Vanderbilt University Research Council
Charged by Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Cybele Raver, the VURC consists of faculty from all 10 colleges and schools and provides input on and oversees the planning and operations of a coherent set of activities for growth and recognition, to provide support services that are accessible and effective, and to streamline processes to reduce administrative burdens while ensuring compliance. The VURC also works to leverage our trans-institutional research efforts to improve our competitiveness for external funding and to elevate our global research profile. The council’s representatives are highly distinguished in their fields with a proven track record of working across disciplinary boundaries.
Members of the VURC
Douglas Adams
Vice Dean of Engineering; Daniel F. Flowers Professor; Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Associate Provost; Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Rebecca Haw Allensworth
Associate Dean for Research; David Daniels Allen Professor of Law
C. André Christie-Mizell
Vice Provost for Graduate Education; Dean of the Graduate School; Centennial Professor of Sociology
Ellen Goldring
Executive Associate Dean, Office of the Dean; Patricia and Rodes Hart Chair, Professor of Education and Leadership, Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations
Ruth Kleinpell
Independence Foundation Professor of Nursing Education; Associate Dean for Clinical Scholarship, Professor; Interim Associate Dean for Research
Velma McBride Murry
University Professor of Peabody College, Department of Human and Organizational Development; University Professor of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Department of Health Policy
Padma Raghavan
Vice Provost for Research & Innovation; Senior Advisor to the Chancellor; Professor of Computer Science
Cynthia Reinhart-King
Senior Associate Dean for Research, University Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Cell and Developmental Biology, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Engineering
Charles Sanders
Associate Dean for Research; Professor of Biochemistry & Medicine; Vice Dean of Basic Sciences; Aileen M. Lange & Annie Mary Lyle Chair, Cardiovascular Research
Bob Webster
Richard A. Schroeder Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Otolaryngology, Neurological Surgery, Urologic Surgery, Medicine

Richard Willis
Senior Associate Dean for the Faculty; Anne Marie and Thomas B. Walker, Jr., Professor of Accounting

Elizabeth Zechmeister
Associate Provost, Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation; Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Political Science; Director, Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP)