences
- Richard Spontak, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
- Phillip Westmoreland, Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
2018
- Jose Alonso, Professor, Plant and Microbial Biology
- Cathrine Hoyo, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences; Director, Epidemiology and Environmental Epigenomics Laboratory
- Jessica DeCuir-Gunby, Professor, Educational Psychology
- Fred Wright, Professor, Statistics; Director, Bioinformatics Research Center
- Matthew Breen, Oscar Fletcher Distinguished Professor, Genomics
- H. Christopher Frey, Glenn E. Futrell Distinguished University Professor, Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
- David Muddiman, Jacob and Betty Belin Distinguished Professor, College of Sciences, Chemistry; Director, Molecular Education, Technology, and Research Innovation Center (METRIC)
- Coby Schal, Blanton Whitmire Distinguished Professor, Entomology and Plant Pathology
2017
- 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
2016 (Inaugural Class)
- 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
RLA Lunch and Learns
New Member Spotlight: Ola Harrysson
Ola Harrysson, one of six new RLA members inducted in 2023, explains his role as the director of the Center for Additive Manufacturing and Logistics (CAMAL).