December 4th, 2025 

As the semester winds down and we head into finals, I want to pause and recognize something that often sits beneath the surface of our progress: the systems, partnerships, and shared mechanisms that make discovery possible. They don’t always show up in headlines or announcements, but they are the connective tissue of a healthy research enterprise; the place where systems and people meet to advance discovery. 

This year, we’ve navigated a fast-shifting landscape; new federal compliance requirements, evolving expectations around research security, and significant changes in NIH and NSF funding patterns. Yet through all of it, our research community has remained steady and engaged.  

You’ve continued submitting proposals at full pace, forming interdisciplinary teams, partnering with industry, and designing new pathways for translation and impact. That perseverance only works because collaboration here is intentional, structured, and deeply cross-disciplinary. 

As we close out the semester, I want to thank you for the way you’ve continued to show up for one another; advising students during the busiest weeks of the year, mentoring teams, reviewing proposals, and staying connected across departments and disciplines. Collaboration is the work. And it is what keeps our research enterprise moving forward, even in complex moments. 

As we move through finals and into the last stretch of the semester, please take care of yourselves and your teams. The systems we’re building only matter because of the people behind them, and I’m grateful for the collaboration that carries us forward. 

Erin Rothwell, PhD 
Vice President for Research