Robert J. Webster III, Richard A. Schroeder Professor of Engineering, has been selected to serve on a Subcommittee for International Research and Engagement established by the Vanderbilt University Research Council to provide governance for the TIPs-funded GlobalVU initiative.
The GlobalVU initiative aims to improve international research and engagement, bring more international scholars and graduate students to campus, and connect scholars with policymakers and public intellectuals from around the world.
Webster serves on the steering committee of the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering and he is director of the School of Engineering’s Medical Engineering and Discovery Laboratory. His faculty appointments include professor of mechanical engineering as well as electrical engineering and computer science, otolaryngology, urologic surgery, neurological surgery, and medicine.
The subcommittee will be responsible for reviewing and helping to develop the programmatic vision for global initiatives, identifying priority initiatives to facilitate international research and engagement at the university, reviewing competitive proposal applications for micro-grant applications and developing the framework for the future GlobalVU Institute.
“The sun never sets on Vanderbilt research because our faculty and their international partners are constantly pursuing new discoveries to make the world a better place,” said Padma Raghavan, vice provost for research and a professor of computer science and computer engineering. “This new subcommittee will amplify the impact of those discoveries around the globe.”
The subcommittee will be led by Elizabeth Zechmeister, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Political Science and director of the Latin American Public Opinion Project international survey research lab. Ingrid Wuerth, Helen Strong Curry Professor of International Law, and Ted Fischer, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Anthropology and director of the Center for Latin American Studies, who co-chair the GlobalVU initiative, will serve as ex-officio members.
Other members of the VURC Subcommittee for International Research and Engagement are:
- Muktar Aliyu , Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Roger Colbran, School of Medicine Basic Sciences
- Carolyn Heinrich , Peabody College
- Moses Ochonu, College of Arts and Science
- Mariann Piano, School of Nursing
- Lijun Song, College of Arts and Science
Contact: Brenda Ellis, (615) 343-6314
brenda.ellis@vanderbilt.edu